Assoc. Prof. Sutan Emir Hidayat, Ph.D., Secretary General of the Indonesian Islamic Economists Association (IAEI) and Director of Sharia Ecosystem Infrastructure at KNEKS, also served as a speaker at the Plenary Session of the 9th International Conference on Zakat (ICONZ) at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta (December 10). In his presentation, he emphasized the importance of positioning zakat and Islamic social financial instruments as an integral part of the national sharia economic ecosystem.
The IAEI Secretary General emphasized that zakat is not only an instrument of worship, but also a strategic mechanism for promoting inclusive growth and social sustainability. Zakat is an instrument inherently designed to alleviate poverty, while other Islamic social funds can be directed towards food self-sufficiency programs, strengthening the community economy, and building community capacity.
"The integration of zakat into the national Islamic economic ecosystem aligns with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) agenda to strengthen social protection. If managed measurably, zakat can be a complementary instrument that strengthens the effectiveness of government programs in poverty reduction," he said.
In the session, he emphasized that zakat plays a strategic role as a key driver of social inclusion. Within the broader context of the Islamic economic ecosystem, this transformation is crucial to ensure zakat aligns with the national agenda of community empowerment and sustainable development.
The IAEI Secretary General's contribution to this plenary forum strengthens IAEI's position as a strategic partner in various national Islamic economic development agendas. Through academic and policy perspectives, IAEI strives to ensure that the transformation of zakat and Islamic social finance instruments can have a tangible impact on social sustainability, economic inclusion, and the welfare of the community. With comprehensive insights, this session enriched the ICONZ discussion on formulating zakat integration as a crucial part of Indonesia's Islamic economic development architecture.
