o v so o K 015 , a in ry 2 t h ua s i Pr Jan Religion and Conflict: Practical Policy Responses An intensive training course for diplomats, public officials and professionals. Prishtina, Kosovo 5–10 January 2015 “The 21st century will not face the same struggle around political ideology that dominated the 20th Century. But there is a real danger that conflict around religious ideology replaces that struggle in an equally devastating form.” Tony Blair The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is pleased to announce the second intensive training course on “Religion & Conflict”. Participants, in close collaboration with world-leading politicians and academics, will discuss key issues related to religion and conflict, and to examine and develop policy solutions. The Course Participants in this programme will develop: • A nuanced understanding of why religion matters in foreign and domestic policy; • A multifaceted approach to religious freedom, freedom of expression, the right to convert and human rights; • An insight on how religious groups have developed as non-state actors and the impact on the international security agenda; • Policy responses on how governments can and should respond to religious groups who are using global communications to spread problematic ideas; • Policy responses on how governments can engage with religious communities to make a positive contribution to national and global challenges; • A working plan that addresses key challenges and policy responses in national or regional contexts. The teaching team includes Prof Monica Duﬀy Toft (Oxford University), Francis Campbell (British Diplomat), M. Christian Green (General Editor for the Journal of Law and Religion), Usama Hasan (Quilliam Foundation) and a number of other high profile contributors. More Information A project of the For further information or to express interest, please contact [email protected] or visit: www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/projects/supportingleaders/supporting-leaders-executive-training The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England number 06198959. Registered charity number 1123243. Registered office: 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LH. M ad n a ,l C 15 a 20 e r t e on Jun a Education and Security: The Challenge of Religious Diversity An intensive training course for diplomats, public officials and professionals. McGill University, Montreal, Canada / Ottawa, Canada 15–20 June 2015 “The lessons of tolerance as a key ingredient to peace and economic prosperity are liberating and uplifting and they are surely cheaper than allowing extremists to cultivate our youth to emerge as security threats which then require imperfect military solutions.” Tony Blair Conflicts between and within religious groups have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions of people worldwide. Prejudice that can lead to extremism and violence begins with misunderstanding and ignorance. Education for religious literacy, mutual understanding and dialogue that promotes an open-minded worldview does not just have the potential to uproot extremism, but can also uproot the thinking and ideology that fosters it. It has never been more necessary to recognise the importance of developing sustainable educational capacity that advances constructive approaches to religious literacy as a key foreign policy objective because it can generate eﬀective long-term security. The Course Led by leading experts and academics in the field, this Intensive Training Course consists of a series of workshops for security, policy, diplomatic and development professionals and researchers. These will investigate the prevalence and impact of religious and secular exclusionary education and explore contemporary scholarship and practical examples on the challenges of, approaches to, and best practice in delivering eﬀective educational models engaging religious understanding and pluralism within complex faith-based and secular contexts. These workshops will be collegial, constructive and highly interactive, with the goal of sharing expertise and resources, forging networks, generating policy initiatives, and furthering research. At each stage of the course participants will be invited to apply the thematic discussions to the institutional, political, cultural and educational parameters of their own regional contexts and to analyse the possible policy implications. More Information A project of the Applications open in September 2014. For further information or to express interest, please contact [email protected] or visit: In collaboration with www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/projects/supportingleaders/supporting-leaders-executive-training