Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) is an independent research organization based in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since early 2002 it has published research papers about contemporary Afghanistan issues, with the aim to influence policy "to improve Afghan lives". Funded by a number of European governments and other donors it produces research reports to provide information for policy makers and other actors active in the humanitarian assistance, postwar reconstruction and statebuilding activities currently taking place in Afghanistan. ["The A-Z guide to Afghanistan assistance", AREU, 2008, p. iv]

History

In 2000 the Strategic Monitoring Unit (SMU) was established in Islamabad by the Afghan Support Group [http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/01/443&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en] , [http://www.odi.org.uk/Publications/working_papers/wp187.pdf] , [Pain, Adam. "Understanding and Monitoring Livelihoods under Conditions of Chronic Conflict:Lessons from Afghanistan." London: ODI, 2002, p. 2 http://www.odi.org.uk/Publications/working_papers/wp187.pdf] to improve emergency response by ensuring that lessons learned from similar situations around the world were analysed and disseminated [http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/01/443&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en] (at that time Afghanistan was largely under Taliban rule). The SMU produced two papers: a report on the northern province of Badakhshan. [http://lccn.loc.gov/2006334106] , ["Badakhshan" (Islamabad : SMU, 2001).] and a review of the Strategic Framework for Afghanistan [Mark Duffield, Patricia Gossman, and Nicholas Leader, “Review of the Strategic Frameworkfor Afghanistan” (UN Strategic Monitoring Unit: Islamabad, Pakistan, 2001). Cited in "Humanitarian Action and the Afghanistan Crisis Issues Note for NGO Policy Dialogue X, November 15, 2001, Humanitarianism and War Project", Feinstein International Famine Center http://hwproject.tufts.edu/new/pdf/IssuesNote10.pdf] After the toppling of the Taliban government in late 2001, the SMU was re-named the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) and given a new mandate, [Pain, Adam. "Understanding and Monitoring Livelihoods under Conditions of Chronic Conflict:Lessons from Afghanistan." London: ODI, 2002, p. 2 http://www.odi.org.uk/Publications/working_papers/wp187.pdf] in early 2002 it moved to Kabul.

Research

AREU's research focuses on areas and issues of importance to policy makers: current research themes are: education, gender, governance, health, livelihoods and human security, natural resource management, political economy and markets ["AREU’s Annual Plan for 2008"] [https://www30.a2hosting.com/~areuorg/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=26&task=doc_download&gid=583]

Library

An important complement to the research and publications of AREU is the library housed in the same offices. Since the formation of the unit, statistical publications, NGO reports, policy papers and similar materials have been accumulated and these are now indexed in the AREU Library on-line bibliographic database (built using Greenstone open source software). [http://wiki.greenstone.org/wiki/gsdoc/others/A_Case_Study_of_the_AREU_Collection.pdf] The library is open to the public and collaborates with other libraries in Kabul to collect and make available publicly documents of research value on Afghanistan. [Camins-Esakov, Jared. 2008. Libraries in Afghanistan / Jared Camins-Esakov. Published in “Focus on International Library and Information Work” (v. 39, no. 1, 2008)] , [Garner, Anne. 2007. Rebuilding Afghanistan one book at a time / by Anne Garner. Published in “American libraries” (October) p. 52-54]

In 2003 the library received a donation of around 3,000 books and offprints from what is now the British Association for South Asian Studies [http://www.britac.ac.uk/institutes/SSAS/about.htm] , these were the surviving books from the British Institute of Afghanistan Studies (BIAS) which operated in Kabul from the early 1970s to about 1981. ["Afghanistan research newsletter" (Number 17, April 2008) p.3] , [ https://www30.a2hosting.com/~areuorg/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=26&task=doc_download&gid=574]

Publications

All AREU publications are available on their website, they fall into three categories, the most well-known in Afghanistan is the "A-Z guide to Afghanistan assistance" published more or less annually since 2002. As well as an initial section of essays and reference pieces about the Afghan government and assistance community it contains a directory with contact details for many of the agencies working in the country (arranged by province). The second category is the research reports produced from the projects undertaken, these vary widely but cover governance, political economy, natural resource management, gender issues, etc. Frequently these papers are a useful starting point to explore any given topic in contemporary Afghanistan. The final category includes the "Afghanistan research newsletter", occasional conference reports and the annual report and research plans of AREU.

Notes

Links

http://www.areu.org.af