he National Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) hosted the 8th International Conference on Zakat (ICONZ) from Dec. 17 to 19, 2024 at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java.
Themed “The Zakat Contribution Towards the World Poverty Alleviation and Welfare”, the event brought together zakat practitioners from ASEAN member states Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, representatives from Jordan and Indonesian scholars.
Organized in collaboration with the ITB School of Business and Management, Rumah Amal Salman and BAZNAS West Java, the conference aimed to strengthen the role of zakat in addressing global poverty and well-being.
“In this international conference, we convene with a noble purpose: to continue our collective efforts in optimizing zakat as a tool to combat poverty, achieve social justice and enhance global welfare,” BAZNAS Chairman Noor Achmad said in his speech during the opening ceremony on Dec. 18.
He underlined that ICONZ was an important platform for collaboration, exchanging ideas and developing strategies to tackle poverty and inequality.
“This conference is not only a forum for sharing best practices, but also an opportunity to build lasting partnerships that deliver tangible impacts,” Noor said, emphasizing the transformative potentials of zakat as a catalyst for social change and a means to restore dignity and promote fairness.
The event received warm appreciation from international participants, including World Zakat and Waqf Forum (WZWF) Secretary-General Ghazali Md. from Malaysia, who commended BAZNAS for its leadership.
“We extend our gratitude and appreciation to BAZNAS for organizing ICONZ. BAZNAS has established itself as a strong institution and a reference point for other nations,” Ghazali said.
Muhammad Zaki bin Haji Zaini, dean of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Finance at Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University in Brunei Darussalam, echoed the sentiment.
“We thank BAZNAS for inviting us to this international conference. We will take the outcomes of this conference back to our country for adaptation and implementation,” said Zaki.
Abid Smerat, CEO of Jordan’s Sunduq al-Zakat, expressed his hope that the conference would drive innovation in global zakat development.
The 8th ICONZ also saw the attendance of BAZNAS Vice Chair Mokhamad Mahdum and more than 300 participants, including prominent figures such as planning and research leader Zainulbahar Noor and digital transformation expert Muhamad Nadratuzzaman Hosen.
Also in attendance were officials from Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and key international representatives, such as Thorn Sarorn, Deputy Chief Cabinet of Cambodian Senior Minister Othsman Hassan and Chit Ko Ko Oo from Myanmar’s Myittar Resource Foundation, along with ITB professors.
The conference reinforces BAZNAS’s commitment to leveraging zakat as a global force for poverty alleviation and welfare.
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