The leaders of the Islamic Development Bank, UNICEF, King Salman Centre for Humanitarian Aid and Relief (KSrelief), and the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund met virtually to formally approve the first batch of projects funded by the Global Muslim Philanthropy Fund for Children (GMPFC), which was launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2019.
The IsDB-administered GMPFC manages pooled Islamic philanthropy resources for life-saving humanitarian assistance and achieving child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund and KSA’s KSrelief are the Fund’s first donors, having contributed US$10 million and US$ 9.2 million, respectively, to kick-start the Fund’s operations.
Hosting the virtual meeting, H.E. Dr. Bandar Hajjar stated “Today we begin to deliver on our promise to children to bring brighter days, as the Global Muslim Philanthropy Fund for Children has now become fully operational, thanks to the support of our partners”. “We look forward to expanding our partnership with Muslim philanthropists to address the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children, and to tackle head-on poverty and disease in our member countries”, he added.
Three projects with a total value of US$12.1 million were approved by the Fund’s Governing Council. These projects, to be implemented in partnership with UNICEF, target mainly refugee children in Bangladesh, Jordan, and Pakistan:
In Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, where an estimated 1.2 million Rohingya refugees and members of the host population need humanitarian assistance, KSrelief will provide funding towards lifesaving healthcare for children and women, along with nutrition support for children under the age of five, and pregnant and nursing mothers.
In Jordan, funding from the Abdul Al Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund will be directed to Jordan which hosts more than 650,000 registered Syrian refugees. The approved funding will be used to support vulnerable children and young people between the ages of 12 and 24 to strengthen learning and wellbeing, and in particular, to support their positive transition to adulthood.
In Pakistan, funding contributed by KSrelief will support immunisation coverage and health services for children under the age of five in selected districts, contributing to the reduction in the current number of 250,000 children who die every year before their first birthday.
The Fund’s Governing Council, which is co-chaired by H.E. Dr. Bandar Hajjar, President of Islamic Development Bank Group, and Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, reviewed the Fund’s operating procedures and discussed its future growth strategy.
Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, said: “With the challenges facing the world today, and as we look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, collective, coordinated and sustained action is critical. The Global Muslim Philanthropy Fund for Children represents a unique opportunity for leading global Muslim philanthropists to come together and create significant and lasting change for the most vulnerable children and their families.”
The partners confirmed their continued commitment to the Fund as a global strategic platform for Muslim philanthropy in a joint call for action.
