Mark Walker, a former Republican congressman for North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, has been appointed as the U.S. principal adviser on global religious freedom to the U.S. State Department.
In a Jan. 8 statement, Walker announced he was “deeply honored” that U.S. President Donald Trump had appointed him to the role. Walker served as a congressman from 2015 to 2021. Before entering politics, he served as a pastor at two different churches in North Carolina.
“Promoting religious liberty worldwide has been a cornerstone of my life’s work,” he said. “As a pastor, as a Member of Congress and as a passionate advocate for the persecuted.”
Walker was nominated for an ambassador-at-large position but faced delays in being confirmed. The adviser role does not require Senate confirmation.
“Religious freedom remains under assault in far too many corners of the world,” Walker said, noting that he looks forward to working with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the president “to advance America’s leadership in confronting religious persecution, exposing human-rights violations and advocating for people of faith around the globe.”
Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said in a Jan. 6 statement that she “looks forward to working with Mark Walker in the new role.” The USCIRF emphasized its concern that the State Department “has yet to release its annual report on International Religious Freedom.”
It said it is “hopeful” that with the announcement of Walker’s appointment, the report and “the associated designations” will happen in the coming days, signaling to “bad actors that the United States continues to prioritize freedom of religion or belief.”
Asim Mahmood, vice chair of the commission, urged the president not to follow “in the footsteps of the Biden administration” and to pay attention to violations in “countries like China, India, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, Russia and Saudi Arabia.”
“The lives of people of faith around the world may depend upon it,” he said.
