A brand new Commission on Asian Philanthropy has been launched, the first of its kind bringing together leading philanthropy voices from ‘west Asia’ with counterparts from south and east Asia in what has been described as a ‘collaborative, sector-building effort’. The commission is co-convened by the Asia Philanthropy Congress and the Institute of Philanthropy (IoP).

It comes as Asia’s philanthropic leverage rapidly expands, with wealth from the region growing at some 1.7 faster than the global average. But Asian practitioners fear philanthropic efforts are too fragmented. The commission aims to bring the largest foundations together for knowledge sharing over three years.  

The announcement – perhaps the biggest made in the two-day summit – closed off the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust’s Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum (PBC) 2024 held on 9 and 10 September. 

Ten Asian philanthropies, from west to east, will meet on a quarterly basis. Speaking at the closing of the summit, the Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO and Institute of Philanthropy director Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges says the commission ‘aims to build an “in Asia, for Asia” ecosystem and to expand the capacity of Asian practitioners. Crucially, it is committed to staying plural. There will be no one-size-fits-all. Rather, the intention is to learn from, and share, the rich diversity of Asian philanthropy.’ 

The commission stressed that they will ‘stay plural’ and ‘not promote one model’ of philanthropy. Instead, the commission is aimed at being a place for sharing best practices.  

Gabriel Leung, Executive Director, Charities and Community, The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Director of IoP, says the commission’s common thread is ‘having an Asian vibe. Doing good and doing well.’ 

‘These are new friends. Is there an Asian way?’, asked Leung.  

The Commission on Asian Philanthropy was launched at PBC 2024

Intriguingly, the commission involves Middle Eastern participation, with Saudi Arabia’s contribution described as ‘west Asia’ both in the context of the commission and within the world of philanthropy.  

Princess Nouf Bint Mohammed told the audience in Hong Kong that Saudi envisions the nonprofit sector ‘as part of economic development’, to produce 5 per cent of GDP as part of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s ‘Vision 2030’ for the country.  

‘We’re easing the way of doing philanthropy in Saudi Arabia,’ says Bint Mohammed, the chief executive of the King Khalid Foundation. ‘We are a developing nation but an advanced nation… we must engage the private sector and speak their language. And to be able to measure impact.’ 

She added that the commission was a springboard for more to be done on raising Asia’s collective voice at major summits at the G20 and United Nations level.  

Beili Shen, vice chairperson of China’s Soong Ching Ling Foundation also on the commission, says that more than 15,000 philanthropic organisations are registered in the country, with 400 different laws issued in recent years concerning philanthropy. 

‘There are challenges. The most is that many charities and foundations are yet to get approval or trust from the public for their transparency,’ she says.  

Haryo Mojopahit, managing director of Indonesia-based IDEAS-Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation, says the southeast Asian country’s faith-based giving, founded on Islamic philanthropy, could be synced into new ways both inside the country and in its neighbouring nations.  

It did leave some with more questions than answers, with one audience member from the UAE asking what the commission will be discussing and if there was anything planned beyond quarterly meetings. 

The commission is comprised of foundations from the following countries, noted in brackets: China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (China), The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), IDEAS Dompet Dhuafa Republika (Indonesia), King Khalid Foundation (Saudi Arabia), The Nippon Foundation (Japan), Piramal Foundation (India), Rainmatter Foundation (India), Tanoto Foundation (Indonesia), Tencent Charity Foundation (China) and Tata consultancy.   

AVPN, the social investment network for Asia, and Voyage are also involved as a co-secretariats. 

Shafi Musaddique is the news editor at Alliance magazine.