Religious freedom advocates will gather Feb. 2-3 in Washington, D.C., for the sixth annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit, the world’s largest assembly for this cause.
According to a Jan. 12 emailed press release from IRF, one of the main topics for this year’s summit is the role of religious freedom in global security. Summit attendees will also discuss how to support people who are facing current and emerging religious discrimination crises and people who have been imprisoned because of their beliefs.
Sam Brownback, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for IRF and Katrina Lantos Swett, former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, co-founded the summit in 2021.
“With 80% of the world’s population currently living in countries that restrict the right to freedom of religion or belief, there is an urgent need to come together to stand up for what is right,” they stated in the release.
Brownback and Swett added that even though the international movement for religious freedom is growing, persecution continues in many countries, including China, Nigeria, North Korea, and Syria.
On Feb. 4, summit attendees will address U.S. lawmakers as part of a Congressional Advocacy Day, one of many that occur throughout the year for different organizations. Advocates will have the opportunity to give specific recommendations for protecting vulnerable religious populations throughout the world.
According to an IRF Facebook post, the summit drew over 1,700 people in 2025. In a speech at that event, Vice President JD Vance praised President Donald Trump’s commitment to religious freedom and stated that religious freedom is foundational to flourishing societies.
“We know in America faith nurtures our communities,” Vance said. “At home and abroad it fosters a love for one’s neighbors, it inspires generosity and service, it calls us to treat one another with dignity, to lift up those in need, and to build nations grounded in moral principles.”
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