Formation December, 2008 Region served Worldwide | Location London, England | |
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Tony Blair Associates (TBA) is an umbrella organisation, established by Tony Blair to "allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial and pro bono basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform". The profits from the firm go towards supporting Blair's "work on faith, Africa and climate change".
Contents
History
Founded in December, 2008, TBA's first client was Kuwait. The deal was reported to be worth £27 million for the company.
Blair, with his Quartet and TBA roles, worked with the Khazakstan government, advising the regime on judicial, economic and political reforms.
In June 2014, Blair was looking for an office Abu Dhabi to help attract middle-eastern business for TBA. By July, Blair had been hired to advise on the export of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, a project being run by a consortium of companies led by BP.
Criticism
Blair has been subjected to criticism for potential conflicts of interest between his diplomatic role as a Middle East peace envoy, and his work with Tony Blair Associates, and a number of prominent critics have even called for him to be sacked from his peace envoy role.
Blair has been subject to criticism after accusations of "whitewashing" the image and human rights record of the regime in Khazakstan. In particular, opposition activists have published an open letter in a Kazak newspaper, Respublika, claiming Blair would have "blood on his hands" if did not stop assisting President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Blair has responded to such criticism by saying his choice to advise the country is an example of how he can "nudge controversial figures on a progressive path of reform", and has stated that he receives no personal profit from this advisory role. The Kazakhstan foreign minister has said that the country was "honoured and privileged" to be receiving advice from Blair.
Blair was reported to have accepted a business advisory role with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, a situation deemed incompatible with his role as Middle East peace envoy; Blair described the report as "nonsense".