Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief

    Frank Schwabe

    In January 2021, Frank Schwabe MdB (Member of the German Parliament) was appointed to the post of Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief. The staff unit that supports him in this role is based at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Berlin. The office of Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief was created in the 19th legislative period of the German Bundestag (parliament).

    Frank Schwabe, Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief

    About Frank Schwabe

    • Born on 12 November 1970 in Waltrop
    • Married, three children


    Career and political background

    Frank Schwabe has been a directly elected member of the German Bundestag since 2005. He served for many years as the SPD parliamentary group’s spokesperson on climate action and has long been actively committed to human rights and humanitarian aid.

    He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and a member of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, of which he is also chairperson.

    Frank Schwabe is the son of a miner and a housewife and was born on 12 November 1970 in Waltrop. He is a Protestant Christian. He is married and has three children.

    He is the chairperson of an association for German-Greek-Turkish town twinnings and has also been very involved with Latin America for many years. He has travelled extensively across the world and so had frequently dealt with issues relating to freedom of religion or belief before taking office.

    Mandate of the Commissioner

    The German Cabinet’s mandate for the Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief comprises the following tasks:

    • monitoring global freedom of religion or belief using a systematic country-based approach;
    • engaging in international dialogue on issues around freedom of religion or belief; and
    • drawing up a report by the German government every two years on the global status of freedom of religion or belief.
    Still from the video by Frank Schwabe, Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief

    Video Frank Schwabe, Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief: “Without freedom of religion or belief, there can be no vibrant civil society, no healthy democracy.”

    As at: 26.02.2024