“The continued failure by parties to the conflict to protect civilians across Syria means that women, men, and children continue to be killed, injured and displaced across the country,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said in a statement.

She urged commitment by all parties “to stop actions that result in loss of civilian lives, to allow access for aid organizations, and to respect their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law,” Amos noted, adding that she and colleagues in the humanitarian and human rights community have publicly and frequently called for the violence to stop.

Amos noted that hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, injured or taken hostage in attacks in Homs, Aleppo and other areas of Syria in the last two days alone.

Aid officials – at risk to their own lives – are trying to get to civilians caught in the fighting, Amos said.

“They need our support to be able to safely reach all people in need, wherever they are in Syria,” she urged. “Their job is to be neutral and impartial and it remains vital that efforts to provide humanitarian aid are separate from political agendas.”

Meanwhile, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) urged “immediate safe access” to families caught in the fighting in Al Waer neighbourhood of Homs where some 400,000 people are believed to be living in partially constructed buildings, schools and other public buildings.

UNICEF has been aiding partners to distribute nutrition and basic hygiene supplies and clean water, but new checkpoints are preventing more supplies from entering the area.

“We call on all parties to facilitate immediate safe access to these families so we can provide life-saving assistance, and to allow those families currently trapped in Al Waer who wish to leave to do so in safety and in dignity,” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a statement.

“Cannot all those involved agree that the innocent women and children in Homs, and across Syria, should be spared all possible suffering?”

Lake said the situation of women and children in Homs “is rapidly deteriorating” with reports of intense daily clashes, and rocket and mortar strikes causing many casualties.

Water and electricity are still available but vegetables, milk and other essentials are in increasingly short supply. UNICEF warned that its own emergency supplies “will run out within days”.

Some 5,000 people are killed monthly in the conflict, and an average 6,000 flee every day from the country, according to the UN figures presented last month to the UN Security Council.

Since fighting began in March 2011 between the Syrian Government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad as many as 100,000 people have been killed, almost 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries and a further 4 million have been internally displaced. In addition, at least 6.8 million Syrian require urgent humanitarian assistance, half of whom are children.

The mid-year report on the protection of civilians, produced by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), documented 1,319 civilian deaths and 2,533 injuries – a total of 3,852 civilian casualties – in the first half of 2013.

This marks an increase of 14 per cent in deaths and 28 per cent in injuries over the same period in 2012, the Mission stated in a news release. The increase reverses the decline recorded in 2012, and marks a return to the high numbers of civilian deaths and injuries documented in 2011.

“The violent impact of the conflict on Afghan civilians marked by the return of rising civilian casualties in 2013 demands even greater commitment and further efforts by parties to the conflict to protect civilians who are increasingly being killed and injured in the crossfire,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNAMA, Ján Kubiš.

“The increase in the indiscriminate use of IEDs and the deliberate targeting of civilians by anti-Government elements is particularly alarming and must stop,” he added.

The second biggest cause of civilian deaths and injuries were “ground engagements” between Afghan security forces and anti-Government elements, which UNAMA said poses an increasing threat to Afghan children, women and men.

“The growing loss of life and injuries to Afghan women and children in 2013 is particularly disturbing,” said UNAMA’s Director of Human Rights, Georgette Gagnon. “Deaths and injuries to women and children increased by 38 per cent in the first half of 2013 reflecting a grim reality of the conflict today in Afghanistan.”

“We remain concerned about the situation of civilians in the area of conflict,” the spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.

“Access to the area is not possible for humanitarian agencies, and conditions of those who do not make it across to Uganda are unclear. It takes refugees from the Kamango area around 12 hours to walk to the Ugandan border.”

Tens of thousands of refugees first began pouring into western Uganda after fighting erupted between Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group, and DRC national troops (FARDC) in Kamango on 11 July. The Bubukwanga transit centre, which is some 25 kilometres inland from the border, is now home to over 15,000 refugees, 60 per cent of whom are under the age of 18.

“Our site planner has now assessed that this is its maximum capacity, even though the previous estimates had indicated that it could house 25,000,” Edwards said.

“Many refugees brought their animals with them from DRC and are sleeping in their tents with their ducks and goats, increasing the risk of disease in the transit centre. The emergency response will be shifting its focus on decongesting the transit centre as of this week,” he added.

The Ugandan Office of the Prime Minister has pledged to begin electronic registration using biometrics by the end of the week so they can quickly begin moving refugees – if they wish – to the Kyangwali refugee settlement for longer term protection and assistance. There they will be given plots of land to farm, as well as basic household items, Edwards said.

UNHCR staff at Bubukwanga have also been checking for cases of sexual and gender-based violence among vulnerable people arriving in the camp. Mr. Edwards said they have found no evidence so far, but added that the agency and its partners are still considering sending experts on the issue, as well as on child protection to the camp.

