President Trump leads the United Nations Event on Religious Freedom.

President Trump is delivering remarks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday where he is expected to push the global community to protect religious minorities from persecution. His administration has emphasized making the support of religious freedom a priority.

“The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government. They come from God,” the president said.

In excerpts of his prepared remarks, Mr. Trump is expected to call on nations of the world to end religious persecution.

“Stop the crimes against people of faith. Release prisoners of conscience. Repeal laws restricting freedom of religion and belief. Protect the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed,” he is expected to say.

Earlier, Mr. Trump made a late, brief appearance at a daylong U.N. summit of world leaders who are meeting to address the effects of climate change. The president wasn’t originally expected to attend, because he was slated to attend the religious freedom summit.