The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Afghanistan

Since parliament began its work in 2005, Afghanistan has formally displayed all the essential institutions of a parliamentary democracy. However the country continues to suffer from a lack of democratic practice and experience. The people working in these young institutions still need to be won over to the "democratic project" and trained for their new responsibilities. The formation of parliamentary groups has not been sufficiently stable, nor do they have enough of the links with organisations of civil society that are so vital to making democracy work. The international agenda has made a priority of promoting economic development, consolidating peace and establishing a culture of peaceful dialogue between different ethnic communities and professions.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has had an office in Kabul since January 2002. Through the activities it provides, the FES is helping to build democratic structures and encourage constructive, peaceful exchange between the government, parliament and civil society. To this end, it works with a range of democratically minded men and women who represent a political and social elite.

Key FES projects in Afghanistan include developing democratic platforms, creating an enabling environment for reconciliation, debating the past and coming to terms peacefully with conflict, fostering promising talent through the Young Leaders Forum (YLF), training up-and-coming journalists in the Young Journalists Network (YJN) and promoting a pluralist media landscape based on democratic rules. Gender and conflict awareness have been mainstreamed and feature in all lines of FES work. Programmes for regional dialogue and transatlantic issues also have an important role to play in Afghanistan.