Rabat, Nov. 27 (Petra) – His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal called for strengthening endowment institutions to enhance their effectiveness in advancing Islamic and human societies, promoting responsibility, and supporting impactful philanthropy.

In a keynote address delivered on his behalf by the Director of Dar Al Hassania in Rabat at the conclusion of the 13th World Waqf Conference, His Royal Highness underlined the importance of leveraging modern scientific advancements, digital transformation, and good governance to build robust endowment institutions capable of fulfilling their mission and civilizational objectives.

Held in cooperation with Dar Al Hadith Al Hassania under the theme "Re-engineering the Waqf System: Innovations in Governance to Enhance Institutional Resilience and Adaptability," the three-day conference highlighted the developmental role of endowments throughout Islamic history. His Royal Highness noted that endowments were pioneering humanitarian and economic instruments grounded in public benefit, solidarity, sustainability, and equitable wealth distribution.

He stressed that endowments have historically served as a primary source of funding for education, healthcare, infrastructure, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection, independent of state budgets and taxation.

"With rising economic challenges, declining public services, and widening social disparities, endowments are once again emerging as an effective development financing mechanism that supports inclusive growth, social justice, human dignity, and efforts to address multidimensional poverty," His Highness said.

He underscored the need for a humane economic model rooted in compassion, cooperation, and shared human values, foremost among them human dignity. He said that the concept of endowments and charitable giving in the Islamic context presents an economic model that elevates the value of humanity irrespective of religious or sectarian affiliation.

His Highness stressed that genuine human solidarity must be grounded in respect for human dignity, pluralism, and diversity. He emphasized the importance of activating developmental endowment systems to strengthen integration and mutual support among Arab and Islamic societies, thereby promoting sustainable social and economic development and enabling structural and cultural transformation.

Reaffirming his longstanding call for establishing a global endowment institution, His Royal Highness said such an entity would enhance joint humanitarian action, support disaster response efforts, and contribute to economic and social development plans. This, he noted, would advance global efforts to eradicate multidimensional poverty and achieve "effective charity" that leaves no one behind.

His Highness also called for creating a dedicated endowment fund to support relief and development efforts for Palestinians in Gaza, noting the urgent needs of thousands of orphans, the wounded, persons with disabilities, and families whose homes and institutions have been destroyed.

He said that expressions of solidarity alone are insufficient, stressing the need to empower affected individuals socially, educationally, medically, and psychologically through effective institutions that embody Islamic and humanitarian values. He added that endowments should serve as a value-driven system that strengthens social responsibility and integrates ethics with economic and social frameworks.

His Highness emphasized the need to modernize the legislative environment, simplify procedures for regulating endowments, and establish national endowment investment funds managed with high professionalism under modern governance standards. He said the returns of such funds should be directed toward specific development projects, such as educational or health endowments, while integrating technology into endowment management.

He highlighted the importance of utilizing digital transformation in endowment activities, from electronic registration to smart investment platforms, to enhance efficiency, transparency, and donor confidence. He also stressed building partnerships between the public and private sectors, linking economic profitability with social impact, and developing human capacities through specialized academic programs in endowment finance and modern management.

His Highness concluded by stressing that discussions on Waqf should move beyond historical applications to activate institutions capable of improving current realities and shaping future aspirations through a comprehensive economic and social system that contributes effectively to development.

He emphasized the need for a forward-looking vision that shifts from traditional charitable giving to a sustainable institutional investment model based on governance, transparency, legislative reform, professional capacity-building, and strengthened state, society partnerships. This, he said, would position Waqf as a key driver of economic and social growth in the Arab and Islamic world and a pillar for achieving justice and sustainability.

The World Waqf Conference 2025 is a leading global platform dedicated to the intellectual and institutional development of endowments and Islamic social finance, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world to discuss the role of endowments as tools for sustainability and socio-economic empowerment.

//Petra// AJ