Another week of shocks to the international system re-enforce that many global norms are being rapidly upended. Wilton Park continues to work to enable decision makers to absorb and consider, as well as react and anticipate. Maintaining the balance between the urgent need to act and the need to pause and consult is ever harder, but ever more important to our work.
An example of where Wilton Park as a UK government agency plays perhaps an unexpected but vital role is in quietly bringing the world’s faith leaders together with governments and secular experts to build understanding and consensus on global challenges. Last week we hosted such a dialogue on the responsibilities of religious leaders in times of war, atrocities and polarisation.
More information on this event is below, but a key conclusion was a profound and renewed concern for how people, including policy-makers, of all faiths and none, globally demonstrate respect and care for each other – especially on areas of profound disagreement.
The limitations of what is achievable was a key concern of the dialogue, but our commitment at Wilton Park is to do what we can to ensure that through this, and the other global policy processes we manage, the paramount importance of respect and care for each other are re-emphasised in a world where they sometimes risk appearing increasingly anachronistic.
Tom Cargill
Chief Executive
