Jeddah, Oct. 9, 2021, SPA -- The Secretary General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) Prof. Koutoub Moustapha Sano participated in a symposium organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the role of Islamic social financing in achieving UN sustainable development goals, and also to discuss ways to use this funding to provide the necessary support for and relief to refugees and forcibly displaced people around the world. The symposium comes as part of United Nations initiative, kicked off earlier this year, calling for dialogue in order to support efforts designed to recover from the serious economic and social effects of corona pandemic, especially on developing countries. The initiative aims to provide an innovative financing methodology that can provide relief and support for people affected by wars in all regions witnessing violent conflicts around the world. The Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the Gulf Cooperation Council, Khalid Khalifa, who is also Advisor to the High Commissioner for Islamic Financing, noted that the Commission benefited, during the recent period, from donations and aid made by Muslims all over the world for the benefit of the Zakat Fund for Refugees, fulfilling the Sharia Fatwa issued by IIFA, well received and accepted by the donors all over the world. The Fatwa stipulates the permissibility of spending from Zakat money to aid and relief refugees and the afflicted all over the world. Khalid Khalifa confirmed that the Zakat Fund for Refugees witnessed a remarkable increase in the amount of donations received annually, which made it possible to help larger numbers of needy people, attributing this to the joint awareness campaign carried out by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with the Academy during the month of Ramadan. -- SPA 13:23 LOCAL TIME 10:23 GMT 0012 www.spa.gov.sa/w1632933