Religious Ministry targeted Waqf Forest released in various cities

MOSAIC-INDONESIA.COM, JAKARTA — Waqf Forest became an excellent program for realizing the environmental wakaf movement in various wakaf cities in Indonesia. Director of Zakat and Waqf Empowerment of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) Prof. Waryono Abdul Ghofur explained that the waqf forest will be one of the eight priority programs of religious empowerment on eco-theology. This means, Waryono said, all Ministry of Foreign Affairs programs must be in contact with nature.

“We have committed to developing the Waqf Forest and we have a program called the Waqf City. God willing, by 2025 we will add nine waqaf cities, with the target of assuming certification of about 300 hectares of waqf forest in each city,” Waryono said in a discussion entitled 'Forest Waqf and Islamic Philanthropy for Climate Action' initiated by MOSAIC (Muslims for Shared Action on Climate Impact) and Pares UGM in Jakarta, Friday (21/3/2025). The discussion was held in line with the commemoration of the International Day of Forests and was attended by various experts in the fields of Islamic philanthropy and the environment.

Urip Budiarto, Deputy Director of the Sharia Social Fund of the National Committee for Sharia Economics and Finance (KNEKS), added the importance of harmonizing the ecosystem to support a sustainable sharia financial sector. In addition, he stressed that Green Sukuk is one way to fund environmentally friendly projects based on Sharia principles.

“Those who later want to develop a project that can integrate with the ministries of the institution, it will be very good if it is later linked to the Green Sukuk mechanism.”

He explained that green sukuk became a bridge to be able to support national projects related to the environment, with fairly competitive and safe rewards. According to him, regardless of the value of the investment, the principal and the yield will be guaranteed by the government.

M. Ali Yusuf, M.Si., Chairman of the Division of Waqf Management and Development, Indonesian Waqf Agency underscored that the public's understanding of waqf and the management of waqf outcomes must be accelerated. “We call this waqf the infaq and shodaqoh premium, because the treasure is eternal. It does not diminish or disappear because it is shared,” he said.

Since 2022, the Indonesian Waqf Agency has launched the Green Waqf Framework, which serves as a guide in the management of environmentally related waqf. The Waqf Agency has also created a 2024-2029 roadmap to promote waqf as a pillar of growth and economic resilience in Indonesia.

Aldy Permana, Project Lead of MOSAIC Forest Waqf explained that MOSAIC in cooperation with the Ministry of Religious Affairs has carried out Forest Waqf Roadshow and workshops in four Waqf Cities namely in Wajo Regency, Gunung Kidul Regency, Tasikmalaya City, and Padang City, during Ramadan 1446 H.

One outcome of this workshop which brought together various elements of the community including nadzir and local government was the great enthusiasm and commitment of stakeholders to develop and manage the waqf forest.

“We have secured management commitments for a total of 42 hectares of new waqf forest land, in addition to the existing waqf land. The community and nadzir show great interest in forest waqf, which is hoped to be a real solution in addressing environmental challenges,”Aldy added.

MOSAIC is a collaborative forum involving Muslim leaders, organizations, and movements to initiate solutions to the challenges of climate change.

Abdul Gaffar, MOSAIC Steering Committee and Pares UGM Representative stated, “The discussion session at Ramadan Festival of Islamic Philanthropy for Climate Action is one of our efforts to combine Islamic values with real action to benefit society and the environment”.

Earlier, MOSAIC, in collaboration with the Bogor Forest Waqf Foundation and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, ended the Ramadan roadshow of Forest Waqf study activities and workshops in Padang City, West Sumatra, on Friday (14/3/2025). Earlier, the Forest Waqf roadshow visited three waqaf towns, namely Wajo, Gunungkidul and Tasikmalaya.

The event aims to invite people to take an active role in sustainable forest preservation through the waqf mechanism. The initiative leverages waqf as one form of Islamic philanthropy to provide innovative financing in forest conservation.

The workshop event was attended by various elements, including local governments, waqf managers, academics, and community leaders.

Padang Mayor Fadly Amran expressed his gratitude for Padang City's involvement in this initiative. He confirmed that Padang has great potential as a waiter. Through the workshop, he hopes that Padang people will be able to exchange experience with those who are already experienced in the waqaf forest, given that the forest waqf talks about well-being. “The potential of waqf is extraordinary because it is religiously and culturally based,” he said

Fadly also underlined the importance of local wisdom in forest management. He said that no forests are being tripped up in Padang given that it is socially looked after by the community. “The land of the people, the land of the people, is well guarded,” he said.

He encourages the development of ulayat land through investments that have a good impact on the environment, so that families can feel the benefits. “So much green open land that we expect to be part of the Padang City Waqf movement, so the benefits of this, we can learn from Aceh Waqf Forest or Bogor. Our presence is certainly to listen and review how it is used, we are ready for cooperation if it can be continued later,” added Fadly.