Switzerland has reopened an office in Kabul to manage humanitarian aid, becoming the first Western country to re-establish an on-the-ground presence in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Swiss media reported.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung said Switzerland resumed engagement in March after a four-year absence. The new office is part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation under the Foreign Ministry.
Swiss diplomat Eric Marclay, who heads the office, told the newspaper the move has already shown positive results and argued that the best way to support Afghans is by maintaining a presence in the country. He leads a team of five Swiss staff and 10 Afghan employees, including three women approved by the Taliban to work with the office.
Switzerland closed its mission in Kabul in 2021 after the Taliban takeover, shifting consular services to its embassy in Pakistan. Humanitarian assistance, however, continued and has since focused on emergency relief.
Swiss officials said support for women and girls remains a priority. Switzerland currently funds about 140 Afghan women’s organisations that provide services ranging from aid for victims of violence to selling handicrafts.
Marclay noted the Taliban have allowed some women-focused projects to continue despite widespread restrictions. He said the Kabul office is strictly humanitarian and separate from political engagement.
The office’s opening comes as Switzerland invited four Taliban representatives to Geneva last week to help verify the identities of 13 Afghan asylum seekers, 11 of whom had been convicted of crimes and are due for deportation. Refugee rights groups have criticised the cooperation as conferring legitimacy on the Taliban, though Swiss conservatives say it will help facilitate removals.
Marclay also warned that mass expulsions of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran could deepen the humanitarian crisis. He highlighted projects such as irrigation schemes with the Aga Khan Foundation that aim to improve livelihoods and give young Afghans reasons to remain in the country.