Meanwhile, the agency reported that fighting between Government forces and the armed group known as M23 has continued in the North Kivu capital, Goma, with no signs of ending.

When the latest round of fighting erupted last week, some 660 civilians fled to neighbouring Rwanda and about 4,200 people sought shelter at schools and churches in Goma. There has been no sign of further mass displacement, UNHCR said.

Fighting between Government forces and armed groups in Jonglei has displaced thousands of civilians since January. The UN and its partners have had access to most of the 1.5 million people in the area, but were unable until this week to reach a couple of the villages from which people fled and were hiding in the bush.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, said that expanded access for aid agencies in Pibor County has allowed for the assessment of the needs of up to 25,000 civilians who have fled recent fighting.

“I am particularly concerned that some children show signs of measles, a fatal disease in such conditions,” he said in a statement.

UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have a joint team on the ground and are providing medical assistance, water purification tablets and plastic sheeting.

“Civilians stranded in the bush need not only peace and security, but also freedom of movement so that they can access services,” he added. “Basic services can be provided by humanitarian organizations, assuming that all parties ensure unhindered and continuous access, as well as an environment which is safe and welcoming for non-governmental organizations and UN agencies.”

Lanzer had called the access gained earlier this week a “significant breakthrough.” With the rainy season started and expected to last through December, the basic concerns of the families in the area are staying dry and warm, food and medical needs.

South Sudan, which marked its second independence anniversary earlier this month, has been plagued by sporadic ethnic violence as well as a border conflict with Sudan.

The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) expressed “deep concern” about the latest bout of fighting which broke out after a significant group of the M23 attacked the national forces (FARDC) on 14 July in Mutaho, eight kilometres northwest of Goma, in eastern DRC. According to the Mission, heavy artillery and a battle tank were used in the attack.

“Any attempt by the M23 to advance toward Goma will be considered a direct threat to civilians,” the Mission warned. It also noted that the UN blue helmets stand ready to take any necessary measures, including the use of lethal force, in order to protect civilians.

The acting Special Representative of the Secretary General in the country, Moustapha Soumaré, urged restraint to avoid a further escalation of the situation.

“I call on all to abide by the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework Agreement and to allow the political process towards peace to move forward,” Soumaré said, referring to the UN-brokered accord adopted in February with the support of 11 nations and four international organizations (11+4), with the aim of ending the cycles of conflict and crisis in the eastern DRC and to build peace in the long-troubled Great Lakes region.

“I urge all signatories of the PSC Framework to exercise their influence in order to avoid an escalation of the situation,” he added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mary Robinson, the UN Special Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes Region, along with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, visited the DRC in May to bolster support for the PSC Framework which Ms. Robinson dubbed a “framework for hope.”

Last month, there was talk of a possible resumption of peace talks between the Government of the DRC and the M23. At that time, Mrs. Robinson had urged both sides to engage in earnest discussion under the auspices of the Chairperson of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Mr. Robinson was convened in Burundi last week a conference to help develop a road map for women’s engagement in efforts to bring peace to Africa’s long-trouble Great Lakes countries.

Since March, tensions in the region have been heightened, leading to the Security Council to authorize in March the deployment of an intervention brigade within MONUSCO to carry out targeted offensive operations, with or without FARDC, against armed groups that threaten peace in eastern DRC.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council noted UNMISS’ priority task of protecting civilians, and urged the Mission to “deploy its assets accordingly.”

The Council welcomed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s intention that “UNMISS will geographically reconfigure its military and asset deployment so as to focus on volatile high-risk areas and associated protection requirements.”

In his recent report on South Sudan, Ban wrote that while UNMISS continues to focus on the protection of civilians as one of its core tasks, the primary responsibility for the protection of civilians in South Sudan lies with the Government.

“A peacekeeping mission, however configured, cannot replace the Government, which is also responsible for ensuring the safety and security, and freedom of movement, of United Nations personnel and assets deployed to assist it in this regard,” he stated.

Ban reiterated his condemnation of violence against UN personnel in South Sudan and recalled the requirement for the Government to hold the perpetrators of those attacks accountable, irrespective of who the perpetrators are.

He added that, in particular, those responsible in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army for the December 2012 shooting of an UNMISS helicopter – which killed all four crew members onboard – must be brought to justice immediately.

The Council today reiterated its call on the Government of South Sudan to take greater responsibility for the protection of its civilians and in this respect encourages greater cooperation with UNMISS.

It also demanded that the Government and all relevant parties cooperate fully in the deployment, operations, and monitoring, verification, and reporting functions of UNMISS, particularly by guaranteeing the safety, security and unrestricted freedom of movement of UN personnel, as well as of associated personnel throughout the country.

Among its many other provisions, the resolution expressed deep concern at the increasing violence, particularly in the Tri-States Area of Lakes, Unity and Warrap, and in Jonglei and Western Bahr el-Ghazal states, and underlined the need to address the causes of communal violence in South Sudan.

