ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY 2026-2029 Executive Summary

The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR) is Afghanistan’s leading membership organisation representing national, local and international non-governmental organisations. For more than three decades, ACBAR has served as a trusted platform for coordination, collective representation, information sharing, and organisational development. Where mandated by its membership, it supports collective representation on matters of common interest, helping NGOs deliver principled and effective humanitarian and development assistance across Afghanistan.

The operating environment facing NGOs in Afghanistan is undergoing profound change. Declining humanitarian funding, increasing emphasis on basic human needs and longer-term resilience, growing localisation commitments, evolving regulatory requirements, and a complex political environment require new approaches to coordination and collective action. These changes present both significant challenges and opportunities for ACBAR and its members.

The ACBAR Organisational Strategy 2026–2029 sets out the organisation’s strategic direction over the next three years. It is designed to strengthen ACBAR’s role as Afghanistan’s principal NGO coordination platform while ensuring that members receive practical support to operate effectively in an increasingly complex environment.

The strategy is built around four strategic pillars that reflect ACBAR’s core functions.

Coordination and Information focuses on strengthening national and sub-national coordination, improving information management, supporting emergency preparedness, and enabling collective action among NGOs and key stakeholders.

Advocacy, Inclusion and Enabling Environment strengthens ACBAR’s collective voice by promoting constructive engagement with authorities, donors and humanitarian partners, advancing localisation, supporting women-led and national organisations, and improving the policy and operational environment for NGOs.

Organisational Development, Capacity Strengthening and Localisation enhances the effectiveness and sustainability of NGOs through organisational development, professional training, leadership development, localisation initiatives, and practical support services for members.

Supporting these four pillars is a renewed commitment to organisational excellence. Over the strategy period, ACBAR will strengthen its governance, people, systems, financial sustainability, digital capabilities, and organisational learning to ensure it remains a responsive, accountable and effective institution.

The successful implementation of this strategy will depend on strong partnerships. As a member-based organisation, ACBAR’s impact is achieved through the active participation of its members, collaboration with national authorities, constructive engagement with donors and United Nations agencies, and continued investment by development partners.

By 2029, ACBAR aims to be recognised not only as Afghanistan’s leading NGO coordination platform, but also as a trusted partner that strengthens collective action, improves the enabling environment for NGOs, advances localisation, and contributes to more effective humanitarian, basic human needs and development assistance for the people of Afghanistan.)

Read and download the Strategy and RBF     
ACBAR Organisational Strategy 2026-2029                 ACBAR Strategic Results Framework 2026-2029