|PIC1|“Faith matters. It matters, in fact, whether you are religious or not, or even anti-religious,” he said.

“To ignore the role of faith is to be blind to a dimension of the world that plays a part in the thinking and attitudes of billions of people.”

Mr Blair appealed to people of faith to go beyond mere tolerance to regard each other as “equal” and warned against the “dark side” of strong beliefs.

“People who hold deep convictions about life and its purpose necessarily can be prone to holding those views to excess or the point of prejudice. That danger is inherent in faith,” he said.

Mr Blair was speaking in an address to faith leaders and development agency workers at the launch of a series of seminars aimed at exploring the role of faith in development work.

“There is a need for an informed, public debate about how an understanding of development efforts can be better informed about the role of faiths,” he said.

“Each session in this seminar series is designed to be an open, honest, and if necessary, critical discussion about the role that faith can play across all aspects of development.”

The seminars have been put together by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in partnership with DFID, Islamic Relief, Oxfam and World Vision, and will be hosted by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

“This is an incredibly important time to be having this discussion,” said Patrick Watt, World Vision’s Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns.

“Faith – and the questions that surround it – shapes people’s attitudes, behaviours, and world views. It influences where people interact and what that looks like.

“Understanding this is vital when addressing the causes and effects of extreme poverty.”

Mr Blair endorsed a report published on Monday by the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths that considers how faith-based organisations can work more effectively across the religious divide.

‘Keeping Faith in Development’ says that faith-based organisations are set apart from their secular counterparts because of the support they enjoy from religious leaders.

It adds, however, that they face the challenge of appearing to represent one faith group and the “baggage of historical memory” that can lead to suspicion towards a particular faith organisation.

Mr Blair said: “The report shows that faith organisations have a unique reach because they represent, and are respected by, their faith community, giving extra credibility with local religious communities on the ground which can facilitate their work.”