On July 11, 2017, members from the Embassy’s Political and Economic section met with members of the Bahai, Umbandista, Buddhist, Islamic, Methodist, Focolares, and Evangelical faiths for a fruitful conversation. The meeting’s discussion centered around the importance of enhancing awareness about religious diversity, strengthening inter-faith dialogue, and promoting religious freedom in Uruguay and the region. Participants appreciated the Embassy’s initiative to bring minority religions together to discuss shared challenges and viewed the meeting as a catalyst for continued collaboration.
The meeting was organized and facilitated by Susana Mangana, an alumni of a the U.S. Embassy’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) program, professor at the Catholic University and an expert on Islam.
The U.S. Department of State monitors and reports on the state of religious freedom in Uruguay and in countries throughout the world, highlighting the challenges members of religious communities face from governments and other actors. This report, titled that International Religious Freedom Report is published annually. It reflects the expectation that all countries should protect religious freedom, consistent with the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights and individual country obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
