Zakat donors can choose to dedicate part of their Zakat every year to help eligible refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). For the purpose, UNHCR has established in 2019 the Refugee Zakat Fund, as a trusted, compliant, and effective distributor harnessing the power of Zakat (and Sadaqah) to assist eligible, most vulnerable refugees and IDPs in Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Somalia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Since the first year of its establishment, the Refugee Zakat Fund won the Global Islamic Finance Award for the ‘Best Global Zakat Distribution Platform 2019’. In the context of UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund, Zakat can be channeled to the following refugee and internally displaced populations only:

• Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt.
• Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
• Afghan refugees in Pakistan, India, and Iran.
• Malian refugees in Mauritania.
• IDPs in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Nigeria.