The State of Political and Religious Freedom in the Middle East

Michael H. Posner
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Statement before House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia

Washington, DC

November 19, 2009

Chairman Ackerman and members of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, it is an honor to be here today to discuss religious freedom conditions in the Middle East and to share what the Obama Administration is doing to encourage progress on religious freedom in the region.

I commend the work of the Subcommittee and I thank you for drawing attention to this important human right.

As you know, in October the State Department released its 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom. I would like to submit the Report’s Introduction and Executive Summary for the record.

The Report’s Introduction articulates this Administration’s approach to international religious freedom. We seek a principled engagement with other nations on this issue—in a spirit of mutual interest and mutual respect. Religion is a global phenomenon and all nations, including the United States, wrestle with how best to accommodate their religious diversity. We are convinced that the freedom to profess, practice, and promote one’s religion is a basic human right, a social good, a source of stability, and a key component of international security.

President Obama has strongly emphasized the importance of religious freedom several times throughout the past year. In his historic Cairo speech the President stated our belief that, “People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive.”

We recognize that there are many significant challenges to religious freedom and tolerance in the Middle East and South Asia. Throughout the region religious minorities do not enjoy equal access to education, employment, healthcare, and legal recourse. In some places, blasphemy and apostasy laws inhibit the social contributions of minorities and exacerbate inter-religious tension. In many Muslim-majority countries, minority Muslim sects are marginalized and members of the majority sect are not free to challenge official religious opinions. I want to emphasize that religious freedom is not just a concern for religious minorities; majority communities need space to self-critique and adapt to changing conditions over time. Our Annual Report details our findings in each country, as well as what the U.S. Government has done to foster greater respect for religious diversity throughout the region.

Our embassies regularly discuss religious freedom issues with majority and minority faith communities, with relevant government officials, and with academics and members of the media and civil society.

The Department operates or funds several programs aimed at fostering pluralism in the region and we are exploring ways to increase our capacity to engage the region’s faith leaders.

Religion plays a central role in the life of every country in the region. It is vital that the United States engage all religious groups and encourage governments to treat all individuals and groups equally and allow the necessary space for all groups to advance the common good.

With that I would be happy to take your questions.

FY 2010 Funding Opportunity Announcement for NGO Programs Benefiting Burmese Refugees in Thailand and Malaysia, beginning January 1, 2010 - April 1, 2010.

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Funding Opportunity Announcement

November 18, 2009

Funding Opportunity Number: PRM-ANE-10-CA-EA-11182009-TH-MYA

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number: 19.511 - Overseas Refugee Assistance Programs for East Asia

Announcement issuance date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Proposal submission deadline: Friday, December 18, 2009 at 12:00 noon (EDT). Proposals submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

ADVISORY: Grants.gov is expected to experience continued high volume of activity in the near future. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to allow time to address difficulties that may arise due to system delays.


Proposed Program Start Dates: January 1, 2010 – April 1, 2010

Duration of Activity: No more than 12 months.
Applicants with multi-year programs must continue to re-compete for PRM funding each year. Furthermore, in funding a project one year, PRM makes no representations that it will continue to fund the project in successive years and encourages applicants to seek a wide array of donors to ensure long-term funding possibilities.

Current Funding Priorities for Assistance to Burmese refugees in Thailand:

(1) Ban Mae Nai Soi and Ban Mae Surin Refugee Camps in Mae Hong Son Province:
PRM will accept proposals from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for continued humanitarian assistance in the following key areas for the period Jan. 1, 2010 – Dec. 31, 2010. Proposed activities should support the following priority sectors:

a) Improving or maintaining access to quality health care services, including the incorporation of training and capacity building of key responders to the provision of services;
b) Improving the quality of life of refugee populations by addressing their psychosocial needs and developing income-generating activities, with an emphasis on the development of skills and vocational training to achieve a measure of self-sufficiency and a reasonable livelihood; and
c) Strengthening the community’s capacity to respond to the health, psychosocial, safety and justice needs of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

(2) Nutritional Assistance:
PRM will accept proposals from NGOs for continued nutritional assistance in Ban Mae Nai Soi, Ban Mae Surin, Mae La Oon, Mae Ra Ma Luang (additional camps only if funding permits) for the period March 1, 2010 – February 28, 2011.

