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2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Singapore
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution, laws, and policies provide for religious freedom, subject to restrictions relating to public order, public health, and morality.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Samoa
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution provides for the right to choose, practice, and change one’s religion, and it defines the country as a Christian nation.
The United States Announces $245 Million in Humanitarian Assistance to Sudan and Neighboring Countries
By State Newswire | May 24, 2023
Release: Last week the United States announced $245 million in additional support to the people of Sudan and neighboring countries experiencing the impacts of the ongoing humanitarian crisis. These funds include nearly $143 million from the Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugee and Migration and $103 million in additional humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Thailand
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution “prohibits discrimination based on religious belief” and protects religious liberty as long as the exercise of religious freedom is not “harmful to the security of the State.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nauru
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution and other laws provide for freedom of conscience, thought, and religion, and for freedom to change one’s religion or beliefs.
Joint Statement on Joint Action to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination
By State Newswire | May 24, 2023
Release: The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and of Brazil on the occasion of a meeting of the Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality (JAPER).
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Tonga
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution grants freedom to practice, worship, and assemble for religious services.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Laos
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution provides citizens with “the right and freedom to believe or not to believe in religion.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Micronesia
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution states no law may be passed to establish a state religion or impair the free exercise of religion.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution provides for freedom of religious belief, with the stipulation that “religion must not be used as a pretext for drawing in foreign forces or for harming the State or social order.”
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Taiwan
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution provides for freedom of religious belief. In May, the Legislative Yuan (parliament) passed a law allowing qualified religious groups to change the registration of real estate assets formerly held in the name of individual members.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Cambodia
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution states Buddhism is the state religion.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: New Zealand
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The unwritten constitution, which comprises several basic laws, provides the right to manifest religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, or teaching, either individually or in community with others, and either in public or in private.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Marshall Islands
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution provides protections for religious freedom with “reasonable restrictions” to ensure public order and the rights of other individuals.
2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Philippines
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The constitution provides for the free exercise of religion and religious worship and prohibits the establishment of a state religion.
Sentencing of Human Rights Defender Guo Feixiong
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
We condemn the reported sentencing of human rights activist and lawyer Guo Feixiong, also known as Yang Maodong.
U.S. Department of State Announces 2,100 Benjamin Gilman Scholars, Expanding Access to Study Abroad for American Undergraduate Students
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
Working to expand access to international education opportunities to Americans across the socioeconomic spectrum, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announced today that 2,100 American undergraduate students from 520 U.S.
Tonga Embassy Opening
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
We are pleased to announce the United States officially opened the U.S. Embassy in Nuku’alofa on May 9, 2023, less than one year after Vice President Harris announced at a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum that we would begin discussions with Tonga regarding in establishing an embassy.
Taiwan as an Observer in the World Health Assembly
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
The World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), will hold its annual meeting May 21-30 in Geneva to discuss global public health priorities.
The Attack on AHA Centre Convoy
By State Newswire Report | May 24, 2023
We are deeply concerned by reports that unknown assailants in Burma shot at an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) convoy under military escort.