Introduction for the Development Professional

There is often an overlap between the objectives of development institutions and those of Islamic finance stakeholders. The opportunity to collaborate in areas of shared interest can be significant​ and can include financing the Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing financial inclusion, and promoting sustainable investing. While operating within a development framework as a multilateral institution, challenges may arise in working with Islamic finance stakeholders, in areas such as maintaining faith neutrality, securing funding for overhead and administration, and managing internal and external communication. Institutional guidelines can help ensure consistency with the organization’s overall values and policies, and guidelines on faith neutrality can inform institutional roles, partnership documents, project terms of reference, and leadership communication.