Just Released: 2020 International Religious Freedom Report

Just Released: 2020 International Religious Freedom Report, May 12, 2021

This year marks the 23rd release of the International Religious Freedom Report, documenting the state of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries and territories.  The Biden Administration is deeply committed to promoting and protecting universal respect for freedom of religion or belief for all.  The right to exercise one’s freedom of religion or belief has been central to the American experience since our country’s founding.  Freedom of religion or belief is enshrined in our Constitution’s First Amendment and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; it is a core American value and universal human right.

As President Biden has noted, we are not a perfect nation.  We are not oblivious to our own shortcomings.  There is more work to be done to ensure the rights and dignity of all are equally upheld in the United States as well as abroad.  This report informs critical U.S. foreign policy decisions and serves as a trusted resource for foreign governments and legislators, human rights advocates, religious communities, academic researchers, members of Congress, and everyday Americans for reliable information on religious freedom developments around the world.

The Kosovo portion of the 2020 report highlights the need for an amended Law on Religious Freedom.  Lack of legal status for religious communities is a major gap in Kosovo’s fundamental human rights’ protections.

You can find the full worldwide report in English as well as the Kosovo portions in English, Albanian, and Serbian.