Within the framework of I-PACS, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law is dedicated to assisting in the development and implementation of an enabling legal environment to support civil society.

During Phase I of I-PACS, ICNL engaged in the following key activities:

Technical Assistance in Drafting the Revised Law on NGOs

From January to June 2005, ICNL provided technical assistance and legal comparative expertise to the Ministry of the Economy and the Afghan NGO sector in seeking to ensure that the NGO Law is compliant with international norms and regulatory good practices and also appropriate to the Afghan context. Upon the formation of a joint task force by President Karzai in April 2005, ICNL was invited to provide assistance to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and representative donors in developing further recommendations on the draft law. Due in large part to ICNL’s assistance, the law that was enacted in June 2005 is a significantly improved version of the original Ministry draft. Because the Afghan National Assembly must review all legislation, including the Law on NGOs, ICNL has made itself available as a resource to the Assembly by providing written comments on the law, and through in-person meetings with members of the Assembly, to discuss proposed amendments to the law.

Improving Capacity and Communication

Following the enactment of the Law on NGOs, ICNL engaged in a range of activities designed to increase the capacity of the NGO Department of the Ministry of the Economy to implement the law effectively, to educate NGO sector representatives on their rights and responsibilities, and to improve communication between the sectors. Most notably:

• ICNL conducted three trainings on the revised Law on NGOs for approximately 200 Ministry of the Economy staff including NGO Department staff.
• ICNL and Creative conducted a series of regional trainings that reached 306 individuals, including ministry officials in provincial departments, media organizations and CSO representatives in nearly all of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
• ICNL and Counterpart printed and disseminated a series of educational materials, including the NGO Law itself and a brochure on how to register an NGO, the Open Society Institute Guidelines on Civil Society and the NGO Department’s bulletin, the Non-governmental Organizations’ Activities Mirror, which was the joint work of the Ministry of the Economy and NGOs and is the first publication in the history of NGOs in Afghanistan in which the government praises NGO activities.
• ICNL printed a total of 1,500 copies of the Registration Brochure in Dari, Pashto and English and has distributed 1,400 copies to date.
• ICNL and Counterpart conducted a Seminar on Civil Society and the Image of NGOs for representatives from the government, NGOs, and the Afghan National Assembly.
• ICNL and Counterpart held a conference aimed at improving coordination between government bodies and NGOs that was attended by NGOs and provincial government representatives from all 34 provinces.

Improving the Public Image of Civil Society

In cooperation with Counterpart and Creative Associates, ICNL planned and conducted a civil society discussion program, which was broadcast to a nationally televised audience. The television program was designed to raise awareness among viewers of the value and importance of civil society, the activities of the NGO sector, the accountability and transparency of the sector, as well as the new NGO Law. One participant called the program, “the first initiative in 25 years highlighting NGO activities as civil society actors.”

Three radio programs and a TV show on civil society, the NGO Law and gender were also produced and aired.

In response to the Civil Society Assessment and roundtables report, ICNL spearheaded an initiative to involve local youth in discussions about civil society, law and gender issues during student competitions. To date, 560 students have attended the nationally televised competitions, in which 40 students compete for the honor of first place. Before the competition, ICNL compiled and printed 800 copies of a question and answer booklet which were distributed to the students five days before the competition, allowing them time to prepare for the event by learning about civil society. In total, ICNL plans to hold 10 competitions and distribute 3,000 information books in Kabul and the provinces.

Taken together, these activities significantly raise awareness among students and youth, and indirectly their friends and communities, of the importance of civil society, law and gender issues.