The UN General Assembly was slated to discuss the worsening violence in Syria on Thursday (October 20th), AFP reported.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address the 193-nation assembly as will peace envoy Staffan de Mistura by videoconference from Geneva.

The meeting was called after 70 countries led by Canada signed a letter requesting that the humanitarian crisis in Syria be taken up at the General Assembly.

Of the 70 signatories, China and Russia are notably absent as are most African countries and four Security Council members -- Angola, Japan, Senegal and Venezuela.

Canada's Ambassador Marc-Andre Blanchard said the meeting will allow UN member-states to discuss the crisis, but that there is no concrete plan of action.

"This is a time for the world to make sure we do everything possible to explore all ways to get to a cessation of hostilities and provide the humanitarian assistance needed on an urgent basis," Blanchard told AFP.

On Wednesday, Amnesty International released new satellite imagery showing that more than 110 sites were hit in two weeks of bombing raids in Aleppo.

After a "humanitarian pause" began in Aleppo on Thursday, the UN said it hopes to carry out the first medical evacuations from eastern Aleppo on Friday after receiving clearance from all warring parties in the city.