Waqf (Endowment Fund in Arabic) is an endowment that allocates an asset for the benefit of society. It can be for charitable, educational, health, development or any other benevolent purposes. The concept of Waqf fund is similar to the idea of endowments or trust funds, where the capital fund is invested and the returns on investments are utilized for activities related to purposes of the fund.
In an attempt to link conservation and culture, IUCN ROWA has taken the step to start up the Waqf for Sustainable Development initiative. The goal of this initiative is to institutionalize the Waqf for Sustainable Development as a financing model to address poverty, health and environmental issues.
