"The cooperation is good," Mardini said on the sidelines of the 3rd Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum. "There are of course topics that are more challenging than others, but we are advancing and we are able to deliver critical services in Afghanistan today and that's important."
Mardini stressed that the ICRC has a long-standing dialogue with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and is able to operate in different fields.
"We support hospitals. We visit detainees," he explained. "We run seven physical rehabilitation centers. We pay salaries to nurses and health personnel in 44 health facilities in Afghanistan. So we're doing a lot of lifesaving service based on a strong dialogue with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan."
Mardini said the humanitarian situation is worrying with a vast majority of Afghans below the poverty line.
"So the situation is extremely harsh and difficult," he said.
After the Taliban seized Afghanistan in August of 2021, the US and several allies cut-off external aid that had funded 80% of government expenditures, equivalent to 40% of GDP. Economic disarray and food shortages followed that pushed the country to the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
In a report last month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Afghanistan faces a very real risk of "systemic collapse," with nearly 66% of the population needing aid, including some 17 million facing acute hunger.
*under UN sanctions for terrorist activities