UNHCR launches its annual report for Islamic charitable work in partnership with the Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Al Thani Fund

Today, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) launched its fifth annual report on Islamic charitable work, as part of an event held in partnership with the Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani Humanitarian Fund, at the Center for Conflict Studies and Humanitarian Action. In its report, the Commission confirmed that it provided assistance to 1.5 million people during the year 2022, bringing the total number of beneficiaries of its aid to more than 6 million refugees and internally displaced persons in 26 countries, through the zakat and alms funds received by the Zakat Fund for Refugees since its launch in 2022. 2017, noting that the number of beneficiaries from the fund has reached more than 3 million refugees and displaced persons since the start of the partnership with the Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Humanitarian Fund. During the event, the Commission presented the most prominent outputs of the report, which aims to highlight the important role of Islamic charitable work tools in meeting the basic humanitarian needs of the forcibly displaced from the most needy groups around the world. The report indicated that the UNHCR distributed 100 percent of the zakat funds received to the most destitute beneficiaries of the refugee and displaced families without any deduction, in the form of cash or in-kind assistance, such as shelter support materials, medicines, and personal hygiene supplies, in addition to the materials necessary to establish businesses. small. For his part, Dr. Ayed Al-Qahtani, representative of the Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani Humanitarian Fund, said: "Helping others and those in dire need is one of the priorities of His Excellency Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani, and the category (refugees and internally displaced persons) has always been a focus of his attention, to which he provides generous support through UNHCR.". Al-Qahtani called on philanthropists from all over the world not to forget the refugees, as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, and to continue providing support to them. He expressed his hope that this report would be a source of inspiration for others, and that it could make a big difference in the lives of refugees and internally displaced persons. In turn, Khaled Khalifa, Advisor to the High Commissioner for Islamic Finance and UNHCR Representative to the GCC countries, expressed his gratitude to His Excellency Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani, and his role in the strategic advancement of Islamic charitable work in the context of responding to displacement crises, and appreciated his continuous support and commitment to advocacy for refugees and displaced persons, And raising public awareness about their conditions and humanitarian needs, which are increasing year after year. It is worth noting that the report issued indicated that the UNHCR obtained a number of additional fatwas during the year 2022, thus becoming the Zakat Fund for Refugees approved by 16 fatwas and endorsements from scholars and prestigious institutions from all over the world, which enhances the permissibility of the Commission to receive and distribute zakat to its beneficiaries. Refugees and displaced persons, through the fund. Also participating in the event dedicated to announcing the fifth annual report on Islamic charitable work were: Eng. Ali Al-Qahtani, Executive Director of the Center for “Hifz Al-Neema”, His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Ali Al-Qara Daghi, Secretary-General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, and Dr. Khalil Othman, Senior Researcher at the Center for Conflict and Action Studies Humanitarian, and Hussam Shaheen, Head of Private Sector Partnerships at UNHCR in the Middle East and North Africa.