The United Nations Security Council is demanding all parties in Syria immediately let food, medicine and other badly needed humanitarian aid into war zones.
The 15 members unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday expressing anger that those fighting in Syria have ignored previous U.N. demands, and "outrage" that the violence seems to be getting worse.
The resolution extends the authorization for cross-border aid deliveries without government approval until January 10, 2017.
The action was aimed at the Syrian government and the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front, and al-Qaida-linked fighters.
The council condemned "the widespread use of torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary executions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as all grave violations and abuses committed against children."
Of those in need of food and medical assistance, the council said 6.5 million were internally displaced, 4.5 million including Palestinian refugees were living in hard-to-reach areas, and 393,700 were trapped in besieged areas.
Earlier Tuesday, the head of the U.N. office in Geneva, Michael Moller, said it will host Syrian peace talks there next month. He gave no firm date, but said the end of January is likely.
Two rounds of U.N.-brokered peace talks were held in Geneva early last year with no success.
Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press.
