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Tony Blair gives keynote speech on role of religion in the world at the Tecnológico de Monterrey

Tony Blair has delivered a keynote speech at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico on the occasion of the opening of the new Medical Centre Zambrano Hellion, an accessible cutting edge research and care facility.

Tony Blair said:

“The key challenge facing the world today is the role of religion in the era of globalisation. A force for good or a force for ill? A force for healing or for conflict? A force of reaction or a force for progress? How these questions are answered will, in many ways determine the spirit and the events of the 21st century.

“I’m delighted to be here in Monterrey to signal the new partnership between Tecnologico de Monterrey and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. The university programme is now in seven countries worldwide – Mexico, Yale in the USA; McGill in Canada; Durham in the UK, the National University of Singapore; the University of Western Australia; and Peking University in China.

“Our schools programme is in 15 countries linking thousands of young people across the faith divides. Our action programme to fight malaria in Africa is working with others to bring faith communities behind a campaign of eradication.

“As the Foundation expands, we are able to involve more and more people around the world. But those who would use religion to destroy lives are now hard at work, well funded and well organised. So our task is urgent.

“This brilliant new healthcare facility at Monterrey allows us to showcase the fabulous work Monterrey does as a university, and also to draw attention to the link between faith and healthcare worldwide, where magnificent work is being undertaken by faith groups.”

 This summer Tecnológico de Monterrey joined the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faith and Globalisation Initiative which builds partnerships with leading universities on every continent to develop a deeper understanding of the inter-relationship between faith and globalisation. The Initiative aims to help emerging leaders understand how faith can motivate and impact new trends in the modern world, and highlights the implications through research and publications.

This is the second time Tony Blair, Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, has connected with the students of the university in the last couple of months. In August this year, more than 2000 students from over 31 campuses around Mexico at Tecnológico de Monterrey took part in a live video-conferencing session with the former Prime Minister about the role of faith in the modern world . For over an hour they discussed topical issues ranging from the Ground Zero Mosque debate to how faith can help to solve the problems of violence, drugs and corruption in Mexico.

Tecnológico de Monterrey’s health centre will be a cutting edge facility providing both research and care, focusing initially on cardiology and oncology. It will have a centre at the University but will also further afield through Monterrey’s Virtual University. It will include a ‘Social Responsibility Programme’ which will focus on the ethical issues surrounding healthcare delivery in Mexico, such as providing care for the indigent population, identified by federal government agencies as being underserved in the area of health care delivery.

The fundraising event for the health centre is held annually with previous speakers including former President of Poland and Nobel Peace prize winner Lech Walesa.