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Kabul Visit (October 2023)

Chris Cramer, Huria Taufiqui and Marloes Borsboom-Turabaz

General goals:

  1. To see, feel, experience, and learn on the ground about the current situation in Afghanistan.
  2. To meet Afghans in Kabul.
  3. To improve the bilateral relation between Afghanistan and the Netherlands.

Specific goals:

  1. Strengthening and opening our network in Afghanistan.
  2. Select projects for our foundation.

Before we went to visit Afghanistan, we have organized three Roundtable sessions. Besides the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and both ambassadors, representatives or NGO’s and Diaspora participated. Depending on the theme/ sector other public and private actors participated. In each session there as an update on the current situation in Afghanistan.

 

Meetings

The discussed with the previous representatives of the government and Royal House the current situation and possible future developments.

We went to representatives of NGO’s to talk about the current state of international development, humanitarian aid and how to proceed now the Taliban are not acknowledged by the Western world. And how the Taliban wants to cooperate with the world outside Afghanistan.

We visited the Ministry of Energy and Water.

We talked to (female) entrepreneurs and visited factories. With CEO’s of banks and private sector development offices. We were invited in homes of people.

 

We did meet the head of the EU delegation- the only official political representation from Europe now with an office in Kabul.

 

We have learned from all meetings we had that the Taliban is here to stay. And that in the bilateral relation we have it is important to seek for ways to cooperate. Name any topic and something can be done. Múst be done. Like in humanitarian aid (poverty and food), medical sector, agriculture, energy and water.

The first project we will support from our foundation is reopening Mother and Child centers. The second focus will be on small scale entrepreneurs and microfinancing. 

The third on continuing the roundtable sessions here to profile Afghanistan. The last om selling the book Ehsan Turabaz- to support and continue his important work.