UNHCR new Refugee Zakat Fund aims to reach the most vulnerable with tech and transparency

DUBAI - The United Nations refugee agency’s Refugee Zakat Fund is leveraging technology and its legacy as an organisation of longstanding repute for refugee aid to ensure that 100 per cent of zakat donations go to the people who are most in need, a key concern amongst donors worldwide.

The Refugee Zakat Fund is a new structure that has transformed the UNHCR’s existing zakat programme into a global fund aimed at aiding the most vulnerable displaced populations while meeting the needs of Islamic institutions and individuals in fulfilling their social responsibility. It is a dedicated non-interest-bearing account in Switzerland, Houssam Chahin, UNHCR’s head of private sector partnerships in the MENA region, told Salaam Gateway on Thursday.

UNHCR projects that $208.6 million in zakat-eligible funds will be required to assist the most vulnerable refugee and internally displaced families across several member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It is confident the new fund can raise $26 million in 2019, an ambitious target considering its zakat programme globally received $14.4 million from 2016 to 2018.