The momentum of the G20 presidency which will be held in Indonesia in 2022 will be themed "Recover Together, Recover Stronger", through this theme, Indonesia invites the entire global community to work together and cooperate in recovering and growing stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic in a sustainable manner. To respond to this, zakat institutions have been working together to help those who have been affected by the pandemic, especially towards the affected mustahik. Various programs for handling COVID-19 have been carried out by zakat institutions, including within the health sector, humanitarian field, the economic field in the form of business assistance, in da'wah advocacy, in the field of education and various other programs. Active participation of COVID-19 interventions from zakat institutions is a form of commitment from the institutions in poverty reduction which aligns with the purpose of zakat written within the constitution.
Besides the G20 presidency’s spirit and commitment of economic recovery and poverty reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also mention global commitment in poverty eradication. The President had instructed for the acceleration of eliminating extreme poverty in Indonesia, which was initially targeted to be achieved in 2030 to 2024. Zakat as an instrument of poverty alleviation through social safety nets and mustahik empowerment has an important role in restoring social and economic conditions which aligns with the Zakat Law no. 23 of 2011 which states that zakat management is aimed at realizing community welfare and poverty alleviation. This mandate can be an escalation of holistic socio-economic improvement, both materially and spiritually.
Zakat has two roles which are very strategic in transforming a mustahiq into becoming a muzakki. Zakat can release the underprivileged from poverty or also known as Moving Out of Poverty. Furthermore, zakat it is expected that all zakat empowerment programs and activities are able to transform the underprivileged into muzaki, which is also known as Moving Out of Mustahiq in which all former mustahik will eventually become a muzaki and pay zakat, infaq, and shadaqah. Through the 5 Year BAZNAS Strategic Plan 2020-2025, as many as 1.058.419 lives are targeted to be released from poverty in 2025 which is estimated to be around 4% of the national poverty alleviation target.
Zakat activities have also taken the attention of the international community. One important milestone was through the establishment of the World Zakat and Waqf Forum, a forum which synergizes zakat and waqf management on a global scale. This commitment was also stated within the 10th WZF Annual Meeting Resolution, which realizes the importance of collaboration and synergy of both global and local zakat and waqf institutions in managing the social effects and economic steps towards inclusive and sustainable recovery. Therefore, WZWF drives all zakat and waqf institutions within its member countries who are categorized as Upper Middle Income countries, especially High Income countries, to increase their local zakat and waqf collection to further increase welfare and donate their funds to other member countries who are still categorized as Lower Middle Income, and especially Lower Income countries to support the achievement of SDGs Goals 1 and 2.
Efforts and strategies of zakat institutions in Economic Recovery for Resilient and Sustainable Socio-Economic Growth must be further explored and published in order for the benefits of zakat to reach all levels of society. Therefore, the 6th ICONZ aims to be a forum for practitioners, academicians, and professionals to develop strategies in poverty alleviation and sustainable development through zakat funds. The discussions from the 6th ICONZ are expected to become applicable recommendations for zakat management so that the collection, distribution, and empowerment of zakat funds can create resilience within the community especially for the mustahiq affected by the pandemic which can eventually lead to social welfare.