Proposals to provide nutritional assistance to populations in Ban Mae Nai Soi, Ban Mae Surin, Mae La Oon, and Mae Ra Ma Luang camps should focus on both of the following:

a) Providing nutritionally complete rations containing at least 2,100 KCals/person/day to camp residents; and
b) Ensuring malnutrition rates remain at or below current levels.

(3) Water and Sanitation:
PRM will accept proposals from NGOs for water and sanitation assistance to Burmese refugees in Mae La camp, displaced Burmese Karen and local villagers in Tha Son Yong District, Tak Province. Proposals should focus on improving the health status and living conditions of refugees and host villagers in Tha Son Yong District through protection and development of the water resource inside Mae La camp and in the host villages.

Current Funding Priorities for Assistance to Burmese refugees in Malaysia:

(1) Healthcare:
PRM will accept proposals from NGOs to provide primary healthcare, medical services, mental health and psychosocial support to the urban Burmese refugee population in Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley, including the implementation of mobile health clinics to immigration detention centers.

(2) Education:
PRM will accept proposals from NGOs to provide quality educational opportunities for school-aged refugee children. Proposed activities should focus on strengthening refugee community capacity to provide education to children and improving the quality of Refugee Community Schools.

PRM will accept proposals from any NGO working in the above mentioned sectors although, given budgetary constraints, priority will be given to proposals from organizations that can demonstrate:

· A working relationship with UNHCR, current UNHCR funding, and/or a letter of support from UNHCR for the proposed activities and/or overall country program (this letter should highlight the gap in services the proposed program is designed to address);

· A proven track record in providing proposed assistance both in the sector and specified location;

· Evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as – where possible – local authorities;

· A concrete implementation plan with well-conceived objectives and indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and reliable, time-bound and trackable (SMART), have established baselines, and include at least one outcome or impact indicator per objective;

· A budget that is appropriate for meeting the objectives and demonstrates co-funding by non-US government sources;

· Appropriate targeting of beneficiaries in coordination with UNHCR and other relevant organizations. Because of PRM’s mandate to provide protection, assistance, and sustainable solutions for refugees and victims of conflict, PRM considers funding only those projects that include a target beneficiary base of at least 50% refugees.

· Adherence to relevant international standards for humanitarian assistance. See FY2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines for a complete list of sector-specific standards.

International Organizations (IOs) that are engaged in programs relevant to the assistance addressed by this PRM funding announcement should ensure that these programs are made known to PRM on or before the closing date of this funding announcement so that PRM can evaluate all IO and NGO programs for funding consideration.

As stated in the FY 2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines, PRM looks favorably on cost-sharing efforts and seeks to support projects with a diverse donor base and/or resources from the submitting organization.

Proposal Submission Requirements:

See “How to Apply” (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) on Grants.gov for complete details on requirements, and note the following highlights:

· Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov. Organizations not registered with Grants.gov should register well in advance of the December 18, 2009 deadline as it can take up to two weeks to finalize registration (sometimes longer for non-U.S. based NGOs to get the required registration numbers). To register with Grants.gov, organizations must first receive a DUNS number and register with the Central Contract Registry (CCR) which can take weeks and sometimes months. See “Applicant FAQs” section on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/help/applicant_faqs.jsp#applying) for complete details on registering.

· Do not wait until the last minute to submit your application on Grants.gov. Applicants who have done so in the past and experienced technical difficulties were not able to meet the deadline. Please note: Grants.gov is expected to experience continued high volumes of activity in the near future. PRM strongly recommends submitting your proposal early to avoid submission delays. We recommend that organizations, particularly first-time applicants, submit applications via Grants.gov no later than one week before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical difficulties that could result in an application not being considered.

· If you encounter technical difficulties with Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at support@grants.gov or by calling 1-800-518-4726. Applicants who are unable to submit applications via Grants.gov due to Grants.gov technical difficulties and who have reported the problem(s) to the Grants.gov help desk and received a case number and had a service request opened to research the problem(s), should contact PRM Program Officer Hoa Tran at (202) 663-3104 or TranHT3@state.gov to determine whether an alternative method of submission is appropriate.

· Applications must be submitted under the authority of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) at the applicant organization. Having proposals submitted by agency headquarters helps to avoid possible technical problems.

· NGOs that have not received PRM funding prior to the U.S. Government fiscal year ending September 30, 2004 must be prepared to demonstrate that they meet the financial and accounting requirements of the U.S. Government by submitting copies of: 1) the most recent external financial audit; 2) non-profit tax status under IRS 501(c)(3); 3) a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and; 4) an Employer ID (EIN)/Federal Tax Identification number.

