Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs (DRL) was a bureau within the United States Department of State. The bureau was under the purview of the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom.

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Seal of the United States Department of State
Bureau overview
Formed	1977; 48 years ago (1977)[1]
Dissolved	July 11, 2025 (2025-07-11)
Jurisdiction	Executive branch of the United States
Status	closed
Employees	0 (as of 11 July 2025[update])[1]
Annual budget	$38.5 million (As of 2003)[1]
Bureau executive	Jacob A. McGee, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Parent department	U.S. Department of State
Website	state.gov/drl

History

The bureau was formerly known as the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, but was reorganized and renamed in 1994, to reflect both a broader sweep and a more focused approach to the interlocking issues of human rights, worker rights, and democracy.^[2]

From 2011 to 2015, DRL provided financial support to the Tor network (The Onion Router).^[3][4][5][6]

The bureau was closed on 2025-07-11.^[7]

Functions

DRL's responsibilities included promoting democracy in U.S. and around the world, formulating U.S. human rights policies, and coordinating policy in human rights-related labor issues. The Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism was a separate agency included in the Bureau.

The Bureau was responsible for producing annual reports on the countries of the world with regard to religious freedom through its Office of International Religious Freedom^[8] and human rights.^[9][10] It also administered the U.S. Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF), which was DRL's flagship program.^[11]

Examples of DRL's human rights advocacy in foreign locations included China,^[12] the Middle East,^[13] and Russia.^[14]

Organization

The head of the Bureau was the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and the official currently acting in this capacity was Erin Barclay.

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor was divided into twelve offices.^[15][16]

• Office of Country Reports and Asylum Affairs – Prepared the State Department's annual reports, including the Country Reports on Human Rights
• Office of International Religious Freedom – Supported the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
• Office of Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy
• Office for Africa – Monitors human rights in Africa
• Office for East Asia and the Pacific – Monitored human rights in East Asia
• Office for Near East Asia – Monitored human rights in the Middle East
• Office for Western Hemisphere – Monitored human rights in Latin America
• Office for South Central Asia – Monitored human rights in Central Asia
• Office of Global Programming
• Office of Multilateral and Global Affairs – Formulated and implemented U.S. government policy on human rights in multilateral organizations, including the UN Human Rights Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union, the Organization of American States, the African Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• Office of International Labor Rights – Advised on policies and initiatives in tandem with the International Labour Organization
• Executive Office