Policy Brief

Policy Brief on CSOs’ Volunteerism and unregistered CSOs in Afghanistan

CSOs are significantly influenced by the legal environment in which they operate. Formal laws and policies, including the international treaties to which Afghanistan is signatory, as well as domestic laws and policies, govern the degree to which civil society activities are recognized and protected. This includes the protection of rights and freedoms necessary for a thriving civil society, including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and access to information.

Published On 2020 Jan 24

Policy Launch” Civic Space in Afghanistan” Report

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) convened its Policy Launch civic space in
Afghanistan on 11 February 2019 in Kabul. The main purpose of the policy Launch was to discuss
the policy brief civic space in Afghanistan, including the overall situation of freedom of
expression, freedom of association, freedom of assembly and their associated challenges and
opportunities. It provides relevant recommendations to CSOs, the Afghan government, and
donors. AICS, an Afghan CSO focused on promoting an enabling environment for Afghan civil
society, prepared the brief based on field research conducted in Kabul and key provinces as well
as desk review specifically the State of Enabling Environment for CSOs in Afghanistan (SEECA)
report published by AICS in 2017 and 2018

Published On 2019 March 13

Civic Space in Afghanistan

Published On 2019 FEB 20

Policy Brief and Roundtable Discussion on Image and Credibility of CSOs in Public

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) launched the policy brief “Image and Credibility of CSOs in Public” on 8th July 2018 at the AICS office with 19 participants (5 female and 14 male). This event started with the opening speech of Director of Policy and Engagement and followed by a comprehensive presentation on findings of the policy brief. He stated that according to SEECA 2017, only CSOs involved in service delivery activities that provide tangible benefits to communities possess good public support and CSOs involved in advocacies and rights-based campaigns lack the support. This could be due to “government-owned” CSOs, donor-oriented objectives, dependency on external funding and the associated competition.

Published On 2018 July 12

Thematic Roundtable on “Impact of Security on CSOs’ Work” For Nangarhar CSOs

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) convened the civil society thematic roundtable on
“Impact of Security on CSOs’ Work” on 22
nd July, 2018. The roundtable was initially planned to take
place in Nangarhar, but due to the deteriorating security situation in Nangarhar, AICS invited
Nangarhar CSOs to Kabul and the roundtable took place in Kabul. The event was attended by 28 (5
female & 23 male) CSOs and media activists. In the roundtable participants talked about the escalating
insecurity in Nangarhar and how it has affected their work as civil society activists. Participants shared
their views and concerns about the challenges and opportunities and at last they came up with certain
recommendation to the government, civil society itself and other relevant sectors for minimizing the
insecurity risk in their work.

Published On 2018 July 16

Financial Sustainability of Civil Society Organizations

Financial Sustainability of Civil Society Organizations in Afghanistan Introduction Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have made significant contributions to the inclusive and equitable development of Afghanistan. Such institutions are providing critical services and support to Afghans in hard-to-access parts of the country that the government and other actors cannot reach. CSOs also play a key role in advocating on behalf of the Afghan people to their government for promotion and protection of human rights, access to basic services, and good governance, among other issues. However, without an environment conducive to the financial sustainability of CSOs, their efforts and impact can only go so far and their very survival will be challenged. Although the

Published On 2018 Sept 26

CSOs’ Image and Credibility in Public 2018

Positive image and credibility are critical for CSOs to fulfill their social responsibilities and enhance their own sustainability.
Therefore, CSOs’ missions and programming should reflect the needs and priorities of at least a segment of the public they are
meant to serve. They must also strive to effectively manage their programs to have a real impact on the communities in which
they work. In addition, for Afghan civil society to be sustainable, the government, private sector, and public should also have a
positive image of CSOs, including a broad understanding and appreciation of the roles that CSOs play in society. Therefore,
public awareness and credibility directly affect CSOs' ability to implement public projects, undertake advocacy initiatives, recruit
members and volunteers, and encourage indigenous donors. In addition, CSOs’ public image is also affected by the extent of
the media's coverage of CSOs activities, the awareness and willingness of government officials to engage CSOs, and the
public's knowledge and perception of the sector as a whole. CSOs’ public relations, as well as their self-regulation,
transparency and accountability, are among other key factors relate to their image and credibility in public.

Published On 2018 July 09

Summary Report of 1st Provincial round table on “Financial Sustainability” 2016

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) convened its 1st provincial roundtable on “Civil Society Organizations’ Financial Sustainability” on November 21, 2016, in Herat province. The main purpose of the roundtable was to discuss CSOs’ financial sustainability, identify key challenges impeding the financial sustainability of CSOs and come up with recommendations for follow up measures. The roundtable attended by 32 (19 male, and 13 female) experts and leaders from CSOs, government, media, and International None-Governmental Organizations (INGOs).

