Groupe URD’s 30th anniversary

03/01/2023

Groupe URD was created following exchanges between professionals from the humanitarian and development sectors in 1993. In a world where discussions are becoming more and more difficult, where walls are being erected between those with different points of view, Groupe URD will do all it can to act as a bridge. A bridge between times of crisis and times of prevention and anticipation; a bridge between development and humanitarian actors; a bridge between the real-time response and evaluation; a bridge between practices and policies; a bridge between theory and the reality on the ground; and a bridge between different cultures and languages. A bridge that allows us to change our point of view, gain perspective, and establish relations between actors who do not know each other well.

Groupe URD was created following exchanges between professionals from the humanitarian and development sectors in 1993. Claire Pirotte and François Grünewald played a central role in these meetings, where the participants looked for ways to build bridges between the practices in the two sectors and to develop tools to analyse operational contexts that had been transformed since the end of the Cold War. An informal discussion group was created, made up of the main francophone humanitarian and development organisations, who met regularly to exchange experiences and develop a shared vision. The discussions were fruitful: all the participants agreed that it was important that the exchanges should be given a concrete form by producing analysis and working methods. A few years later, Groupe URD established its offices facing the Mont Ventoux in the south of France and began to establish a permanent, salaried staff.

Since then, Groupe URD has been identifying, analysing and putting into perspective the main factors shaping the sector. What sets us apart is that all of our work is rooted in what is happening on the ground. We accompany aid actors – operational NGOs, United Nations agencies, the Red Cross Movement, state institutions and donors – with the aim of improving the quality of their projects for people affected by crises.

Initially, Groupe URD’s main areas of competence were evaluation, operational research and training. While these continued to occupy a central place, we also began to develop tools and methods and provide strategic and organisational support. As such, our activities are no longer limited to knowledge production: we now also help organisations to change their practices and policies.

Groupe URD’s 30 years of existence has involved:

almost 100 salaried staff, 97 interns and 4 volunteers
286 evaluation, training, support and operational research projects
hundreds of field visits
312 reports, all of which can be found on our website/database
108 articles and appearances in the media
15 Autumn Schools on Humanitarian Aid
Speaking in conferences all around the world
Hundreds of discussions under the lime trees at our headquarters

30 years after its creation, Groupe URD is still driven by its original objective: finding ways to improve aid. This has led us to debate a thousand different subjects: quality and accountability, the relations between humanitarian and military organisations, taking the environment and climate change into account, the humanitarian-development nexus, aid localisation, risk management, etc. As such, we have continued to show the importance of in-depth understanding of contexts in order to take relevant decisions that are adapted to situations that are always specific.

In a world where discussions are becoming more and more difficult, where walls are being erected between those with different points of view, Groupe URD will do all it can to act as a bridge. A bridge between times of crisis and times of prevention and anticipation; a bridge between development and humanitarian actors; a bridge between the real-time response and evaluation; a bridge between practices and policies; a bridge between theory and the reality on the ground; and a bridge between different cultures and languages. A bridge that allows us to change our point of view, gain perspective, and establish relations between actors who do not know each other well.

We would like to celebrate our 30th anniversary with those who have joined us on the bridge along the way. They say that when you are 30, you are an adult in a world of young people, and a young person in a world of adults… again, an ideal time to be a bridge!

There will be many opportunities this year to share key resources with aid practitioners and those who analyse contemporary crises and how they are managed. Our traditional Autumn School on Humanitarian Aid will exceptionally be held in the Spring. Join us on the 8th and 9th of June to celebrate all the ground we have covered together and to consider the major transformations to come in a sector that is unsure about its future. The topic of this year’s edition will be: “Between solidarity and manipulation, between neutrality and activism: the dilemmas facing humanitarian aid in the light of new changes to crises and the sector”.

We would also like to hear from you if you have any anecdotes or views you would like to share! If you have ever crossed our path, get in touch. We will be launching a hashtag : #leGroupeURDetmoi (Groupe URD and me) on social networks: we hope to hear from you! 😊.