During the opening ceremony, H.E Mr. Yousef Hassan Khalawi, Secretary General, AlBaraka Forum for Islamic Economy highlighted that the world has now spent more than a full century talking about sustainability. The Islamic world has 22 countries classified as least developed countries. We should focus on our nations and focus on our beliefs, as today we are trying to introduce Sukuk as one of our major initiatives created by Muslim economists, scientists, and experts.
The authors caution that democratic politics may or may not help fix dynamic social problems. The authors argue that even in their own optimistic model of politics—where parties maximize average utility of those currently alive— equilibrium policies may not put society on the right path, and the speed of the green transition may be too slow. Climate change and environmental degradation is a slow and cumulative process. To protect environment, the efforts also need to be cumulative and consistent. A self-centric secular worldview encourages the self-centric use of private property resources. However, even small things done collectively and consistently can have a larger effect.
The report identifies the six inter-related mega trends to impact OIC nations as: Uneven Macroeconomic Performance, Sharing and Platform Economies, Green Economy, Urbanization, Global Supply Chains and Future of Work. The first two look at shifting economies, which are playing out across OIC societies. The next two cover changing environments brought on by climate change and growing populations. The last two consider adapting ecosystems.
The global environment for international investment will remain challenging in 2024. Weakening growth prospects, economic fracturing trends, trade, geopolitical tensions, industrial policies, and supply chain diversification are reshaping FDI patterns, causing some multinational enterprises (MNEs) to adopt a cautious approach to overseas expansion. However, MNE profit levels remain high, financing conditions are easing, and increased Greenfield project announcements will positively affect FDI.
Globally, among the 2,957 sustainability reports subject to an independent assurance, 1,668 (56%) were partially or fully verified under limited assurance, while 405 (14%) were partially or fully verified under reasonable assurance. Globally, 70% of the companies by market capitalization disclosed a GHG emission reduction target and nearly half of them set 2030 as the target year.
Islamic Economics Project 