Enhancing Religious Freedom in German Policy Framework
The Bundestag is poised to reinforce the principles of religious and ideological freedom within the realms of Germany's foreign, security, and development policies. This initiative aims to establish a more robust observation mechanism for significant states, ensuring that the situation regarding religious freedoms is monitored on a regular basis. On October 6, the Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid Committee publicly released its recommendations regarding the third report on religious freedom submitted by the German government. The resolution proposed was backed by the CDU/CSU and SPD parties, while the Greens opposed it, and the AfD and the Left Party abstained from the vote. Among the key demands outlined in the resolution is the establishment of a biannual reporting schedule, a more pronounced focus on religious minorities, and a systematic approach to incorporating religious dynamics into analyses related to foreign and development policy.
This committee's recommendations reflect on a government report that covers the period from 2020 to 2022, which experienced significant delays contributing to the parliamentary deliberations. According to representatives from the CDU/CSU, a new report will be made available shortly.
Key Recommendations and Global Context
The resolution, supported by CDU/CSU and SPD, urges the federal government to systematically integrate the aspects of religion and worldview, along with their associated societal actors and conflict dynamics, into its human rights, foreign, security, and development policies. Special attention is directed towards states where religious tensions coincide with political instability or weak governmental institutions. In this context, religious minorities should be considered as an important indicator of democracy, the rule of law, and societal freedoms.
The committee notes that restrictions on religious freedom frequently intersect with other human rights violations. According to the report, nearly three-quarters of the global population resides in countries that impose limitations on religious or ideological freedoms. It highlights Christians as the largest religious group worldwide facing discrimination and persecution. Additionally, it addresses the situations of other groups, including the Muslim Uyghurs in China, the Baha’i in Iran, the Rohingya in Myanmar, and Buddhist Tibetans.
Furthermore, the German government is encouraged to intensify its dialogue with international partners, religious communities, and civil society organizations, aiming to involve religious and ideological actors more significantly in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and social cohesion efforts. In various partner countries of German development cooperation, religious communities wield considerable societal influence. The government report, for instance, mentions collaborations with religious actors to combat female genital mutilation and other forms of gender-based violence.
In light of this, the federal government is also expected to enhance its expertise in religious policy within the framework of German foreign, security, and development strategies. The committee advocates for the permanent continuation of the office of the federal government’s commissioner for global religious and ideological freedom. Additionally, it calls for Germany to promote the institutionalization of the EU special representative for the promotion of religious and ideological freedom beyond the European Union.
Moreover, the committee demands more reliable reporting mechanisms, with the fourth report on global religious and ideological freedom to be presented promptly, ensuring a regular biannual rhythm thereafter. Future country reports should specifically include states that hold significant political, religious, or geopolitical importance.
The current third report documents conditions in 41 countries, discussing not only the restrictions on religious freedom but also focusing on two thematic areas: the situation of indigenous peoples and the role of religion in sustainable development. In this report, the government also outlines 20 measures aimed at promoting and safeguarding religious and ideological freedom.
The parliamentary debate on this issue has spanned several years, with the third report having been submitted to the Bundestag at the end of 2023. After the conclusion of the previous legislative period, the document had to be reassigned to the committees in September 2025.
The CDU/CSU highlighted during the discussions the extended timeframe of the report and welcomed the fact that the commissioner for religious and ideological freedom is now located within the Foreign Office. Conversely, the AfD criticized the delayed handling of the report and demanded more current information, referencing more frequent reports from the United States and abstaining from the resolution.
While the Greens broadly supported the report, they rejected the joint resolution from CDU/CSU and SPD, arguing that the documented human rights violations did not lead to sufficiently concrete consequences, citing the situation of the Yazidis as an example. The Left Party acknowledged many statements in the report as accurate but also deemed the proposed demands insufficiently comprehensive, leading them to abstain as well.
Ultimately, the recommendations link religious freedom explicitly with issues of political stability and the strength of state institutions, suggesting that restrictions on religious minorities could indicate increasing societal polarization, authoritarian trends, or weakening rule of law structures. At the same time, it is emphasized that religion should not solely be viewed as a conflict factor; rather, religious communities may also play significant roles in peace processes, social mediation, and sustainable development efforts.
The third report has already made connections with the United Nations' Agenda 2030, indicating that in addition to economic, social, and ecological factors, cultural and religious structures also influence the implementation of sustainable development.
As reported by fokus-afrika.de.
