The United Nations (UN) and the Afghanistan non-Governmental Organisation Safety Office (ANSO) make assessments of the security situation for humanitarian agencies in Afghanistan. The UK supports ANSO through our contributions to the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO).The UN currently categorises more than 40% of the country as high-risk for international humanitarian organisations due to a steady increase in security incidents since early 2008. Humanitarian access is particularly limited in the southern region of Afghanistan due to the escalation in insurgency and counter-insurgency activities.According to ANSO's assessment for 2010 there was a 27% fall in the total volume of attacks on NGO staff compared to 2009. This is partly as a result of humanitarian agencies reducing their presence in some of the most violent-prone areas of the country and adapting the way they work to minimise risk.