\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund received US$ 35 million through Zakat, Sadaqah, and Sadaqah Jariyah donations in 2021, helping 1,275,000 refugees and internally displaced people in 14 countries.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, held a joint event today in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of the event titled \u201cIslamic Philanthropy and its impact: sustainable partnerships and practical solutions\u201d, UNHCR launched its \u201cIslamic Philanthropy Annual Report\u201d, which illustrates the impact Zakat and Sadaqah donations made to UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund, have had on refugees and internally displaced persons, in the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2021, the Refugee Zakat Fund enabled UNHCR to provide life-saving assistance in the form of cash assistance and in-kind assistance to 1,275,000 refugees and internally displaced people in 14 countries: Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Mauritania, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
The report states that all Zakat contributions received by the Refugee Zakat Fund, were distributed following its 100% Zakat distribution policy, to 53% of the Fund\u2019s total beneficiaries (679,000 individuals), while Sadaqah donations helped the remaining 47% of beneficiaries (596,000 individuals).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report also highlighted the launch of the Refugee Zakat Fund\u2019s mobile application earlier in 2021, which allows donors to make contributions easily and quickly. Moreover, UNHCR\u2019s Refugee Zakat fund received additional fatwas from respected Islamic institutions, such as the Muslim World league\u2019s Islamic Fiqh Council, Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy, the International Sharia Research Academy in Malaysia (ISRA), and the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI), further authorizing the Refugee Zakat Fund’s framework. Additionally, the Fiqh Majlis of Canada endorsed the receipt and distribution of Zakat towards UNHCR\u2019s \u2018Aiming Higher\u2019 scholarship and education programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event in Jeddah included discussion panels on the role of Islamic social finance instruments, including Zakat, Sadaqah Jariyah, and Waqf, to meet the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable, and those affected by conflicts and disasters, especially refugees and internally displaced persons, and was attended by representatives of organizations in the Islamic Philanthropy sector in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n