if he will make a statement on his Department's assistance to Afghanistan.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has consistently provided a high level of assistance to Afghanistan since late 2001. That includes financial and political support to President Karzai's Government and the election process, to counter-narcotics efforts and to reform of the Afghan security sector.

Does the Minister accept that, with the welcome election of President Karzai, much more needs to be done? Does he share my criticism of some of our NATO allies who, unlike ourselves, have done very little to offer support and assistance? What will he and the Foreign Secretary do through NATO to put pressure on the recalcitrant states and name and shame them?

First, it is important to recognise the real progress that has been made in Afghanistan. I attended President Karzai's inauguration just before Christmas. The first nationwide democratic election is a huge step forward and 3 million refugees have returned to the country, but we need to maintain our assistance and support. I agree that NATO should do more. The recent force generation conference noted some welcome progress—the United States, Italy and Lithuania made some additional contributions—but we need more. I recently spoke at the NATO Council urging NATO to do more, especially on the counter-narcotics front. We shall continue to make that argument.

May I take this opportunity belatedly to welcome the publication of "Inclusive Government: Mainstreaming gender into Foreign Policy" and to thank my hon. Friend for the fact that there is a gender strategy in Afghanistan? How are the British Government using that strategy to support women in the forthcoming elections?

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who ever since the demise of the Taliban has consistently argued for women's rights in Afghanistan. There has been a dramatic improvement. In the recent presidential election, a woman stood for the presidency and three for the vice-presidency, and 25 per cent. of the seats in the lower house are reserved for women; those are important steps forward. However, as we move towards the parliamentary elections, we need to continue to support women. We, the European Union and our other partners are determined to undertake that task.

Does my hon. Friend agree that crucial to the future of Afghanistan is the provision of alternatives to the poppy cultivation there? Will he outline what steps we and other countries have taken to achieve this?

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. To tackle narcotics in Afghanistan we need what we have, which is a multi-faceted strategy including eradication, interdiction and the spread of the criminal justice system. If we are genuinely to move farmers away from the poppy, we need to provide alternative livelihoods. The Department for International Development has recently increased its commitment to £30 mllion over three years, and £13 million of that is now being spent on local community development councils in 5,000 villages, focusing on the bare basics of water pumps, irrigation channels, bridges and roads, which is the first step. We certainly need to take that effort forward.