The Core Group of the SSAR Support Platform was set up with the aim to mobilize a diverse range of key stakeholders, galvanize political, financial, and technical support for the SSAR’s implementation, and raise visibility of the Afghan situation.

An Inaugural Meeting of the Core Group of the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) with the SSAR Quadripartite Steering Committee was held on 7 October 2021. This was an opportunity to discuss policy and operational priorities of the Support Platform for the way forward in 2021.

The European Union became the Core Group’s first chair and is represented by its three main services for external action - the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) and the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). A regional workplan was endorsed by the Core Group at its first meeting under the chairmanship of the European Union on 19 April 2021.

The Core Group consists of Denmark, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Qatar, Switzerland, the Republic of Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, as well as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme. The State of Qatar and the Kingdom of the Netherlands recently assumed the Chair and Vice-chair roles, respectively, following the European Union as the inaugural Chair.

The Core Group chair rotates on an annual basis.