Year in review: Islamic Relief’s CEO shares 3 insights into the year ahead

In 2024 Islamic Relief marked 4 decades of service and our CEO Waseem Ahmad entered his 25^th year working in the humanitarian sector. Here, he shares 3 insights from the year that will shape the charity’s approach to the challenges of 2025.

1. Violations of international humanitarian law threaten us all – cooperation is critical

Last year, Islamic Relief pledged in our Global Strategy to work in partnership with others to ‘strengthen rules-based order and multilateralism based on relevant United Nations conventions’. This commitment would prove important as 2024 saw a rise in impunity, with heart-breaking consequences. I visited Sudan, which had by then been gripped by conflict for over a year. The people that I met there told me of their harrowing experiences, and even now I struggle to fully describe the suffering I witnessed.

Meanwhile in Gaza, an Islamic Relief colleague recorded nightmarish details of the suffering of Palestinians trapped in the enclave amid Israel’s siege and relentless attacks. So too in Lebanon, where Islamic Relief staff bore witness to the widespread displacement and despair caused by over a year of bombardment.

One thing is clear: the scale of the horror in these places could not have happened without a growing perception that violating international humanitarian law carries no consequences.

I am enormously proud of, and grateful to, the Islamic Relief aid workers who have worked tirelessly in such desperate, dangerous circumstances to save lives and ease suffering. I am also painfully conscious that the failure of world leaders to protect civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan has further eroded public trust in the effectiveness of international law – with stark consequences. Not for nothing did the United Nations (UN) Secretary General describe the erosion of rules-based order as “politically indefensible and morally intolerable”. Failure to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law sets a dangerous precedent, which undermines the rule of law not just in conflict zones, but in entire regions. Destabilised regions mean a greater flow of refugees, economic disruptions, and political instability that spills from country to country and threatens global security and prosperity. In other words, everyone, everywhere, stands to lose.

So what are we to do?

No one country can singlehandedly stave off this grave threat. United, collective action is needed urgently. Attending this month’s Doha Forum 2024, I was heartened to see a bigger push for humanitarian diplomacy, for using technology to monitor international law compliance, and – crucial to humanitarian organisations like Islamic Relief – for facilitating humanitarian access to conflict zones. As the events in Syria unfolded during the Forum, the situation was fluid and uncertain, yet I held hope for the Syrian people to have the opportunity to shape their own future. So as we look ahead to 2025, I urge world leaders to focus more intently than ever before on international cooperation and ensuring that international law is upheld consistently around the world.

2. Our Muslim identity and commitment to interfaith work is part of the solution to soaring inequalities

Rising global hunger. A deepening climate emergency. Soaring inequalities in which the rich and powerful get richer and more powerful while the poorest are pushed to the brink of survival.

That the system is broken is indisputable. But can we fix it?

The short answer is yes, but only if the world tackles the root causes of poverty and injustice: climate crisis, the erosion of rules-based order, and unfair and broken economic systems. And tackle them we must, because this year the world has seen all too clearly the consequences of inaction.

As I look ahead to what will undoubtedly be a difficult global landscape in 2025, I draw strength from Islamic Relief’s determination to stand firm in our mission and values. In 2024, Islamic Relief underscored our identity as a faith-based organisation, recommitting to the principles of our Islamic faith, rooted in the Maqasid framework, and aligned with humanitarian values.

I believe that this clarity of purpose not only strengthens our determination to tackle the challenges that lie ahead, but also enhances our ability to inspire trust and collaboration across communities. Faith influences the lives of billions of people worldwide, and local faith actors are often at the forefront of the response to the multiple crises we face. They often demonstrate the spirit of compassion and humanity at its best. Yet too often international development discourse ignores the role that faith-based approaches can play in achieving development goals, advocating for the principles of international humanitarian law, delivering humanitarian aid impartially, and driving progress on things like girls’ education and peacebuilding.

In so doing I am mindful that factors such as discourse around the US elections, the rise of identity politics, narratives around Gaza and Sudan, and the fractured UN system are all fuelling a more polarised world. An antidote to polarisation, I passionately believe, is interfaith collaboration – so in 2025 Islamic Relief will continue to co-create initiatives like the Faith and Development Conference, in which we partnered with Christian Aid to demonstrate how faith can be a unifying force in addressing global challenges. Interfaith collaborations such as this highlight shared values of compassion, justice, and service to humanity – and they help overcome religious and political divides, so I plan for even more focus on interfaith work. 

3. Working together strengthens our impact for vulnerable people  

The difficulties of 2024 demonstrated why the unity of the global Islamic Relief family is so important. The global federation – comprising of Islamic Relief Worldwide, member offices, country offices, and subsidiaries – faces a variety of challenges, including the rising tide of Islamophobia in which we, as a leading humanitarian organisation with a Muslim identity, are often a prime target.

We are stronger together. United as a federation, we navigate these challenges side by side, coordinating our efforts to maximise operational effectiveness – always focused on earning and honouring the trust our supporters place in us.

We also find strength in our broader partnerships, collaborating with organisations with which we have common values and goals in order to scale our efforts and extend our reach. Among the examples is our continued work with the World Food Programme in 2024 to distribute food to families in crisis in Yemen, Gaza and Sudan, among others. We partnered with Qatar Charity to strengthen collaborative efforts in delivering aid, fostering sustainable development, and promoting peacebuilding across multiple regions. Our partnership with UNICEF is doing important work tackling early marriage and girls’ rights in Pakistan. In addition we forged an exciting partnership with Misr El Kheir Foundation which will boost humanitarian and development support for vulnerable communities in Gaza and Egypt into 2025 and beyond.

Thank you

In 2024 we helped an estimated 17.3 million million people. Millions more will rely on us in the year ahead. So as Islamic Relief steps forward we do so, as always, with renewed determination to do more and to do it better. We owe it to our incredible partners, supporters and members, our dedicated staff and volunteers, to everyone who gave generously of their time, money, and effort to support our important work around the world. Thank you all. Jazakallah khairan.