Tony Blair Associates (TBA) was an

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

established by

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

to "allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial and ''

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

'' basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform". The profits from the firm went towards supporting Blair's "work on faith, Africa and climate change". The firm was closed down in September 2016.

History

Hashim Thaci - Tony Blair with Declaration of Independence of Kosovo

Blair, with his

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

and TBA roles, worked with the Kazakh government, advising the regime on judicial, economic and political reforms. In June 2014, Blair was looking for an office

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

to help attract middle-eastern business for TBA. By July, Blair had been hired to advise on the export of natural gas from

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

to Europe, a project being run by a consortium of companies led by BP.

Criticism

Blair was 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 even called for him to be sacked from his peace envoy role. Blair was subject to criticism after accusations of "whitewashing" the image and human rights record of the regime in Kazakhstan. In particular, opposition activists published an open letter in a Kazakh newspaper, Respublika, claiming Blair would have "blood on his hands" if did not stop assisting President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

. Blair responded to such criticism by saying his choice to advise the country was an example of how he could "nudge controversial figures on a progressive path of reform" and stated that he received no personal profit from this advisory role. The Kazakhstan foreign minister 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 Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi; (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has served as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. Before retiring as a general in the Egyptian mil ...

of Egypt, a situation deemed incompatible with his role as Middle East peace envoy; Blair described the report as "nonsense".

References

{{Tony Blair Tony Blair