National Zakat Foundation - co-hosts at the 8th Global Donors Forum

The 8th Global Donors Forum was held in London this week at the House of Lords, the British Museum and Mansion House. Distinguished philanthropists, grant makers, social investors, business leaders and experts from across the world convened to offer pragmatic insight and constructive responses to pressing global challenges. This year’s theme was “Philanthropy’s Response to Inequality and Societal Tensions.”

As co-hosts, National Zakat Foundation led the following sessions on both days of the forum:

Monday 10th September 2018

Welcome Reception | House of Lords
'With Wealth Comes the Great Responsibility'
Shaykh Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury, Australia

Tuesday 11th September 2018

Parallel Session-II [Social Investment] Stevenson Lecture Theater
Developing Resilient Organisations through Social Investment
Lucy Bushill-Mathews, Head of Strategy, Policy & Research.

Parallel Session-III [Religion] Sackler Rooms
Building a Leadership Cohort: How Philanthropy can Promote Religious
Literacy? Iqbal Nasim, CEO.

Wednesday 12th September 2018

Symposium [Faith-Based Giving] BP Lecture Theater
Recalibrating the Zakat Compass
10:00 - 11:00

The session explored the role of Zakat in contemporary Islamic philanthropy and brought together some key viewpoints which Zakat fund managers must come to terms with.

Guest Remarks
Shaykh Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury, Australia

Framing the Subject
Iqbal Nasim, CEO of National Zakat Foundation, United Kingdom

Non-Faith Based Organizations & Zakat Deployment
Ahmed Uddin, Doctoral Candidate, University of Portsmouth, UK

The Challenge for State Collectors of Zakat to Innovate
Irfan Syauqi Beik, Director, Center of Strategic Studies, BAZNAS, Indonesia

Domestic Priorities v International Responsibilities
Munawara Ghani, CEO, Doctors Worldwide, UK [Moderator]
Mufti Fraz Adam, Darul Fiqh, UK
Iqbal Nasim, CEO, National Zakat Foundation, UK
Elnur Salihovic, Islamic Finance Consultant, UNICEF, Switzerland

Full agenda can be seen here.

The event culminated at Mansion House, where the NZF team received the Faith-based Giving award at the Legacy Philanthropy Awards. The First Lady of Turkey, HE Emine Erdogan spoke about the importance of addressing humanitarian challenges around the world with resolve and purpose.

The forum is widely recognised as the premier platform on Muslim Philanthropy worldwide and serves as a marketplace for ideas, a medium for knowledge sharing, a safe space for leading a rational debate on issues unique to the Muslim societies and a launch pad for high-impact collaborative initiatives.

NZF are grateful for being co-hosts and look forward to taking our collaboration further for many years to come.