Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Saudi Arabia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) today jointly hosted a regional event of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS), the OIC-UNDP Roundtable on Islamic Philanthropy: Zakah, Sadaqah and Awqaf for Early Recovery, Inclusion and Sustainable Development, at the UN House in Riyadh. 

Opened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the regional event brought together participants from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait to explore how Islamic philanthropy can contribute to early recovery, inclusion, resilience and sustainable development across OIC Member States.   

A central focus of the roundtable was the advancement of three cooperation instruments designed to strengthen institutional collaboration around Islamic philanthropy and Islamic social finance. 

The first is a Regional Cooperation Framework signed between OIC’s Department of Humanitarian Affairs (ICHAD) and UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) to strengthen collaboration on Islamic philanthropy, humanitarian action, early recovery, resilience and sustainable development across OIC Member States. The framework provides a basis for enhanced dialogue, knowledge sharing and joint cooperation in these areas. 

The second is a Regional Cooperation Framework between UNDP RBAS and the OIC, aimed at strengthening cooperation in mobilizing and utilizing Islamic social finance instruments to support vulnerable populations, early recovery, resilience-building and sustainable development. The framework provides a basis for cooperation in areas including resource mobilization, policy dialogue, research and technical cooperation, institutional capacity and governance.   

The third is a Cooperation Framework between UNDP and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), following the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two organizations on 3 May 2026. The framework translates the partnership into practical areas of cooperation, including work towards the establishment and operationalization of IPFERD and IIFA’s provision of Shariah guidance on the mobilization and utilization of Zakah, Sadaqah and Awqaf. 

“Islamic philanthropy offers an important opportunity to connect immediate support for vulnerable communities with early recovery, resilience and longer-term sustainable development. Through stronger cooperation around Zakah, Sadaqah and Awqaf, we can help build more coordinated approaches that are grounded in national ownership, institutional partnership and the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mrs. Zena Ali Ahmad, UNDP Deputy Regional Director for Arab States. 

“Zakah, Sadaqah and Awqaf can play an important role in supporting early recovery, resilience and sustainable development across OIC Member States. Through stronger cooperation and partnerships, we can help maximize their impact for the benefit of vulnerable communities,” said Dr. Aishah Alayafi, Director of Humanitarian Affairs at the OIC.  

The roundtable also provided an opportunity to highlight the Statement issued by IIFA in Jeddah in June 2026 on the Shariah-compliant utilization of Zakah, Sadaqah and Awqaf for sustainable development. The guidance provides a Shariah basis for the use of Islamic social finance instruments in support of the financing and partnership agenda, including early recovery and longer-term development objectives.  

”The IIFA Statement on the Utilization of Zakat, Sadaqah and Waqf for interventions aligned with UNDP and Sustainable Development (issued in June of 2026), lays a strategic foundation within the multilateral system for linking Islamic social finance to the development agenda. The partnership between IIFA and UNDP breaks new ground, enabling both institutions to leverage their respective capacities and work together to mobilize Zakat, Sadaqah and Awqaf as powerful instruments for poverty alleviation, economic recovery and the achievement of sustainable development. The collaboration between IIFA and UNDP will create new opportunities to bring Islamic social finance and global development priorities closer together, helping to build more resilient and inclusive societies.” Said Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano, Secretary-General, International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA). 

Throughout the roundtable, discussions focused on the role of Zakah, Sadaqah and Awqaf in supporting early recovery, human development and sustainable development. The programme also addressed financing pathways, country experiences, governance and measurement, and opportunities for further cooperation between UNDP, OIC and relevant partners. 

“Zakah, Sadaqah, and Awqaf are three of the most significant. Zakah offers immediate, redistributive support: food security, income assistance, and emergency response. Awqaf offers something different: a long-term, asset-based mechanism for building the schools, clinics, housing, and livelihood platforms that communities need for years, not weeks. Used separately, as isolated charitable acts, their impact is real. Used together, as a coordinated system connected to national development delivery, they can connect relief to recovery, and recovery to sustainable human development, leaving no one behind.” said Mrs. Nahid Hussein, UNDP Resident Representative in Saudi Arabia. 

Hosted by UNDP Saudi Arabia in Riyadh in collaboration with the OIC, the roundtable provided a platform for dialogue, partnership and regional cooperation, reinforcing the Kingdom's role as a meeting point for advancing Islamic philanthropy in support of sustainable development.  

For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact: 

Noeman Alsayyad | Strategic Communication Advisor Regional Bureau for Arab States | noeman.alsayyad@undp.org 

Borhene Eddine Fakhfakh | Senior Communications Analyst, UNDP Country Office in Saudi Arabia | borhene.fakhfakh@undp.org