IN DEPTH ANALYSIS

OVERVIEW

Policy and research

As a consequence of our quest to promote social and economic transformation through humanitarian action and sustainable development, we are constantly learning, sharing and promoting ideas to improve our policies, systems and processes.

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Research Articles

Aid Effectiveness in the 21st Century

1.5 billion People live in areas affected by conflict, fragility and violence, yet not one low-income fragile or conflict-affected state has achieved a single Millennium Development Goal. 29 of the 42 countries at the bottom of the UNDP Human Development Index are classified as fragile – and aid is a crucial resource in many of these countries. In September the Islamic Relief Policy Unit contributed to a statement proposing a number of steps to improve the effectiveness of aid in contexts of conflict and fragility.

IR's Pioneering Climate Change Research in Pakistan

The Islamic Relief climate change team led by Dr Shahid Zia (Global Advisor for Sustainable Livelihoods) and staff from IR Pakistan conducted climate change adaptation research in selected flood affected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) in Pakistan. As part of the research, the IR Policy team met with Pakistan’s Climate Change Adviser, Dr Qamar uz Zaman who elaborated on the extensive challenges Pakistan has to face in meeting climate change trends, including floods, droughts and most worrying of all, the potential of Pakistan’s glacial reservoirs melting within a generation. Glaciers provide up to 80% of Pakistan’s river and canal waters which maintain the enormously productive agricultural farmland within the Punjab and elsewhere.

IR contribute to Africa discussion document at UN Conference

IR contribute to Africa discussion document at UN Conference In September Dr Muhtari Aminu-Kano, senior policy advisor, attended the UN’s annual NGO conference from the 3rd-5th September in Bonn, Germany; the theme of the conference this year was ‘Sustainable Societies: Responsive Citizens’. Islamic Relief policy unit participated because the focus of the meeting was poverty eradication and climate change- two areas that are high priorities and which we are now researching in detail.

The forgotten countries: Mali

Poverty does not restrict itself to the lenses of the world media. It reaches all corners of the globe, and affects hundreds of millions of people. Invariably, when a disaster strikes, the world media will descend to capture and publicise the unfolding events. This ritual happens so often, it is now expected. After all, it generates millions in donations and makes the west feel good about itself. I suppose in that respect those nations are the lucky ones. Not everybody is so fortunate, however. What about the forgotten countries? Several of them are also affected by disaster, humanitarian crises and severe poverty, but hardly a word is mentioned about their plight. In this series, I wish to explore and reveal some of those forgotten countries caught in the grip of severe and complex poverty. Then maybe, more can be done to help.

Interfaith Declaration to Improve Family Health and Well-Being

In this Declaration, we commit to leveraging our networks to support family health by providing education and services that enable families to plan the timing and spacing of their pregnancies consistent with their faith. We call on others to support this initiative to influence government and donor policies and funding

Faith and identity in practice

Inspired by his Islamic faith, Dr Hany El Banna, an Egyptian immigrant, founded Islamic Relief (IR) in the UK in 1984. IR is a faith-based organisation (FBO) and the largest Muslim humanitarian aid organisation in the West1. Faith is a major factor in shaping its identity as well as its values and choices. Islam indicates that each individual has a duty to care for the poor and is accountable for his or her deeds on earth. Therefore, it is important that the organisation abides by Islamic principles and values while contributing to fighting poverty. Faith defines the organisation’s identity; it influences its performance, choices and actions. In practice, IR’s fundraising on the one hand, and projects on the other hand, demonstrate the spirit of its Islamic humanitarian work.

The influence of faith on Islamic microfinance programmes

Although in recent years there has been increasing interest in microfinance programmes based on Islamic principles, to date there has been little research conducted on their impact. This investigation analyses one such programme implemented by Islamic Relief in Kosovo. Specifically, it examines the influence of faith on the performance of the programme. While from the outset it was obvious that the performance of any microfinance programme is largely determined by organisational traits and the context in which it is implemented, the research highlighted a number of areas in which faith impacts upon the behaviour of programme staff and borrowers in Kosovo. While the resultant behaviour appears to contribute to the success of the programme, the extent of this influence is difficult to determine amid a number of other influencing factors.

Islamic imperatives to curb corruption and promote sustainable development

Translating faith into development The fight against corruption has centred around international conventions, conferences and institutions, while the code of ethics promoted by different faiths have the potential to contribute to curbing corruption. This is largely because, there has not been a clear position on the role of faith in the fight against corruption; this paper reflects on the impact of corruption, and presents Islamic imperatives on curbing its spread.

Charitable giving in Islam

This document presents the holistic concept of charity in Islam within which any interaction between living things can be considered charity. It then explores the mechanisms of charitable giving in Islam; zakat, waqf and sadaqa.

Brief History of humanitarianism in the Muslim World

This document presents a brief historical overview of humanitarianism in the Muslim world since the time of the Prophet (pbuh). In particular it focuses on the development and role of zakat and sadaqah and details some of the humanitarian activity of Muslim rulers. In doing so it demonstrates the centrality of humanitarian principles in Islam.

