The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2026 is held from Feb. 1 to 3 in Washington.
Schedule of plenary session on Feb. 3:
Fleeing for Faith: Protecting Freedom of Belief for People on the Move
This panel begins at 9:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 3. It explores the double challenge faced by victims of religious persecution: being forced to flee their homelands and then facing additional challenges to exercising their faith in exile.
Moderator
HIAS Vice President for Policy and Advocacy Naomi Steinberg
Panelists
Nazila Ghanea, United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
A Demand for Action founder Nuri Kino
Katherine Marshall, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs
Transnational Repression: How Authoritarian Regimes Target Religion, Belief Beyond Their Borders
This panel begins at 9:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 3. It explores the troubling rise of transnational repression, where authoritarian governments target citizens in exile—as well as family members who remain in their country of origin—to silence dissent, obstruct human rights reporting, and impact exiled faith communities globally….
