President Karzai Announces a Taskforce
To Study Policy Regarding NGOs
Released by Office of the Spokesperson to the President
04/03/2005
Presidential Palace, Kabul: H.E. Hamid Karzai,
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, called a meeting
this morning with ambassadors and representatives from the United
Nations and donor countries based in Kabul, to consult them
about the NGO Law that was considered by the Cabinet of the
Government of Afghanistan on 28 March 2005.
Earlier, representatives of donor countries had
raised concerns regarding article 8 of the legislation which
provides that NGOs shall not bid for Afghan Government-sponsored
project contracts. This provision in the NGO Law reflected the
serious concern within the Government and the Afghan society
at large, that some NGOs were responsible for widespread corruption
and misuse of public funds, which must be stopped.
At this morning's meeting, the President reiterated
his commitment to fight corruption and the misuse of public
money both within and outside the Government. The President
praised the good work of those NGOs who worked in Afghanistan,
consistent with their true humanitarian and developmental objectives,
to serve the Afghan people. However, the President also voiced
his strong concerns that the so-called NGOs were responsible
for squandering the precious resources that Afghanistan received
in aid from the international community. "We had a responsibility",
the President said, "towards the Afghan people, as well
as the tax-payers in the donor countries, to stop NGOs that
are corrupt, wasteful and unaccountable."
The President and the gathered representatives
of the donor countries agreed to establish a joint task-force
to examine the issue and submit recommendations in no more than
a month. The President nominated Mr Mohammad Amin Farhang, the
Minister of Economy, Mr Haneef Atmar, the Minister of Rural
Rehabilitation and Development, and Mr Umer Daudzai, the Chief
of Staff of the President's Office, to represent the Afghan
Government in the task-force. The donor countries will also
nominate their representatives to the task-force.
