DUBLIN/THE US: The World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD) decided in Dublin yesterday to open an office in Washington.
It will promote co-operation between the world's religions, international financial institutions and development agencies in tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis, the inequality of women and children, debt relief, the opening up of trade in wealthy countries to economies of the developing world, conflict resolution and corruption.
The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, co-host of the meeting, which was facilitated by the Government, said the decision to open a Washington office arose from a desire to give a more result-oriented look to the body.
To date it had been more focused on dialogue and reflection as a way of breaking down barrriers.
He said he believed the Washington office would focus on one or two major themes, probably the HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as women and children, where he saw its role as "catalyctic".
The WFDD concluded its two-day meeting in Dublin yesterday. It was chaired by the president of the World Bank, Mr James Wolfensohn, the former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, and Archbishop Martin. All three co-founded the organisation in 1998.
Archbishop Martin said there was general appreciation [ at the meeting] that Ireland was "moving up" where development contributions were concerned. He recalled from his own time as the Vatican's permanent representatibe at the UN in Geneva how Ireland was always among the top 10 contributors to UN agencies.
Mr Wolfensohn praised Ireland highly as one of the leading countries in the world when it came to overseas contributions. He said he knew also it was the intention of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, that this would continue to be so.
Mr Wolfensohn met Mr Ahern, the Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen, and the Minister of State for Development Co-operation and Human Rights, Mr Conor Lenihan, on Monday.
Questioned about the Government decision not to meet its development spending target of 0.7 of GNP by 2007, Mr Wolfensohn said the pace of Ireland's increased contribution was "a matter for the Irish".
Mr Ousmane Seck, former vice-president of the Islamic Development Bank, spoke of how the recent tsunami in south-east Asia had shown that people around the word could unite for a global cause.
"It showed the unity of humanity more than its divisions," he said. He also observed that faith-based agencies in general were more rooted in communities and more acceptable in those communities when it came to providing assistance.
Addressing the opening session of the meeting, Mr Lenihan said of religious in Ireland that the political leadership expected and hoped they would keep the p[oliticians under pressure where overseas aid was concerned.
"We expect you to be extremely vocal if we fail to meet goals, UN and otherwise," he said.
Mr Wolfensohn spoke of a "modest level of suspicion" still, between faith-based organisations and international financial institutions. He alluded to "terrible things" said about the World Bank by demonstrators outside the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on Sunday evening, where delegates attended a function.
The World Bank was among the first to visit tsunami-hit areas last month, to which it donated $300 million, he said, "but it still doesn’t seem to matter."
