The RFI Summit 2019 included a roundtable on the topic of ‘’Strategic Philanthropy and Islamic Finance’’, bringing together leading humanitarian, development and Islamic finance institutions for a discussion about how Islamic financial institutions can be more strategic with their philanthropy. The event was organised by RFI in conjunction with its strategic partners Dubai Islamic Bank and UNHCR and it was hosted by INSEAD.
One of the notable initiatives highlighted during the roundtable was the UNHCR’s ‘Refugee Zakat Fund’. The fund allows individuals and Islamic financial institutions alike to fulfil their social responsibility by assisting the most vulnerable refugees and internally displaced families around the world.
Other key presentations were given by Dubai Islamic Bank and, thereafter, by the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies and the Islamic Development Bank, who have partnered to create the WASH Fund, a multi-million-dollar fund that aspires to combat cholera.
Thereafter delegates discussed how humanitarian organisations can work co-operatively and more effectively using the participating and inclusive model of Islamic social finance.