FBA’s Mission in Afghanistan Concludes

Following the Taliban’s rapid return to power in the summer of 2021, the operating space for external aid actors as well as Afghan initiatives for peace and democratic development has decreased significantly.

The deterioration of living conditions, particularly for Afghan women and girls, has been almost total. Restrictions imposed by the Taliban regime regarding women’s education, ability to work, participation in public affairs, freedom of movement, and self-determination mean that women are effectively excluded from nearly all sectors of society.

In recent years, FBA’s work in Afghanistan has focused on supporting the EU crisis management initiative EU Afghanistan Inclusive Dialogue Initiative II (AIDI II) and its predecessor. The initiative aims to strengthen the conditions and capacity of Afghan partners to advocate for more inclusive governance in the country. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) has managed the agreement with the EU and implemented the initiative together with FBA.

Despite Taliban rule, Sida and FBA have been able to continue their operations, although this has required adaptation, great caution, and patience.

“It was quite chaotic around 2021, with a great deal of international staff being evacuated. Nevertheless, the EU managed to maintain relationships and some level of presence, which has facilitated continued support for the Afghan civil society’s retained capacity and role, albeit in a limited form. Thanks to that, it has still been possible to accomplish quite a lot,” says Jens Schjørlien, who is responsible for FBA’s work on Afghanistan.

A Platform for Afghan Women to Influence Decision-Making

FBA’s work with AIDI II has been divided into several tracks. One of these has been support for a network of Afghan women leaders, the Afghan Women Leaders’ Network (AWLF). Since 2022, FBA has served as the network’s secretariat and worked to develop its organization and working methods.

The purpose of the network is to capture the experiences and needs of Afghan women and serve as a channel for communicating them to decision-makers. Since Afghan women currently lack opportunities to directly influence developments in Afghanistan, the focus has been on incorporating Afghan women’s perspectives and expertise into the work of the EU and other international actors engaged in Afghanistan.

In this way, the network has enabled Afghan women to maintain a voice in discussions about the country’s future. Issues highlighted by the network have included education, the humanitarian situation, and risks related to gender-based violence.

“AWLF has evolved into a credible and stable platform where Afghan women leaders can come together, exchange experiences and expertise, and influence the direction of support provided by key international actors to Afghanistan. The real strength lies in the network itself. It brings together diverse perspectives while ensuring that those who cannot participate directly are still meaningfully represented,” says Mona Hossaini, thematic officer for dialogue and peace mediation at FBA, who has worked with the network.

As FBA now phases out its role as the network’s secretariat, Mona Hossaini says that several other actors have expressed interest in taking over the role.

“That in itself is proof of the network’s value and the interest it has generated. In the long term, however, I hope that AWLF can develop into a self-sustaining platform. Although challenges remain, for example regarding coordination and funding, there is a clear opportunity to strengthen AWLF’s credibility as a channel for Afghan women by continuing to build relationships with international actors,” she explains.

In addition to AWLF, FBA’s cooperation with Sida and the EU has focused on supporting Afghan initiatives for inclusive and peaceful dialogue at the local level, as well as regionally and internationally. FBA has also supported the AIDI II initiative through activities such as analyses and workshops focused on Afghanistan.

At the same time, AIDI II is classified as a crisis management initiative and is therefore time-limited. Against the backdrop of the Taliban’s strong position, and the fact that overall global support for Afghanistan’s democratic development and state-building has decreased since 2021, there is some uncertainty about the future.

However, Jens Schjørlien also notes that despite its hardline policies, the Taliban regime has an interest in international actors remaining present in the country, and since the announcement of the phase-out, FBA has worked intensively to create conditions for other actors to continue the work.

He points out that no equivalent new crisis management initiative has yet been established, but that the EU continues to support Afghanistan through long-term development cooperation:

“A crisis management instrument such as AIDI II only applies for 18 months at a time and can only be deployed twice at most for a particular purpose. What is happening now is that the EU is planning for another round of such an initiative. The EU has also stated that there should be strong engagement in Afghanistan. There is an EU delegation on the ground working with diplomatic relations and development cooperation, as well as humanitarian support.”