The Archbishop of Canterbury will be rubbing shoulders with the global business elite this weekend in a bid to help tackle tropical diseases.

Most Rev Justin Welby is due to attend a session at the Davos summit organised by the END Fund, whose supporters include Microsoft founder Bill Gates. 

The round-table discussion is seeking to use private sector cash to tackle so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Organisers say that across the world around 1.6 billion people are affected by some kind of NTD.

Welby, who is respected in the business community because of his years of work in the oil industry, is the head of the Anglican Communion, which has many millions of members in churches across sub-Saharan Africa, where NTDs are most prevalent.

The World Economic Forum at Davos is not without controversy. It has been criticised for being an exclusive event aimed at the super-rich, which does not consult poorer people about decisions that affect their lives.

The Archbishop has significant experience in reconciliation efforts in the majority world and is increasingly being recognised as a statesman of international. standing. Last week he visited the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. This week he welcomed outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry to Lambeth Palace as they discussed peacebuilding initiatives.