While the Taliban’s ban on women employees in non-governmental organizations persists, the Taliban-run ministry of economy said Thursday that 2,199 NGOs are operating in the country, including 278 foreign non-governmental organizations.
According to Abdul Latif Nazari, Taliban’s deputy minister of economy, stated, 159 new local NGOs and 14 new foreign NGOs were registered over the past year.
“We have renewed the licenses of 315 local organizations and 60 foreign NGOs,” he told a press conference in Kabul.
Several key international non-governmental organizations and aid agencies have ceased their operations or have been closed by the Taliban in the past three years.
In December 2022, Taliban banned women from working in non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations offices, a decision that led to the closure of key organizations, including the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Last month, the German aid agency, GIZ, also closed its offices in Afghanistan and said it will operate from one regional country.
The closure of aid agencies has affected assistance delivery to the needy and has also added to the plight of unemployment in the country, which is at its peak since the fall of the previous government.
