'Bureaucratic hurdles' endanger Afghanistan aid, advocates worry

Since then, Afghanistan has faced a deteriorating humanitarian crisis caused by natural disasters, widespread food insecurity and an economic collapse as the international community largely shuns the current government.

Last June, Parliament passed a bill that enacted a blanket exemption to terrorism financing laws for humanitarian workers providing life-saving aid in response to emergencies.

It also committed Ottawa to eventually create a permit process for development workers, such as those building schools, to apply for exemptions to terror laws.

For World Vision Canada, the delay in getting that process set up has meant proceeding with health and nutrition work in Afghanistan on a humanitarian basis but pausing development projects aimed at advancing women's rights.

Taliban forces patrol near the entrance gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, a day after U.S troops withdrawal, in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021.

Asked for more detail, a spokesperson for the department said applications will be accepted in the spring, and "staffing efforts are currently underway to further bolster the team administrating the regime."