About |
IRF Secretariat is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) created to:
Serve all faith communities, civil society organizations, parliamentarians, and governments that are working to promote, advance, and secure freedom of thought, conscience, and religion;
Provide effective strategic and administrative support to empower the institutionalization and sustainability of the global movement; and
Organize and operate exclusively for tax-exempt charitable and educational purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
PURPOSE
1. To convene the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable in Washington.
2. To lead the way to the achievement of long-term impact and better outcomes by conceptualizing and institutionalizing a new approach centered on cooperative engagement.
CONVENE GLOBAL EVENTS
Global, regional, and national summits and conferences convene and expand the global movement. These events include training and certificate programs that equip citizens and government officials to engage each other cooperatively and constructively.
CATALIZE COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATOIN THROUGH A GROWING GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The events catalyze the establishment of regional secretariats that can then start and support religious freedom roundtables (at the national and local levels), bring faith/belief communities and other civil society partners and sectors into the movement, and develop and/or strengthen a builder’s mentality and structure in each region. This expanding global network serves as a sustainable infrastructure for cooperative engagement and communication across deep religious differences and a variety of multi-faith actions that not only advocate and build religious freedom but mutual respect, trust, and reliance.
COORDINATE COLLABORATIVE, MULTI-FAITH, MULTI-NETWORK, MULTI-SECTOR ACTIONS TO INCREASE IMPACT
Goal setting and strategic planning provide a coherent set of targets and objectives that enable coordination of actions across the “bottom up” of civil society sectors and the “top down” networks of governments to increase impact.
PILLARS
MULTI-FAITH, INCLUSIVE, & EQUAL CITIZENSHIP
We provide multi-faith, inclusive, equal citizenship events, platforms, and “on ramps”—such as Roundtables in the public square—and deliver value-added leadership services that educate, equip, and empower all communities to engage each other across their deepest differences, learn from each other, and start working together.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY
We help all faith/belief communities take responsibility for each other by respecting the human dignity of each individual, including those of other faiths and beliefs, and protecting their freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; and for society by engaging governments cooperatively and constructively, in multi-faith fashion, and offering to work with them to solve social problems.
GOOD CITIZENSHIP & GOVERNANCE
We facilitate better citizenship & governance by forging consultative relationships and strategic partnerships between all faith/belief communities (majority and minority, traditional and new) and governments; and by helping them work with each other (in practice) on a regular and ongoing basis to improve public policies.