Afghanistan: Licences of 172 NGOs in Afghanistan revoked

The Afghan authorities have cancelled the operating licences of 152 national and 20 international NGOs, accusing them of not being accountable. “All NGOs have to report [their activities] to the Ministry of Economy [MoE] every six months but these NGOs have not reported for almost two years and therefore they [their operating licences] have been annulled,” Seddiq Amarkhil, MoE’s spokesman, told IRIN, adding that the NGOs had the right of appeal. 

Among the 20 international NGOs are Save the Children Japan, Afghan Children’s Relief Organization, International Dispensary Association and Samaritan’s Purse International Relief. 

Over 1,200 national and 301 international NGOs are currently registered in the country, the MoE said in a press release. 

President Hamid Karzai has been under a lot of pressure to tackle corruption in his government but officials are also pointing the finger of blame at foreign companies and local and international NGOs. 

KABUL, 11 May 2010 (IRIN)