In an address to the Church of England’s General Synod on Monday, the International Development Secretary said he had seen for himself the “wonderful work” being done by faith communities in areas such as health and education in different parts of the world.

He acknowledged the role of the Kenyan church and archbishop in resolving recent outbreaks of conflict there, and the church in Sudan for its part in the success of the referendum on independence for the South last month.

“The role of the church is absolutely pivotal in delivering these results on the ground,” he said.

In spite of the tough economic outlook, Mr Mitchell said the Government was standing by its pledge to commit 0.7% of GDP to international development from 2013.

“We would not seek to balance the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world,” he said.

He said this generation had the potential to do more for international development than previous generations as he spelled out the Government’s focus in the coming years on conflict prevention, access to education, and wealth generation.

Mr Mitchell said it was “morally right” to continue to support international development but acknowledged that people would measure whether the expense was justified according to the results that are achieved on the ground.

“Our generations can do so much in this area that has been denied in so many generations before. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that in 100 years time, people will look back on our generation in much the same way that we look back on the abolition of the slave trade, with such incredulity and astonishment that so many children die every day in our world from diseases that we have the power to prevent,” he said.

“[Our generation has] the ability to make a huge difference to the colossal discrepancies of opportunity and wealth that exist in our world today.”

Mr Mitchell affirmed the commitment of the Government to working with the church and wider faith community in achieving its development goals.

A steering group has been set up with leaders of faith communities to explore possible areas of partnership.

He said: “I hope over the coming months we can engage in this area, looking at the work we can do together, and how the taxpayer’s support can be brought to the assistance of the brilliant work that’s going on on the ground.”