Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society

The Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society (AICS) is a concept that has been incubating for several years amongst Afghanistans civil society community. In 2007, the Enabling Environment conference convened by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Aga Khan Development Network, in partnership with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program and the Asia Development Bank. One of the key recommendations from the conference was to establish independent certification bodies for civil society organizations that are recognized by Government, the private sector, donor agencies and civil society. In 2010, a working group comprising civil society network donors and INGOs was established. The working group developed AICS vision, mission and strategic objectives. In 2014, AICS was established by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) through a partnership between AKF and Counterpart International under USAID funded Afghanistan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP) with the l...