Ekklesia News (UK) – In a speech tonight, the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair will highlight the role of faith in international development.
His comments will come as the first in a series of seminars exploring faith and development hosted by The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, the Department for International Development, Islamic Relief, World Vision and Oxfam.
The founder of the Faith Foundation Faith will say that faith has traditionally been a ‘blind spot in the UK policy arena,’ which has tended to be ‘dominated by economic and political discourses.’
His comments come after the Department for International Development announced in July it would double central funding for faith-based groups.
The move followed a consultation at Lambeth Palace in March between faith communities and DfID. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s senior advisors on inter-faith relations and international development were joined by representatives from all the UK’s religions and many development agencies to discuss the White Paper consultation and to emphasise the contribution of religious communities to its formulation.
Tony Blair will say tonight: “In many developing countries religion is one of the most powerful sources of personal identity – for good and ill. Understanding these identities is critical to tackling conflict and understanding politics. Equally, the role of religion in forming attitudes and behaviour can be profoundly important in addressing the causes and effects of poverty.”Click here to continue reading …
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