A faculty member from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently participated at this year’s World Halal Summit, in Istanbul. The summit is one of the largest halal events that gather leading experts from around the world and discuss current issues in the halal sector. Dr. Dalal Aassouli, assistant professor and program coordinator of the MSc in Islamic Finance program, gave a presentation on efforts to embed sustainability into the Islamic financial industry. This began by emphasizing that the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide opportunities for this sector to incorporate sustainability principles into its activities to better support development objectives. Key enabling factors include financial innovation, partnerships, awareness and impact assessment. Dr. Aassouli also outlined how HBKU’s Islamic finance programs can support fulfilment of SDGs on a global level.  

On educating current and future practitioners in the Islamic Finance world, Dr. Dalal Aassouli says: ‘’The Islamic financial industry is well positioned to play a key role in achieving the SDGs. Our Islamic finance programs at HBKU offer a great platform for students and professionals to attain the skills needed to understand global sustainable development challenges, and propose viable ethical financial alternatives to tackle them.’’