Other State Department Archive Sites

The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released online from January 1, 1997 to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for current material from the Department of State. Or visit http://2001-2009.state.gov for information from that period. Archive sites are not updated, so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

U.S. Department of State Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 1999: Tuvalu Released by the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Washington, DC, September 9, 1999

TUVALU Section I. Freedom of Religion The Constitution provides for separation of church and state, and imposes no restrictions on freedom of religion, and the Government respects these provisions in practice. Both Protestants (Methodists and Anglicans) and Catholics are represented in the country, as well as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Specific figures on church membership are not available. There are a number of active Christian missionary organizations representing the same religious faiths practiced in the country. Missionaries practice without special restrictions. The Government has not taken any specific actions to improve interreligious relations. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report. There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners. There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. Section II. Societal Attitudes Interfaith relations are amicable. There are no ecumenical movements. Section III. U.S. Government Policy Representatives of the U.S. Embassy in Fiji visit periodically to discuss religious freedom issues with the Government in the overall context of the promotion of human rights. They also meet with representatives of the religious communities and nongovernmental organizations that have an interest in religious freedom. The U.S. Embassy actively supports efforts to improve and expand governmental and societal awareness of and protection for human rights, including the right to freedom of religion. [End of Document]

Table of Contents | Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | Department of State