US Mission Geneva

U.S. Ambassador for religious freedom Suzan Johnson Cook spoke at the U.N. Human Rights Council on the actions that the international community and political leaders need to take to combat intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief.

Thank you, Mr. President. The United States has a firm commitment to the protection and promotion of all human rights. We remain a stalwart defender of courageous individuals across the globe who work, often at great personal risk, on behalf of the rights of others.

Governments can and should take an active role in promoting tolerance and respect for diversity. We have repeatedly stated our resolve to combat intolerance, discrimination and hate crimes. We need to do a better job of putting those words into action. We remain concerned by the trend of governments putting restrictions on places of worship, religious attire, the use of minority languages, or peaceful cultural expression; and actions by political leadership that exploit ethnic tensions or reiterate unhelpful stereotypes. We remain concerned about police raids and arrests for peaceful religious activity and religious groups facing difficulties in registration.

Freedom of religion or belief cannot be ensured without the vigorous protection of free speech. The two freedoms are indivisible and interdependent, and protect core aspects of the identity of both individuals and communities. Their equal protection promotes the debate and dissent that are essential to healthy societies, protects against discrimination, and helps unleash the potential of all individuals to participate in political, social and economic life.

A core element of the right to speak one’s mind includes the ability to espouse and practice whatever religious beliefs one chooses. Debates over theological differences have been a vibrant part of the American marketplace of ideas since the time of the Pilgrims, and our Constitution’s First Amendment enshrines free speech as a core value.

Our government’s promotion of religious freedom is grounded in our national experience and it supports our broader human rights and national security interests. Fortunately, many governments understand the importance of these issues, yet we’re fully aware that even in countries with robust legal safeguards, including the United States, we’re not immune from acts of intolerance.

The right to profess, practice, and promote one’s religious beliefs is a founding principle of our nation. In fact, many of our earliest settlers came because they wanted the freedom to practice their own religion without a state interfering or oppressing that practice. It is the first liberty mentioned in our Bill of Rights, and it is a freedom guaranteed to all people in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

I want to underscore that, because this is not just an American

Friends – Good evening, and welcome to Villa Tatiana. This evening we are honored to pay special tribute to the many contribution Muslims have made in my own country, in yours and to our world. We join in wishing you and Muslims around the world, “Ramadan Mubarak.”

Thank you, Mr. President.

And thank you to the panelists for their contributions for bringing this timely subject to the Council’s attention.

The United States welcomes the opportunity to participate in this dialogue on human rights. We welcome this opportunity because lack of understanding and suspicion often separate us, and cloud from our view the essential truth that our common humanity unites us all.