Roeen Rahmani, Kardan University's chancellor, met Dr. Karima Hamid Faryabi, the Minister of Economy, on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, to extend cooperation between Kardan University and the Ministry of Economy (MoE) for advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Afghanistan.

In the meeting, both sides discussed areas of cooperation ranging from the launch of roundtable discussions to identifying challenges and providing inputs into government Policies and national documents, planning of joint initiatives to advance the SDGs, and creation of tailored capacity-building programs that respond to the needs of the government sectors and the market.

Mr. Roeen Rahmani mentioned that Kardan is the first University in Afghanistan ranked by the Times Higher Education for its impacts and contributions to achieve the SDGs in Afghanistan and; hence, the University is ready to offer any assistance to the MoE for achieving the SDGs in Afghanistan. Mr. Mirwais Nahzat, Kardan University's Chief Operating Officer, mentioned that Kardan University is planning to launch the "National Conference on SDGs in Afghanistan" shortly and that the University is firmly committed to the SDGs and the sustainable development of Afghanistan.

The Minister stressed the universities' vital role to add high-value inputs to the government's national documents and decisions to ensure their responsiveness and suitability for Afghanistan. Hence, she suggested roundtable discussions among the governmental officials, academia, and University students to analyze Afghanistan's National Peace and Development Framework at Kardan University. She mentioned that this kind of program is particularly significant to raise awareness on the national priorities and plans among the citizens and the University Students who will be the future leaders of Afghanistan. 

Mr. Mohammad Nabi Sroosh, Deputy Minister of Technical Affairs at the MoE, highlighted the importance of a collaborative means of advancing the SDGs in Afghanistan. He also added how the universities could make high-value contributions regarding creating frameworks, applied guidelines, and proposals of suitable policy options for the government.

Finally, the Minister stated that the MoE plans to initiate and fundraise for several capacity-building programs for the Ministry of Economy's employees at Kardan University. She mentioned that the MoE also wants to work with Kardan University to plan tailored master's degree programs considered vital for Afghanistan yet not available in the country.

Kardan University, as the first globally ranked University in Afghanistan for its impact and contribution for the SDGs with a team of brilliant researchers and academic staff and the students of high potential and talents, deems itself responsible for producing knowledge, providing working inputs for the national decisions and documents, and paving ways for learning and capacity-building for the unprivileged stratum of the society.

To know more about our Sustainability Office, please visit https://kardan.edu.af/sustainability/