Proposal Content, Formatting and Template:

Please refer to the “Proposal Submission and Review Process” section in the FY 2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines. PRM strongly encourages organizations applying for PRM funding to use the PRM recommended proposal and budget templates. Templates can be requested by sending an email to PRM's NGO Coordinator. You must type “PRM NGO Templates” in the subject line to receive an automated reply containing the template.

PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN PRM’s FY2010 NGO GUIDELINES:

This announcement is designed to accompany the FY 2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines, which contain additional administrative information and explain in detail PRM’s NGO funding strategy and priorities. Please use both the FY 2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines and this announcement to ensure that the proposed activities are in line with PRM’s priorities and that your proposal submission is in full compliance with PRM requirements. Proposal submissions that do not meet all of the requirements outlined in these guidelines will not be considered. PRM recommends using the proposal and budget templates that are available upon email request from PRM's NGO Coordinator.

· Proposals should outline how the NGO will acknowledge PRM funding. If an organization believes that publicly acknowledging the receipt of USG funding for a particular PRM-funded project could potentially endanger the lives of the beneficiaries and/or the organization staff, invite suspicion about the organization's motives, or alienate the organization from the population it is trying to help, it must provide a brief explanation in its proposal as to why it should be exempted from this requirement.

· Focus on outcome or impact indicators as much as possible. At a minimum, each objective should have one outcome or impact indicator. Wherever possible, baselines should be established before the start of the project.

· To increase PRM’s ability to track the impact of PRM funding, include specific information on locations of projects and beneficiaries. Any project involving the building or maintenance of physical infrastructure must include coordinates of site locations (place name, P-Code, latitude and longitude coordinates).

· Budget must include a specific breakdown of funds being provided by UNHCR, other USG agencies, other donors, and your own organization (where applicable). PRM strongly encourages multi-lateral support for humanitarian programs.

· Organizations that received PRM funding in FY 2009 for activities that are being proposed for funding under this announcement must include the most recent quarterly progress report against indicators outlined in the cooperative agreement. If an organization’s last quarterly report was submitted more than six weeks prior to the submission of a proposal in response to this funding announcement, the organization must include, with its most recent quarterly report, updates that show any significant progress made on objectives since the last report.

Reports and Reporting Requirements:

Program reporting: PRM requires quarterly and final program reports describing and analyzing the results of activities undertaken during the validity period of the agreement. It is highly suggested that NGOs receiving PRM funding use the PRM recommended program report template. To request this template, send an email with the phrase “PRM NGO templates” in the subject line to PRM's NGO Coordinator.

Financial Reports: Financial reports are required within thirty (30) days following the end of each calendar year quarter during the validity period of the agreement; a final financial report covering the entire period of the agreement is required within ninety (90) days after the expiration date of the agreement.

For more details regarding PRM’s reporting requirements please see FY 2010 General PRM NGO Guidelines.

Proposal Review Process:

PRM will conduct a formal competitive review of all proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement. A review panel will evaluate submissions based on the above-referenced proposal evaluation criteria and PRM priorities in the context of available funding.

In order to provide NGOs with timely feedback, PRM will inform applicants of the panel’s decision to recommend or not recommend funding proposed activities, and may request revised proposals and/or budgets based on feedback from the panel. PRM will follow up with formal notifications to NGOs of final decisions taken by Bureau management.

PRM Points of Contact:

Should NGOs have technical questions related to this announcement, they should contact the PRM staff listed below prior to proposal submission. [Note: Responses to technical questions from PRM do not indicate a commitment to fund the program discussed.]

PRM Program Officer Hoa Tran (TranHT3@state.gov; 202-663-3104), Washington, D.C.

East Asia Regional Refugee Coordinator Tim Scherer (SchererTM@state.gov), U.S. Embassy, Refugee and Migration Affairs, Bangkok, Thailand.

East Asia Deputy Refugee Coordinator Adam Zerbinopoulos (ZerbinopoulosA@state.gov), U.S. Embassy, Refugee and Migration Affairs, Bangkok, Thailand.

Inauguration of Zarqa Girls' School

Eric P. Schwartz
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Zarqa Camp

Zarqa, Jordan

November 16, 2009

Thank you. It is wonderful to be here in Jordan. I would like to thank UNRWA Director Richard Cook for organizing today’s inauguration ceremony, and to recognize and commend UNRWA Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd for her leadership of the agency over the past four years. I also wish to thank my colleague Ambassador Beecroft for the embassy’s support of UNRWA’s activities.

