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ACBAR
Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief
Kabul
Jalalabad
Mazar
Herat
ACBAR (www.acbar.org)
The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) was created in August 1988
in response to the demand from the many aid agencies and their international donors
for a coordinated approach to humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and and for
Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Originally the organization was based in Peshawar,
Pakistan where it focused mainly on coordinating NGOs humanitarian response. Since
it moved to Afghanistan, ACBAR provides the framework within which NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs), the Afghan Government, the UN and bilateral
donors can exchange information, share expertise and establish guidelines for a more
coordinated, efficient and effective use of resources for aid to the Afghan people.
Its activities have focused heavily on information to its members and the aid
community in general, coordination of activities at the national and sub national
levels, and advocacy on issues affecting the work of its members in Afghanistan.
ACBAR exists to serve and facilitate the work of its NGO members in order to address
efficiently and effectively the humanitarian and development needs of Afghans.
ACBAR exists primarily to serve the needs of its members and to act in their interest.
To this end, ACBAR pursues four aims:
1. To provide high quality information to ACBAR members and external stakeholders
and facilitate coordination
2. To advocate for and represent the interests of the NGO sector in Afghanistan on
behalf of its members
3. To promote high ethical and professional standards among the NGO community
4. To strengthen the role of NGO/civil society actors by improving their involvement
at policy level
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ACBAR's track record, reputation and credibility among the aid community have
allowed it to voice the concerns of the NGO community with some success, and to
coordinate effective responses to issues of critical importance to NGO work in the
country.
ACBAR plays a crucial role in representing the interests of NGOs to the government
and donor community. In addition, ACBAR plays a crucial role in assisting
communication between government and NGOs and helping to resolve problems both
at the provincial and national levels.
The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) website www.acbar.org is
one of the most popular and most visited websites (Site # 6) in Afghanistan with a
record number of 10 million visitors since March 2005 (avg. of 6,000 – 7,000 unique
visitors per day) and with a record number of 76,000 job vacancy announcements
since March 2005.
ACBAR'S ROLE
 To build the capacity of ACBAR and its dedicated team regarding the use of Sphere
Standards and HAP in Afghanistan.
 To continue raising awareness among CSO / NGO regarding the existence and the
benefit of commonly approved international standards and principles driving the
delivery of assistance.
 Organize and conduct trainings on Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP)
for ACBAR and its partners in Afghanistan.
 Organizing of training and awareness raising campaigns with the revised modules
and new training techniques.
 Capacity building of ACBAR staff on Sphere Standards using various approaches
such as training, online support, exposure visits, etc.
 To continue raising awareness of NGOs and government line
ministries/departments in legal issues of concern to NGOs.
 To mobilize the Afghan civil society to influence policies of the Afghan government
and donors and follow up the government processes.
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ACBAR works together with other NGOs/CSOs coordinating bodies on issues of
relevance to the interest of civil society, the Afghan government and donors. ACBAR
strives to connect the diverse civil society to better work for the interest of needy
people of Afghanistan.
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