Having closely followed the situation in Afghanistan for a number of years (particularly with the Quality project, between 1997 and 2003), Groupe URD opened a permanent office in Kabul in January 2005. This field office, where several permanent research staff currently work, gives Groupe URD further insight into a number of research topics.

Afghanistan is an excellent example of the complexity of situations where there is a mixture of emergency, rehabilitation and development needs, and where there are important issues related to state building, the fight against terrorism, quality, etc. Afghanistan is also the testing ground for approaches that international aid actors will adopt in the years ahead.

Through a mixture of operational research, evaluations, training and lobbying, Groupe URD analyses and evaluates the impact of different reconstruction projects, proposing new methods, tools, and areas of reflection to a wide variety of aid actors.

Since 2004 a large number of evaluations have been carried out (EURONAID, ICRC, Consortium DACAAR, WFP, CORDAID, etc.) and new research projects have been put in place (LRRD, PMIS, Study of Chronically Poor Women, etc.). A large number of documents have been produced which can be consulted online.