The Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) is a concept that has been incubating for several years amongst Afghanistan’s civil society community. In 2007, the Enabling Environment conference convened by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Aga Khan Development Network, in partnership with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program and the Asia Development Bank. One of the key recommendations from the conference was to establish independent certification bodies for civil society organizations that are recognized by Government, the private sector, donor agencies and civil society.
In 2010, a working group comprising civil society network donors and INGOs was established. The working group developed AICS vision, mission and strategic objectives. In 2014, AICS was established by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) through a partnership between AKF and Counterpart International under USAID funded Afghanistan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP) with the long-term goal of enabling CSOs to realize their potential in support of the development of Afghanistan. Behind this initiative are key CSO networks, civil society professionals, and representatives from national and international CSOs with an interest in Afghanistan.
Civil society has long been a key factor in addressing a full range of issues in
NGOs in Afghanistan face challenges, including financial and capacity gaps and a public trust deficit, in their endeavors to play such a role effectively. The government, the international community, and civil society have been considering methods by which to support NGOs to address these challenges and realize their potential, dating back to discussions at the Conference on Enabling Environment for Effective Private Sector Contribution to Development in Afghanistan in June 2007. One of the outcomes of these considerations was the formation of a working group, with representation from international and national NGOs, key national NGO networks, and civil society professionals, to establish an organization that will enable NGOs to address these challenges.