The Road to the SDGs

– Demonstrating strong leadership, significant action and reassurance from IsDB to all its core audience groups, both internally and externally. X The communication strategy sought to: – Portray a coordinated response from IsDB, with a focus on the leadership of its President, in particular through his chairmanship of the meetings of the Presidents of MDBs in 2020 – Efficiently and accurately disseminate information from IsDB’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Programme – Highlight new partnerships formed by IsDB to mobilise resources in the public, private and philanthropic sectors, such as through the World Economic Forum – Provide reassurance and regular updates to IsDB’s extensive internal staff network around the world, calling on them to act as true ambassadors for IsDB. ACHIEVEMENTS X Recent events and activities undertaken by IsDB to broaden awareness about its Islamic finance leadership include the following: – The International Conference on Waqf, held in Conakry, Guinea in January 2019 to discuss and address challenges facing Waqf institutions and discussed potential innovative solutions for the development of this sector. The purpose of the conference was to raise awareness and bring together global Waqf investors and potential projects in Guinea and the wider region. – The Islamic Financial Services Board Summit 2019, themed ‘Islamic Finance for Sustainable Development in the Era of Technological Innovation’ aimed to bridge the significant gaps in the ability of the Islamic financial services industry and global technological advancement to provide greater opportunities for inclusive financial development. – The Green Sukuk Workshop under the UNDP-IsDB Global Islamic Finance Impact Investing Platform, organised in Islamabad, Pakistan in partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. X IsDB has published in international media outlets a number of articles authored by the President. It has also utilised its own channels to publish and promote his articles. X Various communication outlets have reported on IsDB events, including partnerships with IAEA (against women’s cancers), TWAS, UNESCO and UNICEF; IsDB’s participation in Davos 2020, the Paris Peace Forum, UNGA, and G20 events, the Global Islamic Finance Council Taskforce, Global STS forum, and Transformers Academy. INVESTMENT X Since IsDB’s Capacity Building and Awareness Programme was formalised in 2015, a total of 71 projects have been approved with IsDB contributions worth US$ 1.64 million to date. IsDB contributions to the programme are in the form a technical assistance grant allocation, utilising funds from the Islamic Finance Special Allocation as approved by IsDB Board of Governors in 2013. X IsDB contributed a budget of US$ 327,000 to the International Conference on Waqf. The resulting awareness, matchmaking and other initiatives are expected to mobilise millions of dollars of resources for socioeconomic development, using Waqf instruments in Guinea and the region. I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N F E R E N C E O N W A Q F IsDB contributed a budget of US$327,000 to the International Conference on Waqf [ 105 ] T H E R O A D T O T H E S D G s | P R O G R E S S A N D A C H I E V E M E N T S