Thank you very much.
You are quite correct: the Afghan people, both the poor and not so poor, are at the heart of our plans for the future and the work that we are doing. Everything that is being done, whether by the Afghan government or by the international community, is part of a strategy to combat poverty. As I have already said, in a few days an international conference will be held in Paris with 60 countries participating. International organizations, including the United Nations, will discuss the issue and will try to find solutions to improve the lot of the people and the poor of Afghanistan.
Our National Development Strategy, “Fighting Poverty in Afghanistan”, will be introduced at the Paris conference. It is part of the strategy that we will be adopting. Of course, it involves a number of political, economic and social sectors. I believe that the conference is open to anyone who would be interested in learning the specific details of the Afghan government's and international community's plans to improve the situation for the poor in Afghanistan. This is a country where 95% of the population lives in poverty. These are the people whom we must help and whom we must not forget. The international community has agreed to work with us to combat poverty in Afghanistan. This document sets out very specific goals. Moreover, we must not forget the Millennium Development Goals that must be met.
I believe that a combination of all of these factors will serve to improve the lot of Afghanistan's poor. The president is in daily contact with various sectors of the population. The people working on the National Development Strategy have travelled to all of the villages in Afghanistan and have spoken with people from all of the Afghan communities, even in regions that are extremely dangerous, in order to gather their comments.
Afghanistan now has very strong media that reflect public opinion. They often level harsh criticism at the government. We also have a Parliament that has expressed a willingness to help the poor. There are about 260 members, and from time to time, I listen to what they have to say. Thanks to satellite television, I can watch what happens in Afghanistan's Parliament and I know that there are often debates about the poor citizens in Afghanistan. There is a lot happening, but there remains a lot to be done and it won't all happen within a few years. It will take a lot of time.