Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is calling on the international community to take action to protect Syrian civilians.

"In light of the manifest failure of the Syrian authorities to protect their citizens, the international community needs to take urgent and effective measures to protect the Syrian people," Pillay said.

She made the comments at an emergency meeting on Syria of the UN Human Rights Council.

Pillay later spoke to Al Jazeera from Geneva.