UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency launched today its Islamic Philanthropy Mid-Year Report 2022 which highlights the humanitarian impact of Zakat and Sadaqah donations received through UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund during the first six months of 2022.
The report revealed that more than 1.2 million refugees and forcibly displaced people in 20 countries have received assistance through Zakat and Sadaqah donations received by UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund, which amounted to US$ 31.6 million.
The report was released during an event held at the United Nations House “Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Building” in Kuwait, in coordination with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in partnership with Zakat House in Kuwait. The event included a presentation of the report’s outcomes, in addition to panel discussions about the role of Zakat and Sadaqah in responding to humanitarian crises, and the relief impact of Kuwaiti organizations through utilizing Islamic philanthropy tools. The event was attended by representatives of governmental entities, diplomats, and a number of UNHCR’s international philanthropy partners in Kuwait, UAE, KSA, Indonesia and Turkiye, in addition to representatives from the private sector.
UNHCR’s Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, Khaled Khalifa, said: “Strategic partnerships with Islamic Philanthropy organizations are an essential pillar in UNHCR’s efforts in responding to increasing humanitarian needs of displaced people worldwide.” He added: “Today, refugees and internally displaced people are facing enormous challenges on many levels, especially that the vast majority of them are hosted by developing countries, which are facing their own challenges. Therefore, there is a constant need to create initiatives to secure the funding needed to help the forcibly displaced people through innovative partnerships aiming to utilize the Islamic Philanthropy tools such as Zakat, Sadaqah and Waqf, which are models of sustainable funding.”
On her part, UNHCR’s Representative in Kuwait, Nisreen Rubaian, highlighted the importance of launching the report for the first time from the State of Kuwait, which reflects the country’s keenness and efforts in enabling the philanthropy work to support refugees and displaced people around the world. She also appreciated the close partnership with Zakat House and stated: “We are proud of our partnership with the State of Kuwait and all of its governmental entities, private sector, and charity organizations, which reflects the role of Kuwait and its humanitarian approach, and presents a solid example of humanitarian solidarity with the most vulnerable people in Kuwait and beyond, who are facing increasing challenges and live in harsh conditions.” She added: “We are witnessing the thriving of Islamic philanthropy and finance of UNHCR’s projects for refugees and forcibly displaced people year after year, as an essential tool in providing support. Our partnerships with the Kuwaiti Islamic associations and charity organizations are expanding, which is currently covering Mauritania, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India, and have impacted the lives of nearly 800,000 people. This is a proof of the transparency of UNHCR’s tools and programmes and the trust of its partners.”
Deputy Director-General of Zakat House, Dr. Majed Al Azmi highlighted the role of Zakat house in strengthening Islamic Philanthropy and his appreciation to the partnership with UNHCR and said: “We are proud of the tangible positive impact of our partnership with UNHCR, which enables us of helping more than 65,000 refugees and internally displaced people in Mauritania, and Bangladesh, and Yemen in several sectors such as shelter, protection, public health, and education.” He added: “We look forward to continuing our collaboration to help those most in need and support them to address their daily challenges.”
UNHCR launched the Refugee Zakat Fund in 2019, as a credible, zakat-compliant, and effective tool harnessing the power of Zakat and Sadaqah in assisting beneficiary refugees and internally displaced populations.
To read the mid-year Islamic Philanthropy Report 2022, please click here.
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