The ADR Islamic Republic of Afghanistan covered the period from 2002 to 2008. From its initial focus on early recovery, the UNDP programme has evolved towards an increasingly substantive contribution to the cause of security and development in Afghanistan. UNDP has increasingly understood the importance of the institutions of democracy, state and rule of law in ensuring a smooth transition process with prospects of long-term peace and development. Yet, not enough attention was paid from an early stage to stimulating and creating conditions and opportunities for sustainable livelihoods and employment creation. Following the approach of some donors, UNDP has focused on insecure provinces. By doing so, it has not sufficiently demonstrated the development dividend of the peace process in the more secure provinces, which received less attention and resources. While broad national development and poverty reduction strategies have been developed for Afghanistan, no focused strategy on peace-building has been devised by the United Nations or the international cooperation. This could have been a major contribution of UNDP, particularly in an integrated mission setting.