RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA —-— Dompet Dhuafa, represented by Prasetyo Wibowo, Chief of Research and Development, attended the Commission on Asian Philanthropy forum held in Riyadh on February 9–10, 2026. This forum brought together philanthropy leaders, policymakers, and strategic thinkers from various Asian countries to formulate a direction for strengthening domestic philanthropy in the region.
The two-day discussion addressed a strategic framework for enhancing Asian philanthropy through two main phases. First, the focus is on increasing the volume of philanthropy by enhancing transparency, expanding the resource base—from individuals, corporations, public funds, to social investments—and promoting systematic fundraising growth. Second, the emphasis is on improving quality and impact, including strengthening professional standards, sector growth models, and accelerating the achievement of development goals through collaboration among philanthropy, government, and the market.
The forum also identified several key factors for accelerating the growth of philanthropy in Asia, including national-level leadership (77%), cross-sector professionalization (58%), multi-stakeholder partnerships (27%), the use of technology (27%), strengthening public trust (19%), and the engagement of the younger generation (12%). The commissioners emphasized the importance of regional collaboration to strengthen the voice and contribution of Asian philanthropy in addressing strategic issues such as poverty, inequality, and sustainability.
Philanthropy is expected to serve as an accelerator of economic growth, particularly in Asia. There are three distinctive Asian values inherent in Asian philanthropy: corporate capacity to foster nationalism, the strength of communities and families, and faith-based or religious values.
There are four philanthropy models serving as benchmarks across the eight member countries: Ziswaf (faith-based), mandatory CSR (corporate), dormant deposits, and digital philanthropy. On this occasion, several stakeholders from the Ministry of e-Commerce, the Ministry of Investment, and the Saudi Arabian Waqf Authority also served as speakers in a roundtable discussion on philanthropy models that can be enhanced over the next 20 years.
As a philanthropic institution based on zakat, infak, sedekah, and wakaf that has been active for more than three decades, Dompet Dhuafa views this forum as a crucial opportunity to strengthen Indonesia’s position within the Asian philanthropy ecosystem. Moving forward, Dompet Dhuafa is committed to promoting research, standardization, and cross-border collaboration to enhance both the scale and quality of the impact of national philanthropy.
Indonesia’s participation in this forum underscores that philanthropy rooted in Islamic values and community empowerment plays a strategic role in building a more inclusive and sustainable Asian philanthropy architecture. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and Photos: Prasetyo W
Editor: Ronna