The British Council has had a long association with Afghanistan, including an office in Kabul and an English Teaching Centre until 1980. The Council has been involved in start-up programmes since 2002, working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Afghan Unit and the British Embassy. Since July 2004 there has been a UK-appointed Director (Cultural Attaché), working initially from within the British Embassy. The main focus of its work in Afghanistan is English language support, for which there is an overwhelming demand. Future projects will involve consultants to support curriculum development for the education sector and to improve the English skills of senior government officials. The British Council is also deploying its Development Services project managment expertise by assisting in the reform process, initially by managing a project to reform selection procedures and grading structures for the Civil Service Commission, a reform process stipulated in the Bonn Agreement itself. Other areas of importance include governance, and in particular support to the development of women leaders in the period running up to the elections. It also administers the Chevening scholarship scheme on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In the cultural field the British Council Afghanistan has been supporting the British Museum’s initiative to provide materials for the National Museum’s restoration department and helping to retrain its staff in basic conservation and restoration techniques. An arts programme will be launched once capacity is available.