HRH Prince Turki AL Faisal the Founder of the King Faisal Foundation and the Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser IsDB Group Chairman, Mr. Luky Eko Wuryanto VP and CAO, AIIB, and ISFD, DG Dr. Hiba Ahmed, addressed the ISFD Poverty Alleviation Forum, which held on the sidelines of IsDB Group Annual Meetings, to highlight the CSOs role in combating poverty.

 In his keynote speech Prince Turkey Al Faisal -the Guest of Honor- thanked IsDB and ISFD for organizing the Forum and praised the noble role played by CSOs in promoting socioeconomic development and combating poverty which reflects the great Islamic values for serving humanity.

He also commended the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which provides generous support to poor countries and communities in cooperation with regional and international organizations in line with the Islamic values. He also highlighted the human activities of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) and its noble goals.

Prince Al Faisal articulated the appreciated role that the King Faisal Foundation plays in various fields of charitable and humanitarian work.

IsDB Group Chairman Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser commended the achievements of civil society organizations in member countries in designing and implementing innovative programs under the most challenging circumstances to support poverty alleviation.

(Many IsDB member countries face numerous socioeconomic challenges, including poverty, fragility, conflicts, and disasters. These challenges have created substantial humanitarian crises and development gaps) he said.

He added that Addressing these challenges requires the consolidated and coordinated efforts of all development actors, including governments, the private sector, civil society, and donors.

(IsDB and its poverty alleviation arm, the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development launched a flagship program in 2019 called the "NGO Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Program. This innovative initiative contributes comprehensively to lifting people out of poverty) he added.

The ISFD, DG Dr. Hiba Ahmed said that as the poverty alleviation arm of the Islamic Development Bank, the ISFD is committed not only to reducing poverty but also to providing opportunity through innovative programs in collaboration with IsDB, and in partnership with other stakeholders.

She explained that their focus is on comprehensive human capital development, including education and health, community development, and economic empowerment to create sustainable jobs for women and youth in OIC member countries, especially the least developed ones (LDMCs).

(Given the complex and cross cutting nature of poverty reduction, we firmly believe that no one can do it alone. The role of CSOs is critical in delivering development impact and hence we are committed to see them thrive) she concluded.

Mr. Luky Eko Wuryanto VP and CAO, AIIB addressed the meeting highlighting the important role of partnerships and cooperation amongst civil community organizations. He praised the IsDB and ISFD cooperation with MDBs and different international and regional organizations to reduce poverty and promote socioeconomic development.

The representative of the best performing CSOs were honored during the event. They participated in a panel discussion where they shared their successful experiences in different fields in human and social development in their countries.  CSOs representatives which participated in the event included Nasser Diallo Clinic+O, Guinea, Maysoon Badi, Urban Development thinktank, Sudan, Aya Hrout, Youth Innovation Forum, Jordan, Maulen Akjmetov, Kunde Social, Kazakhstan, Mathias Apove, Blue Diamond Leadership Solutions, Burkina Faso, Nada  Ghanem, Dooda Solutions, and Fathiyah Yousef, Fablab Foundation, Libya.