Policy Stances

Poverty

We understand poverty as a being a multidimensional phenomenon, with a special focus on capability deprivation. Poverty encompasses not only material deprivation (that can be measured by income or consumption), but also forms of deprivation such as unemployment, ill health, lack of education, vulnerability, powerlessness, and social exclusion. Islamic Relief aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people. But what is poverty and how do we define poverty? Poverty, whether it is at the global, national or community level, is widely considered to be a multidimensional problem.

Environment

We believe that poverty and environmental degradation are closely linked. The causes of environmental degradation disproportionately affect the poor, while poverty also accelerates environmental destruction.In Islam, Muslims are encouraged to reflect on the relationship between living organisms and their environment and to maintain the balance created by God. Mankind is the guardian of the earth and as such has a duty to protect it and also to ensure its posterity for future generations in the spirit of inter-generational equity. Islamic Relief believes that we all have a responsibility to maintain the balance of the earth, especially as disruption of this balance is causing widespread suffering amongst the world’s poorest people. Protection of the environment is therefore crucial to Islamic Relief both as one of the Islamic principles on which we are founded, and also because of its importance for poverty reduction.

International debt

International debt is crippling developing countries and trapping them in a cycle of poverty. The world’s poorest countries are currently paying back millions of dollars in debt repayments to banks, lending agencies and the governments in developed countries while simultaneously struggling to provide basic services, such as health and education, for their people.To enable developing countries to escape from poverty and in the interests of justice, Islamic Relief advocates that bankruptcy procedures are created for countries that are unable to repay their loans; that all un-payable debt is cancelled by fair and transparent means, and the resources that are freed are monitored to ensure they are used for social welfare purposes; that all ‘odious’ debt is cancelled; and that creditor countries and institutions should re-evaluate their past and present lending practices to avoid future undue indebtedness.

Reproductive health

More than half a million women a year die during pregnancy or child birth, and many more women suffer serious injuries which if untreated can cause life-long pain and humiliation. Poor reproductive health, therefore, puts the lives and health of millions of women at risk, and without serious improvements in the provision of reproductive healthcare there will be little progress towards reducing maternal or infant mortality rates. The majority of Islamic Relief’s reproductive health work will, therefore, concentrate on meeting and advocating for the needs of women and girls. Our focus is on providing comprehensive information on reproductive health, supporting the provision of health care facilities and advocating against unsafe beliefs and practices.

Trade

Trade has the potential to lift both individuals and countries out of poverty, as well as contributing to the problems and inequalities they face.At present the international trading system is an un-level playing field that unfairly disadvantages the poorest countries and is pushing many of them deeper into poverty. Islamic Relief will work towards a more just world trade system, implement an internal fair trade policy and utilise its successful livelihood projects to produce items that are marketable and ethically produced and traded.

Manuals and Learning Resources

This section provides access to some of Islamic Relief’s sectoral manuals and learning resources used to promote quality and improve impact in our field work.

Latest Resources

Manuals and Learning Resources

Enabling Poor People to Shape Their Future

This manual sets out to introduce, explain and advise staff on how Islamic Relief delivers practical accountability to its beneficiaries in the field. It sets in place an Accountability Framework in which we strive to improve the quality of our work in the eyes of our beneficiaries and the rest of the world. The IR Accountability Framework is built on five key principles; embodiment and compliance with ethics and standards, transparency, participation, performance management and providing

IR Beliefs, Values and Code of Conduct

The Islamic Relief Ethical Code of Conduct has been developed in order to: 1. Provide clarity on the beliefs and conceptual framework of Islamic Relief. 2. Provide moral, ethical and professional guidance to all our employees and partners we work with. 3. Set standards for the organisation against which we can measure and evaluate our performance 4. Inform our beneficiaries and donors of the standards they should expect from the services we provide.

Gender Analysis in Programme Design

UNDP estimates that of the 1.3billion people classed as living in poverty 70% are women. There is growing international recognition that the ‘face’ of poverty is increasingly female. This practical manual provides some well used tools for staff to use in the design of relief and development programmes in the field. It will help in ensuring that projects take into account the multi-faceted role that gender relations play in dictating a range of social, economical and political conditions that make up and affect both positively and negatively the lives of poor people.

Learning Resources How to Monitor and Evaluate Emergency Operations

This practical manual, explains how Islamic Relief approaches the evaluation of emergencies and practically develops systems and monitoring and evaluation techniques to help our staff measure progress and impact in real-time, thus ensuring work is responsive to needs of disaster victims and changes in the environmental context. Islamic Relief has a strongly held vision and mission – based on Islamic values and the humanitarian imperative – that guides our work and approach.

Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction in The Community

Recently aid agencies attention have become focussed on reducing the devastating effects of natural disasters by preparing communities to mitigate and respond to disasters in ways that can save lives, suffering and damage to their homes. This manual sets out the ways and means by which this may be achieved. During the past four decades, disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, tropical cyclones, floods, drought, and other hazards have increased significantly and caused major loss of human lives and livelihoods.

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IN DEPTH ANALYSIS

OVERVIEW

Policy and research

Latest Material

Manuals and Learning Resources

Latest Resources