On behalf of the Obama Administration, I’m gratified to be here today to officially open the new Zarqa Preparatory Girls’ School, which will benefit over 700 Palestinian children and their families. In 2007, the U.S. Government contributed $1.48 million toward the reconstruction of three separate schools, now housed in this one building. I anticipate that the students and their parents will be, like families the world over, delighted with the prospect of a new school.

UNRWA is well known for providing quality, universal education in all its operational fields. I am confident that the Zarqa Preparatory School will be a place where girls will have a chance to learn how they can become full members and leaders of their community. As I look out at the many bright young faces in the crowd today, so eager to learn and take advantage of the opportunities that will be afforded by this fine school, I’m reminded of my own two daughters and the hopes and aspirations their mother and I have for their educations and their futures. I’m proud to be here today among the many parents who are hoping that the opening of this school will mark a bright time in the lives of the many girls here today and those that will attend this institution in the years to come.

We believe this school will help to build the capacity of the future Palestinian state by educating its future leaders. I truly believe I’m standing today among young women who will become the doctors, teachers, scientists, government workers and politicians who will help lead the Palestinian people to a prosperous and peaceful future.

I’m here today to reinforce the message that the U.S. Government and the American people are working with you to meet that goal, and we will remain committed to helping meet the needs of Palestinian refugees in the region until there is a just and lasting solution to the current conflict.

The United States partnership with UNRWA is longstanding and strong; the U.S. Government is UNRWA's largest bilateral donor. We contributed nearly $268 million this year. A significant portion of our contribution supports the almost 2 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan. As part of our support, the USG contributed $1.8 million in funds this year to support the reconstruction of UNRWA's health clinic in Wahadat Camp, which provides health services to over 50,000 refugees.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to recognize and thank the Jordanian government for hosting Palestinian refugees for the past 60 years. You have generously welcomed them and provided them with opportunities and tools to help recognize their full potential and build a better future for their families.

Thank you once more for involving me in this welcome event.

Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate Celebration

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Brandenburg Gate

Berlin, Germany

November 9, 2009

Good evening, Berlin. (Applause.) It is indeed an honor and a great personal privilege to be here on behalf of President Obama and the United States of America – (applause) – to commemorate with you that night 20 years ago when history broke through concrete and barbed wire and signaled a new dawn, not just for the people of Berlin, not just for the people of Germany, but for the entire world. And that night, that night was built by the efforts, the prayers, and the work of so many.

We remember the allies who conducted the largest humanitarian airlift in history, completing more than a quarter million flights to sustain the people of West Berlin. We remember the Poles – (applause) – who waged a campaign for liberty that began with a strike in the shipyards of Gdansk and ended by shattering a system of tyranny. We remember a Polish Pope who spoke out for the aspirations of people across Europe and the world. (Applause.) We remember the people of the Baltics who joined hands across their lands and helped to break the chains that held their nations captive. We remember the students of Prague who propelled a dissident playwright from a jail cell to the presidency of a free republic.

And tonight, we remember the Germans on both sides of the wall, but particularly the Germans in the East who stood up and finally were able to say, “No more. Freedom is our birthright and we will take it by our own hands.” (Applause.) We know that millions of hearts, of minds, and hands were behind those who literally tore down the wall. But history did not end the night the wall came down; it began anew. We could not know what the people of Berlin nor the people of Germany and Europe would do with this moment. But together, we saw you transform the landscape of this continent and change the course of world events. So Berlin came to stand at the center of a free, peaceful, prosperous, reunified Germany and a free, peaceful, prosperous, unified Europe.

Two decades later, we remember. But it is also a call to action. There are still millions across our world who are separated – maybe not by walls, maybe not by barbed wire, although that still exists – but who are separated from loved ones, who are kept down and behind, unable to fulfill their own destinies. So as beneficiaries of this great bequest we inherited in 1989, those of us gathered here tonight, leaders and citizens alike, we must pledge ourselves to work together to advance freedom beyond its current frontiers so that people everywhere are afforded the opportunities to pursue their dreams and live up to their God-given potential.

I am deeply honored to introduce now a message from someone who represents the fall of different kinds of walls – of walls of discrimination, of stereotype, of character, the walls that too often are inside minds and hearts. Let me introduce a message from President Barack Obama.