The first ever Hasanah Forum, themed ‘From Charity to Justice: Vision for an Equal and Just Malaysia’, aims to drive socio-economic change and social justice.
The Hasanah Forum 2021, which will take place on Nov 17-18, hopes to shift the needle from charity to rights-based development, support the community and encourage community-led solutions, and drive sustainable business practices and policies that further social and economic agenda, says Yayasan Hasanah managing director Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari.
“The inaugural forum will foster critical thinking, deepen conversations and nurture collaborative thought, leadership and action in fundamental areas, address inequalities in the system, and contribute towards constructive social change and nation building,” says Shahira.
“This is very much in sync with our foundation’s vision to serve as a catalyst for social change, to drive open, constructive conversations among thought leaders, on top of the various programmes we're enabling on the ground through Yayasan Hasanah,” she says.
Yayasan Hasanah is an independent grant-making foundation that focuses on the country’s community and social issues and brings together policymakers, civil society organisations, corporations, and local communities to enable collective impact for the people and environment. It focuses on five areas of involvement: education, community development, environment, arts and public spaces (heritage), and knowledge. It seeks to facilitate change, advocacy, and capacity building in these areas, and includes offering support to NGOs and civil society organisations.
The forum, which will be launched by Minister of Finance Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, brings together high profile global and local experts and leaders from across civil society, academia, government and concerned citizens to share, deliberate and chart progressive actions to address challenges that the nation faces.
In her keynote address ‘The Good Doughnut – Redesigning the Shape of Progress”, Kate Raworth will share the seven ways to think like a 21st century economist and make economics fit for today’s realities, while Ben Phillips’ session, “Fighting Inequality in Times of Crisis”, will cast light on avenues to overcome equality, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the role of civil society organisations, governments and businesses in this.
There will also be five special addresses by local thought leaders – Tan Sri Jemilah Mahmood, Datuk Sri Nazir Razak, Datuk Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir, Tan Sri Datuk Azman Mokhtar and Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan – which will set the stage for Malaysia’s social justice narrative.
Three current, pressing topics will be tackled at the special sessions – “The Pandemic”, “Malaysia’s Future” and “Our Non-Profit and Social Enterprise Ecosystem”.
In addition, more than 20 local, regional and global civil society and corporate leaders will take the stage in three Core Panel Sessions – “People & Society”, “People & Institutions” and “People & Leadership” – to tackle issues on empowerment for citizen-led actions, lasting systemic and institutional changes as well as 21st century solutions and innovations.
“It’s our hope that the outcome of conversations in this space will set the stage for future collaborative action,” says Shahira.
The forum will also showcase Malaysia’s rich creative talent with a special opening performance of a Sajak Recital by National Laureate Dr Lim Swee Tin accompanied by Yayasan Khazanah scholar Wan Khairun Sofea, and Temple of Fine Arts creative and musical director Kumar Karthigesu. The closing will feature an Arts for All Seasons (ArtsFAS) special performance by Sutra Foundation, Hands Percussion, and Persatuan Cinta Seni Budaya (PERSIDAYA). ArtsFAS is the latest addition to the various art preservation and conservation initiatives by Yayasan Hasanah.
There will also be networking and collaborative opportunities through the marketplace virtual booths and walk-through gallery.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural forum will be hosted virtually. To be more inclusive and reach a wider audience, it will also feature sign language interpretation.
According to Shahira, a socially-just society is “one where everyone prospers as a whole and not one where the financial interests of some are advanced while others are left behind or side-lined”.
“Achieving social justice requires the collective will of everyone - across civil society, academia, private sector, government and concerned citizenry. The Hasanah Forum is meant to bring forth important conversations on this topic, where we hope positive action and policies will be developed and implemented,” she says.
“The current pandemic has certainly brought to light many areas that call for greater scrutiny and action including healthcare for the marginalised and at-risk groups which form our society,” she adds.
An engaging and inclusive content line-up is promised at the forum, which will be delivered by 37 global and local thought leaders through keynote addresses, moderated core sessions and special sessions that will leverage retrospective experience, analyse current needs and shape future roadmaps, she says.
According to Shahirah, this is just the beginning and the Hasanah Forum will be hosted periodically as a key engagement platform to address any challenges in the nation’s development as we strive towards a more inclusive and progressive Malaysia.
“We hope that the forum can be an impetus to instill a deeper awareness and commitment towards social change and motivate action and collaboration to benefit the communities that we serve,” she concludes.
To register, goto: thf.yayasanhasanah.org/
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