Afghanistan must engage with its young people, the director of charity Afghan Aid told an all-party parliamentary group this week.
Farhana Faruqi Stocker said that 50 per cent of the current population is under the age of 15; if this demographic trend continues, in ten years time 70 per cent of the population will be under 18.
An increasing number of suicide bombers are children, she added.
Stoker described the problem as a "ticking time-bomb of crucial importance".
Afghanistan's young people are "the key agents of change" and they must be equipped with the education and skills necessary to become responsible leaders, she told a meeting of the APPG on Afghanistan.
The development expert, who has two decades' experience of the region, said that the key challenge facing NGOs operating in Afghanistan is the need to "demilitarise aid".
She explained that the perceived link between the aid agenda and military goals by the Afghan people is hampering their efforts on the ground.
Funding, protection of aid workers and access to remote areas are also major obstacles, she said.
Stocker stressed that the international community must learn from its mistakes and work in partnership with stakeholders.
She urged the government to review the quick fix projects that it has been implementing.
In her opinion, these are not sustainable and should be replaced with a more long-term engagement.
The British media was criticised for "completely neglecting" humanitarian and developmental issues in the region.
Stocker concluded: "The world hears a lot about the word 'surge' in conversations on Afghanistan; what Afghanistan needs is a surge in attention and a surge in our commitment."
Crossbench peer Baroness D’Souza, who was previously employed as a research consultant for the UN, asked whether the divisions between the objectives of the FCO and those of DFID had adversely affected the work of Afghan Aid.
Stocker replied that although the divisions between the departments are clear, Afghan Aid has not yet suffered because of them.
A DFID representative in the audience contributed to the debate.
She stressed that co-operative and successful work is being carried out by the stabilisation unit – a tripartite coalition between DIFD, the MOD and the FCO.
She added that DIFD has been taking a long term developmental approach, by working with NGOs and the local population on the ground to improve the situation.
Funding has been given to the Afghan government to help build trust between the government, institutions and the people, she said.
"But this is not happening," Stocker asserted.
"Has the money trickled down? What have the people seen?" she asked.
The DFID representative assured her that things are moving forward.
A member of the audience asked Stocker what she would like to see at a sub-national level in Afghanistan.
Sustainable rural development, democratic and inclusive bodies and institutional and budgetary support, she replied.
Linda Gilroy MP (Lab, Plymouth Sutton), who sits on the defence select committee, closed the meeting on a positive note.
She said lessons have been learnt about working effectively with NGOs in Afghanistan.
The inquiry into the comprehensive approach and the strategic defence review, both due to be published next year, will address some of the major concerns raised at the meeting.
"People have been listening" Gilroy said.