“We have witnessed deterioration in the security situation. More people have been displaced—over 300,000 since the beginning of this year—due mostly to tribal clashes,” Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous told journalist in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on 4 July.

Earlier, he had met with President Omar Al-Bashir and other senior officials to discuss the ongoing peace efforts.

Ladsous reiterated the UN’s support for the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur and urged the Government and the non-signatory movements to cease hostilities and “enter into negotiation immediately.”

The Doha accord, or DDPD, negotiated with the support of the Government of Qatar, forms the basis for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace agreement to end the fighting that began in Darfur 10 years ago, pitting Government forces and allied militia against rebel groups.

The Sudanese Government and two major rebel groups have committed to the DDPD. The Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed on last year; the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a framework agreement in January 2013.

During a media conference, Ladsous also condemned an attack on the UN near Labado, East Darfur. Three “blue helmets” were injured on 3 July when an unidentified armed group ambushed a joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy.

“Attacks on peacekeepers are a crime,” he stressed, noting the peacekeeper’s robust response to the attack and calling for those responsible to be apprehended and prosecuted.

In violation of international humanitarian law, a UNAMID ambulance was also fired upon during the attack.

Ladsous visited the injured peacekeepers this morning at a Mission hospital in Nyala, southern Darfur.

During his three-day visit, Ladsous met with the Governor and other members of local government in El Daein, East Darfur state, as well as leaders of the Native Administration and civil society, and internally displaced people at the Neem camp.

Regarding relations between Sudan and South Sudan, Ladsous called on the Governments of both countries to fully implement the 27 September 2012 Agreements and resolve all disputes through the bilateral mechanisms provided for in these accords.

The agreements – signed in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel – includes provisions on security, the common border and economic relations aimed at enabling the two nations to fulfil their obligations under a so-called roadmap for easing tensions, facilitating the resumption of negotiations on post-secession relations and normalizing the relations between the two countries.

In meetings, Ladsous also expressed concern over the security and humanitarian situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

The visit to Sudan is part of Ladsous’ wider tour in Africa which included stops in Mali where UN peacekeeping troops known as the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) have taken over security duties. Ladsous heads next to South Sudan.

“The constant flow of killings continues at shockingly high levels – with more than 5,000 killings documented every month since last July, including a total of just under 27,000 new killings since 1 December,” Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human rights, said in a news release.

According to an analysis carried out by data specialists on behalf of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), at least 92,901 people were killed in fighting between the Government and forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad between March 2011 and April 2013.

“Unfortunately…this is most likely a minimum casualty figure. The true number of those killed is potentially much higher,” said Ms. Pillay, urging the warring parties to declare an immediate ceasefire “before tens of thousands more people are killed or injured.”

The latest compilation updates a figure of 60,000 documented deaths during the time period up to 30 November 2012.

About 80 per cent of the victims documented are male, with the sharpest increase in deaths since November 2012 in Rural Damascus and Aleppo.

The Office also documented the “the killings of at least 6,561 minors, including at least 1,729 children under ten years old.”

“There are also well-documented cases of individual children being tortured and executed, and entire families, including babies, being massacred,” Ms. Pillay said, adding that along with the devastatingly high death toll, this is a terrible reminder of “just how vicious this conflict has become.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his latest report on the status of children in armed conflicts, cited verified reports that Syrian children are killed or injured in indiscriminate bombings, shot by snipers, used as human shields or victims of terror tactics.

“Civilians are bearing the brunt of widespread, violent and often indiscriminate attacks which are devastating whole swathes of major towns and cities, as well as outlying villages,” Ms. Pillay said today noting a “drastically deteriorating pattern of the conflict” confirmed in a report by the Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

“Government forces are shelling and launching aerial attacks on urban areas day in and day out, and are also using strategic missiles and cluster and thermobaric bombs,” the UN human right chief said.

She added, “Opposition forces have also shelled residential areas, albeit using less fire-power and there have been multiple bombings resulting in casualties in the heart of cities, especially Damascus.”

Analysis of the latest death toll was carried out on behalf of OHCHR by the non-profit organization, Human Rights Dana Analysis Group, which compiled datasets from the Syrian Centre for Statistics and Research, the Government of Syria (up to March 2012 only), the Syrian Network for Human Rights, March 15 Group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Syrian Revolution General Council, the Syria Shuhada Website, and the Violations Documentation Centre.

Information from the eight different sources resulted in a combined list of 263,055 reported killings, fully identified by the name of the victim, as well as the date and location of the death, OHCHR said. Any reported killing that did not include at least these three elements was excluded from the list.

Each reported killing was then compared to all the other reported killings in order to identify duplicates, resulting in 92,091 documented cases of individuals killed.

