The United Nations on Wednesday voiced concern about the risk for Afghanistan to slip into "unmanageable" situation, urging the international community to step up assistance efforts and revise its strategy there.

UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, briefed the Security Council at an open meeting on the latest developments in the Central Asian country.

Critical juncture

Afghanistan now stands at "a critical juncture" after a year that had been "extremely challenging," with difficult elections, deteriorating security, doubts about the current strategies of both the government and international community leading to further violence and uncertainty, Ban said.

There could be no doubt that the country would remain a priority for 2010, with the aims of strengthening the government and coordinating all programs under the United Nations umbrella, he said.

Ban said last year's electoral process was problematic, to say the least, though the results were ultimately accepted.

Preparations for this year's parliamentary elections were expected to start soon and the United Nations stood ready to offer support, technical assistance and institution-building.

More generally, Ban hoped that the tremendous political energy released during the recent elections would now be directed toward a meaningful, realistic and renewed compact between the Afghan government and its people.

Worsening security

At the moment, "insecurity remains the single biggest impediment to progress," Ban told the Council.

In his most recent report to the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan, Ban pointed to a dire picture of the worsening security situation.

An average of 1,244 incidents per month occurred in the third quarter of 2009, a 65-percent increase over 2008, with armed clashes, improvised explosive devices and stand-off attacks constituting the majority, the report shows.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded 784 conflict-related civilian casualties between August and October, up 12 percent from the same period in 2008, with anti-government elements responsible for 78 percent of the total, of whom 54 percent were victims of suicide and improvised explosive device attacks.

"While the violence was caused by a politically driven insurgency, it has also been exploited by criminal groups, drug traffickers and others," Ban said. "There have been increased civilian casualties and greater risks for UNAMA and other Afghan partners."

Taliban and insurgents had attempted to prevent people from participating in the electoral process, and had also destroyed social structures and traditional security mechanisms, he said.

"The vulnerability of civilians is a serious issue, with great implications for the standing of the government and its partners in steering the country towards stability and peace," he said.