Published On 2016 Nov 26

PPG Summit Report - September 2017

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) convened its Annual PPG Summit on September 24th
in Herat province. The Summit was attended by 91 (26 women and 65 men) leaders, experts and senior
representatives of government, media, CSOs, donor organizations, academia and private sector from
all round Afghanistan in order to discuss challenges, opportunities, lessons learnt and achievements
regarding PPG priorities. CS was represented by PPG-WG members from Kabul, representatives
from seven regions of the country (east, southeast, south, west, central highland, north, and northeast)
and Herat based CSOs. The main purpose of this multi-stakeholder event was to promote and
institutionalize cross-sector partnership in the country; to de-centralize PPG program from
Kabul to provinces and to provide the platform for zonal representatives to re

Published On 2018 July 09

Launch of Policy Brief and Roundtable Discussion on Coordination and Cooperation between CSOs and the Government of Afghanistan

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) organized the event entitled: Launch of Policy Brief and
Roundtable Discussion on Coordination and Cooperation between CSO and the Government of Afghanistan
from 10:00 to 13:00 on August 9th, 2017 at AICS office in Kabul. The main purpose of this event was to present
the findings, disseminate the policy brief and initiate open discussion among the participants for exploring their
views and recommendations for follow up measures. The roundtable attended by 25 (6 male, and 19 female)
experts and leaders from CSOs and media.
Mr. Azizurrahman Tasal, Policy Director of AICS, began the roundtable with his opening remarks, explained the
importance of the topic for Coordination and Cooperation between CSO and the Government of Afghanistan.
Subsequently, a presentation was delivered on the key findings of the policy brief by Mr. Tasal, which opened the
window for open discussion.

Published On 2017 August 12

Partnering for Public Good 4th Joint Working Group Meeting on the PPG Summit Kabul

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) facilitated the 4th Partnering for Public Good (PPG)
Working Group Meeting (mainly attributed to Consultation on annual PPG Summit 2017) on 3rd
August, 2017 at AICS office in Kabul. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss progress
made for each PPG priorities and the PPG working group work plan 2016/2017 as well as initiate
consultation on preparation for annual PPG summit 2017. The meeting was attended by 22 members
(4 women, 18 men) representing CSOs from Kabul and zones (north, northeast, west, central
highlands and southeast), government, media and donors. During the meeting PPG working group
member organizations shared their progress, discussed challenges and opportunities, and discussed
preparatory measures and options for holding the annual PPG summit 2017

Published On 2017 August 03

Partnering for Public Good 3rd Joint Working Group Meeting on the PPG Summit Kabul 2017

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) facilitated the 3rd Partnering for Public Good (PPG) Working Group meeting on 24th May 2017 at Park Star Hotel in Kabul. The main objective of the meeting was to measure progress made against each PPG priorities and the PPG working group work plan 2016/2017. The meeting was attended by 21 members (4 women, 17 men) representing CSOs from Kabul and zones (north, northeast, west, central highlands and southeast), government and media. During the meeting, PPG working group member organizations shared their progress, discussed challenges and opportunities, updated the work plan, and emphasized on contributions of each participating organizations to partner for achieving better results

Published On 2017 May 24

Partnering for Public Good 2nd Joint Working Group Meeting on the PPG Summit priorities 2016/2017

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) facilitated the second Partnering for Public Good (PPG) Working
Group meeting on 30 January, 2017 at Kabul Star Hotel in Kabul. The main objective of the meeting was to
measure progress made for each PPG priorities and the PPG working group work plan 2016/2017. The meeting
was attended by 21 members (2 women, 19 men) representing CSOs from Kabul and zones (north, northeast,
west, central highlands and southeast), government, media and UNAMA. During the meeting PPG working
group member organizations shared their progress, discussed challenges and opportunities, updated the work
plan to be followed by them, and agreed on contributions of each participating organizations to partner for
achieving better results.

Published On 2017 Feb 05

Summary Report of 3rd Provincial round table on “Coordination and Cooperation among CSO’s and Government”

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) convened its 3rd provincial roundtable on “Coordination and
Cooperation among CSOs and Government” on May 8, 2017, in Bamyan province. The main purpose of the
roundtable was to discuss coordination and cooperation among CSOs and the government in Bamyan
province and learn about emerging challenges and opportunities as well as explore participants’
recommendations for follow‐up measures. The roundtable attended by 31 (20 male, and 11 female) experts
and leaders from CSOs, government and local media

Published On 2017 May 12

Summary Report of 2nd Provincial round table on “Coordination and Cooperation among CSO’s and Government”

Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) convened its 2^nd provincial roundtable on “Coordination and Cooperation among CSOs and Government” on March 13, 2017, in Balkh province. The main purpose of the roundtable was to discuss coordination and cooperation among CSOs and the government in Balkh province and learn about emerging challenges and opportunities as well as explore participants’ recommendations for follow-up measures. The roundtable attended by 26 (15 male, and 11 female) experts and leaders from CSOs, government, media and INGOs.

Published On 2017 March 15

Partnering for Public Good 2nd Joint Working Group Meeting on the PPG Summit priorities 2016/2017

Published On 2017 Feb 05

Policy Launch” Civic Space in Afghanistan” Report

Published On 2019 March 13

CSO's Advocacy and Participation in Public Policy Reforms in Afghanistan

Afghanistan. CSOs are providing critical services and support to Afghans in hard-to-access parts of the country that the government and other actors cannot reach. CSOs also play a key role in advocating on behalf of the Afghan people to their government for promotion and protection of human rights, access to basic services, and good governance, among other issues. However, despite a large number of actors, CSOs capacity for human rights advocacy is still limited. CSOs have developed skills in raising human rights issues and drawing attention to them, however, a clear understanding of the advocacy cycle, and appropriate ways to position an advocacy1 campaign2 , are still skills in development.3

Published On 2019 March 13