Save the Children head apologises for upset over award to Tony Blair

Save the Children has apologised to those who were upset by its decision to give Tony Blair a “global legacy award” last year, saying the prize was bestowed solely for the former British prime minister’s work on Africa and was not intended as a celebration of his “wider legacy”.

On Tuesday Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children UK and a former aide to Blair, admitted the move had damaged the international charity.

The prize, which was given to Blair by the US arm of Save the Children (STC) last November, drew immediate criticism from inside and outside the organisation.

An internal letter, signed by more than 500 staff members, said the award was not only “morally reprehensible, but also endangers our credibility globally”, and called for it to be withdrawn.

An online petition urging the award to be revoked – citing Blair’s role in the 2003 Iraq war and “damning allegations relating to his role as Middle East envoy and businesses dealings with autocratic rulers and others in the region” – has attracted nearly 125,000 signatures.

Forsyth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that STC recognised the anger the award had caused, but stopped short of issuing a full apology.

“I know that many of our supporters and volunteers were very upset – and several of our staff, too – and I’m very sorry for that,” he said. “But this was an award given by our sister organisation in the United States. It’s a very different political context there, and they’ve had hardly any complaints there. And yes, it was a global legacy award; it was called that. But actually it was an award very, very specifically for Tony Blair’s efforts on Africa at two G8 summits in Birmingham and Gleneagles, not his wider legacy.”

He added: “If it had been for his wider legacy, I think it would have been wrong. But it was for something quite specific that helped Africa and children. And I’m sorry it’s upset so many people.”

Forsyth said the outcry had been a “a really unnecessary distraction” from STC’s work with those affected by the Syrian conflict and the Ebola crisis.

In a letter sent to employees last year, Jasmine Whitbread, the chief executive of Save the Children International, said the episode had “touched a nerve close to our sense of identity”, adding: “We are all frustrated and disappointed at the situation we are in.”

While Forsyth conceded that the affair had “in part” affected the charity’s standing with staff and volunteers, he said STC was doing more to help children than ever before. “We’ve doubled our impact for children; our income is up, we’ve recruited 100,000 supporters,” he said.

“I think people do accept that we occasionally make mistakes, but we’re an organisation that’s very focused on saving children’s lives in the toughest parts of the world and that’s what we’re about, that’s why I lead this organisation and that’s what I believe in.”

Speaking as he accepted the award in November 2014, Blair said: “From the beginning of humankind there has been brutality, conflict, intrigue, the destructive obsession with a narrow self-interest. But throughout all human history, never has been extinguished that relentless, unquenchable desire to do good. To act not only in self-interest and sometimes even to act in defiance of it.”

A spokeswoman for Tony Blair’s office said it had no comment to make on a “three-month-old story” and nothing to add to a statement released in November, in which it accused the Guardian of “conveniently” disregarding the facts supporting the award.

“The award was in recognition of Tony Blair’s work in leading G8 nations at Gleneagles in 2005 to pledge to double aid to Africa and provide 100% debt relief to eligible countries, as well as his ongoing work in partnership with African governments through his Foundation, the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI),” said the statement.

“It is extraordinary that while ignoring the body of work undertaken by Tony Blair, the AGI and the people they work alongside in African governments, the views of President Koroma [of Sierra Leone] and President Sirleaf [of Liberia], who after all are the very people who have first-hand experience of their efforts, the article also sought to traduce the reputation of Save the Children, and was neither balanced nor fair.”