The International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) has concluded its participation in the annual meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group) by signing a partnership agreement to support the Tamheer Skills, Training and Education Programme (STEP) run by the Bank to assist the forcibly displaced people in Islamic countries.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the IICO by its chairman, Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General, Dr. Abdulla Al Matouq, and on behalf of the Bank by its representative, Dr. Mansour Mukhtar, in the presence of Chairman of the IsDB Group, Dr. Muhammad bin Suleiman Al-Jasser.
The agreement was concluded on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the IsDB Group, which were held in Jeddah under the auspices of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, under the title “Establishing Partnerships to Prevent Crises”, with the aim of strengthening international development frameworks towards achieving comprehensive sustainability in the development sectors to contribute to achieving social and economic growth all over the world.
The IICO participated in the annual meetings with a delegation that included Dr. Al- Matouq and Acting General Manager/ Abdulrahman Al-Mutawa, based on its strategy that seeks to achieve economic empowerment for those in need, build and develop their capabilities, provide educational opportunities for the neediest groups, and achieve educational outcomes for them, in addition to its belief in the importance of effective partnerships that aim at facing humanitarian challenges and crises.
The budget of the programme is estimated at USD 100 million, and the IICO contributes to financing it with a grant of USD 5 million to be provided over 5 years. While the Islamic Bank and the Solidarity Fund fully manage the programme, a higher supervisory committee comprising the IICO and other shareholders is responsible for selecting the programmes, target countries and executive authorities, and the IICO receives periodic reports on the programme.
In addition to the IICO and the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Fund, the Global Muslim Philanthropy Fund for Children, SPARK Organization, Shaikh Abdullah Al Nouri Charity Society, Abu Dhabi Investment Group and a number of other partners participate in the programme.
The programme seeks to enable half a million refugee and displaced children in host communities to be enrolled in (normal/ smart) public education, improve 40,000 developmental skills for its participants, provide an opportunity for 100,000 students to be enrolled in higher education, provide 30,000 trainees with job opportunities, provide psychological and social support for 70% of the participants, and
The programme also aims at reducing poverty, improving the livelihood of refugees, internally displaced persons and their host communities in the member countries of the IsDB Group, increasing and improving developmental skills, providing job opportunities for refugee and displaced youth, providing smart education to increase enrollment in basic education for refugee and displaced children through online education and blended learning, increasing access to higher education to provide better academic opportunities for refugee and displaced persons, supporting entrepreneurship for refugee and displaced youth, and enhancing the quality of their life.
The IICO had earlier launched a project to address learning difficulties among Syrian refugees, in strategic partnership with the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Solidarity Fund, and the Society for Human Excellence, at a total cost of more than two million US dollars, with the aim of serving 15,000 male and female students and 2,000 teachers in Lebanon, Jordan, and the Syrian interior.
The IsDB Group annual meetings are an important platform for global leaders, policymakers, development actors, and other stakeholders to come together and discuss critical development issues. This year’s meetings will also include the Private Sector Forum, hosted by the IsDB Group entities, including the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD).
The 4-day meetings included high-level plenary sessions, interactive panel discussions, technical sessions and side events covering a wide range of topics, including poverty alleviation, infrastructure development, health, education, food security, climate change, and innovation.
The annual meetings provide a platform for the member countries to present their development projects and initiatives, and to strengthen partnerships to achieve impactful results, in addition to the official programme. They also provide opportunities for communication, knowledge exchange and participation with international leaders and experts in the field of development, while creating an exhibition space dedicated to presenting the innovative projects and initiatives of the IsDB Group, and the achievements and success stories of its member countries, in addition to hosting a variety of relevant personalities, including ministers from 57 member countries, senior governmental officials, heads of international organizations, and representatives from the private sector, the civil society, the academic community, and
Further, the event provides an environment conducive to dialogue and cooperation, in an effort to produce workable solutions to promote comprehensive and sustainable development in the member countries of the IsDB Group which continues to carry out its mission to promote the economic and social development of its member countries.
It is noteworthy that the Islamic Development Bank holds an “AAA” rating given by the major rating agencies, and it is a multilateral development bank that has been working for more than 49 years to enhance the life quality of the communities it serves by making a wide impact. It brings together 57 countries on 4 continents. Its mission is to enable people to take charge of their economic and social progress, and develop the infrastructure that helps them benefit from their potential.
The headquarters of the Islamic Development Bank is located in Jeddah, and it has regional centers and centers of excellence in 11 of its member countries. It has evolved over the years from a single entity to a group of 5 entities, namely: the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank Institute concerned with research and training issues, the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).
