'Let us take seriously the business of religion' – Martin Palmer

FaithInvest took part in an unusual and fascinating international forum held by the University of Hong Kong on the future of community development in the Global South.

The event brought together scholars, think tank experts and representatives from civil society and businesses across countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia, as well as participants from Mainland China, Hong Kong, the US and the UK.

Most of the event focused on the cultural, social and economic impact of development

on Global South countries, including how to build resilience, innovation and transformation.

It also featured a session on the role of faiths in development, and FaithInvest's Founding President Martin Palmer was a speaker. Martin Palmer said he'd been working with the world's major religions on development issues for over four decades.

'The faiths contain within them a wisdom about why we exist,' he said. 'Every one of our major faiths has seen its peoples through horrendous times, and has learned from them. We are the structures that hold together civil society.'

Today, the faiths remain significant stakeholders in the planet, Martin said, adding: 'They run 50% of all schools worldwide (64% in sub-Saharan Africa), a third of all universities, a quarter of all healthcare, and are one of the most significant investment blocs in the world.

'Let us take seriously the business of religion. We must stop thinking that the religions must be moral guides to immoral governments. We have to step up and play our role as stakeholders. Let's stop pretending we are just there to say the prayers. We are – but we're also there to manage the assets.'

• FaithInvest was founded in 2019 to support faith groups to manage their financial assets in line with their values.

  • For resources to help you implement faith-consistent investing, visit our Resources page.

  • To learn more about Faithful Finance, our four-week, online course on the fundamentals of faith-consistent investing, visit our FCI training page.

  • To learn more about our Masterclass for investment industry professionals on how to engage faith-based investors more effectively, visit Bridging the Gap.