The statistical analysts who produced the report noted that there is “a strong likelihood” that a significant number of killings may not have been reported by all eight sources and that 37,988 reported killings containing insufficient information were excluded from the analysis.

In a statement earlier today, his spokesperson said Ban is “following with the gravest concern” the situation in Qusayr, where fighting has intensified in recent days. Ban reminded the Government of its responsibility to protect civilians who come under its control, including from the threat of militias. He also called on the warring parties to allow trapped civilians to flee.

In a separate statement later in the day, Amos and Pillay said they were “extremely alarmed” by reports that there as many as 1,500 wounded people in the city in urgent need of immediate evacuation for emergency medical treatment.

“The general situation in Qusayr is desperate,” Amos and Pillay said based on information they are receiving. This includes “reports that civilian neighbourhoods continue to be indiscriminately attacked, and that other major violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are being committed,” according to the statement.

In addition to urging a halt to any actions that threaten civilian lives, the two senior officials reminded the Government and other parties to the conflict that they have an obligation under international human rights and international humanitarian law to protect civilians and allow neutral, impartial humanitarian organizations safe access to all people in need.

“We urge the parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian agencies to evacuate the wounded and provide life-saving treatment and supplies,” they said in the statement.

While it is not known how many people remain trapped in Qusayr, more than ten thousand have already fled to towns in the region including Hasiya and Al-Dumina, where they have sought temporary shelter in schools and unfinished buildings.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) said yesterday at least 700 families – or some 3,500 people – have arrived to Hasiya, a small nearby town with a population of 16,000. They urgently need food, bedding, clean water and medical care.

The siege comes as preparations intensify for an international conference on Syria.

Ban “reminds all parties to the conflict that the eyes of the world are upon them, and that they will be held accountable for any acts of atrocity carried out against the civilian population of Qusayr,” his spokesperson said in the statement.

Since March 2011, fighting between the Syrian Government and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad has killed more than 70,000 people, and left 6.8 million people in need. In addition, the UN estimates that some 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country to escape conflict.

On Saturday, blankets, mattresses and household items supplied by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were distributed to 200 families displaced from the suburb of Al Wa’er to Homs. Yesterday, a UNHCR truck carrying relief items for 10,000 people arrived in Al Wa’er itself.

UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva that Al Wa’er is home to an estimated 400,000 people, half of whom have been displaced from other areas of Homs governorate – mainly Baba Amer and the old city of Homs.

“Heavy clashes between Government and opposition forces in Al Wa’er broke out on May 16th and were interrupted by a two-day lull that started on Saturday,” he stated. “Conflict has since resumed. In the course of the recent fighting, at least five buildings hosting hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been seriously damaged.”

Edwards said that in one, Alarabaeen Tower, seven members of a single family were killed during mortar attacks. At least seven other people were killed in separate incidents, and UNHCR knows of 32 people having been injured.

The fighting has displaced around 5,000 people, with 250 families having fled to other parts of the city of Homs, where they are staying with relatives. Many of these people have been displaced multiple times. Other displaced people crossed into Lebanon last week.

In addition to trying to deliver additional humanitarian relief to the affected population in and around Al Wa’er, UNHCR is also prepositioning relief items in other areas of Homs itself as a contingency measure for the area.

“UNHCR once again calls on all parties to safeguard the safety and security of the civilian population affected by the conflict. We also reiterate our call for all parties to the conflict to guarantee unhindered access for all humanitarian actors, UNHCR included,” said Edwards.

Since March 2011, fighting between the Syrian Government and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad has killed more than 70,000 people, and left 6.8 million people in need. In addition, the UN estimates that some 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country to escape conflict.

UNHCR continues to be concerned about reported impediments in the way of people seeking to cross borders as refugees. Andrew Harper, the UN representative in Jordan, reported today that some 230 refugees had arrived at Za’atari camp on Monday, with similar numbers at the weekend.

However, crossings are still significantly down from the levels of two weeks ago, according to the agency, which added that recent problems with border crossings have also been reported along the Syria-Iraq border.

Edwards stressed that it remains essential that civilians seeking to flee insecurity, whether they are IDPs or refugees, have safe passage to areas that are outside of harm’s way.

Citing the escalating bloodshed and suffering in Syria, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, yesterday urged the international community to put an end to what has become “an intolerable affront to the human conscience.”

Addressing the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ms. Pillay emphasized that countries cannot continue to ignore the plea of civilians who are in dire need of protection and assistance.

“A humanitarian, political and social disaster is already upon us, and what looms is truly a nightmare,” she said. “Civilians bear the brunt of this crisis in which human rights violations have reached horrific dimensions. Confronted with the flagrant disregard of international law and human life on every side, I feel utter dismay.”

The Council is scheduled to discuss the situation in Syria tomorrow and consider a related draft resolution.