King Abdulaziz University, represented by its Islamic Economics Institute, opened the Sustainability Conference 2024 today, focusing on the role of Islamic finance in achieving sustainable development. Dr. Ameen bin Yousef Numan, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, attended the opening, and the two-day conference is being held at the institute's Saleh Kamel Hall.

Conference goals

The conference aims to explore the relationship between sustainability and Islamic finance through real-world case studies and applied research across a range of economic and environmental conditions. It also seeks to highlight Islamic finance as an effective tool for delivering innovative solutions to global challenges, with a focus on its role in addressing energy, food security and water management issues.

Conference themes

The conference featured dialogue sessions and a series of academic lectures, most notably:

  • Measuring and managing impact: developing a national impact standard - a case study from Turkey.
  • The role of green Islamic finance in achieving Vision 2030's sustainable development goals: studies from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
  • Insights and recommendations for ensuring a shared, sustainable future.

Discussions centered on green Islamic finance and the role of international development banks and the private sector in addressing challenges related to energy, agriculture and water resource management, with a focus on innovative solutions for fragile environments.

Remarks on the conference

Dr. Al-Baraa Abdullah Abulaban, Dean of the Islamic Economics Institute, said the conference highlights the successful efforts made by companies, banks, and governmental and non-governmental organizations to develop scalable, replicable sustainable solutions. He added that the discussions focused on progress made in Islamic finance in addressing social and environmental challenges, particularly in food security, energy and water.

He also pointed to the importance of strengthening cooperation between researchers, policymakers and practitioners to develop effective financing mechanisms that support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and advance sustainable development.