We are awaiting the findings of the full 2012 report. However, the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its last opium risk assessment in April, predicting no increase in cultivation this year in the two provinces which produce the vast majority of Afghanistan's opium.

The UNODC's most recent Afghan Opium Survey, published in October 2011, reported that opium poppy cultivation rose nationally by 7% in 2011 compared to 2010. Cultivation fell by 3% in Helmand Province, the most prolific opium producing province in Afghanistan, which was the third successive annual decrease in cultivation there.

It is difficult to assess the overall levels of progress, but the UK. remains committed to supporting the Afghan Government to make progress on its National Drug Control Strategy. Together with international partners, the UK is pursuing a comprehensive approach to tackling the Afghan drugs trade which addresses security, economic and rural development, as well as law enforcement. Working with international and regional partners, for example through the Paris Pact and the Istanbul Process, we are seeking to improve cooperation on tackling the drugs trade, the trade in precursor chemicals, target illegal financial flows and reduce demand in the region and worldwide.