UNHCR’s Zakat Fund to help refugees UNHCR PRoGRAmmES IN JoRdAN, LEBANoN Spare a thought and money
abu dhabi — A global platform, which will allow proper and efficient channelling of the Zakat funds directly to the poor and vulnerable refugee families in host communities, has been launched in Abu Dhabi.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in cooperation with the Abu Dhabibased Tabah Foundation on Tuesday unveiled the global Zakat platform, which provides a trusted and efficient route to fulfil Zakat obligations and ensure 100 per cent of Zakat funds goes directly to the neediest refugee families in Jordan and Lebanon.
The UNHCR’s Zakat initiative is fully Shariah compliant and is backed by five fatwas from leading Islamic scholars and institutions. It is subject to rigorous governance, ensuring transparency at every step, from donation to provision of assistance. The UNHCR has adopted a digital only approach to paying Zakat, ensuring security, efficiency, transparency and complete peace of mind. The new platform can be accessed at zakat.unhcr.org.
Toby Harward, the UNHCR’s head of office in Abu Dhabi, said: “This Zakat platform initiative is timely and will be very significant in supporting and helping thousands of poor and vulnerable families in Jordan and Lebanon.
“In today’s world, there is no mission more important than supporting the vulnerable people, the poor and those in need.” Harward noted that the people in the UAE have been very supportive to the UNHCR’s humanitarian causes and that the biggest relief items to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have come from the UAE.
Houssam Chahine, head of private sector partnerships for the UNHCR in the Mena region, said: “The situation of refugees globally is one of the biggest human tragedies of our time, with more than 22.5 million refugees, 40 per cent of which are in the Mena region.
“Since Muslims make up the majority of today’s refugees, the Zakat initiative comes timely to secure life-saving humanitarian assistance to refugees in need. The UNHCR ensures 100 per cent of Zakat contributions go directly to eligible refugees under the extreme poverty line, with no money taken off for overheads. The new global platform makes fulfilling Zakat obligations fast and simple for those wishing to help refugee families, until they become self-reliant.”
According to Chahine, the UNHCR started with a pilot project for the global Zakat platform last year and raised $2.6 million (Dh9.5 million) in Zakat funds, which was used to provide support to 14,000 refugee families that were identified in Jordan in a period of only one month. Noureddin Harthi, CEO of Tabah Foundation, said: “Our cooperation with the UNHCR over the Zakat initiative is built on our two organisations’ shared values and our mission to help humanity. Through this partnership, we provide the UNHCR with technical expertise and knowledge that ensure the transparency and sustainability of this commendable Zakat initiative.
This Zakat platform initiative is timely and will be very significant in supporting and helping thousands of poor and vulnerable families in Jordan and Lebanon.”
Toby Harward, the UNHCR’s head of office in Abu Dhabi
“There are many refugee families in need in the region, and the Zakat initiative comes as a lifeline for the most vulnerable of them.” ismail@khaleejtimes.com The UNHCR implements a wide range of humanitarian assistance programmes including provision of shelter, healthcare, education and cash assistance — the latter has been identified as the best fit for Zakat funds. The programme provides direct financial aid to more than 60,000 refugee families below the extreme poverty line in Jordan and Lebanon, allowing them to take back some control of their circumstances.
Recipients of cash assistance are vetted by the UNHCR, while the provision of aid under the Zakat initiative is implemented by the UNHCR and evaluated by representatives from Tabah Foundation in Abu Dhabi to ensure full compliance. In addition, quarterly reports on how Zakat funds are distributed are posted on the UNHCR’s Zakat website. It is considering Zakat for other eligible refugees and internally displaced persons.