The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Grandi

Riyadh – MWL

His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Muslim League, President of the Association of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, met at the sub-headquarters of the MWL in Riyadh, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Grandi.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Al-Issa welcomed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and stressed the great importance of the UNHCR's efforts in serving refugees and displaced people around the world, especially in light of the successive global crises that exacerbate this worrisome international issue and their suffering.

For his part, Mr. Filippo Grandi appreciated the support of the MWL for the UNHCR's efforts in serving the refugees and the various initiatives it presented to support their needs in the host communities. Noting the importance of the long and close partnership that brings the two sides together, which had a broad positive impact on alleviating the suffering and protecting the displaced refugees.

During the meeting, they discussed strengthening the mechanisms of cooperation between the MWL and the UNHCR in order to mobilize global support for the issues of refugees and displaced people. In addition to raising awareness in human societies of the suffering they live in and what the human and moral duty requires of us to embrace them and stand with them in these difficult circumstances.

The meeting also emphasized the importance of the fatwa issued by the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, of the Muslim World League, permitting the payment of zakat to refugees through UNHCR, and the great difference this innovative path of support has made in the lives of millions of refugees and displaced people around the world.

The creation of future initiatives to develop the path of partnership between the MWL and UNHCR was also discussed in order to support the humanitarian response to the urgent needs of refugees around the world. As well as to contribute to protecting them from the risks they face during the asylum journey and in host communities, in addition to activating programs for their integration into social and economic life and facilitating their access to basic services, providing job opportunities, and a decent life, and working to find sustainable solutions to their issues.