As political wrangling over a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria continues, the country's neighbours have begun appealling to the UN for help to cope with the thousands of refugees streaming across the borders every day.

A meeting has been scheduled to take place on the sidelines of next week's UN General Assembly to discuss the mass exodus from Syria and the strain it's placing on countries such as Lebanon.

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman will attend the meeting in New York of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, to examine ways to help Lebanon maintain political stability and security.

The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, says it has registered almost three quarters of a million Syrians crossing into Lebanon since March 2011, but it concedes many more may be in the country without being registered.

The Lebanese government puts the total number of Syrians now in the country at 1.3 million.

That's about a quarter of Lebanon's population, and the ever-growing numbers of refugees have placed additional burdens on already scarce resources including water.

World Food Program spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs says it urgently needs more funds to help Lebanese authorities to feed the refugees.

"WFP Lebanon response requires $133 million from September until the end of the year, and the operation has a shortfall of $127 million. WFP needs to raise 30 million dollars a week to meet the food needs of all the people affected by the Syrian conflict."

The UNHCR says almost 5000 Syrians flee into neighbouring countries every day.

It says, of the over two million Syrians to have fled their country, roughly half-a-million each are in Jordan and Turkey.

Large numbers are also in Iraq, and Egypt.

Syrians are also fleeing the country by boat, with increasing numbers arriving in Malta and Italy.

The UNHCR estimates that 4,500 Syrians have arrived in Italy so far this year, most of them in August.

UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards says the latest arrivals include more than 200 unaccompanied children.

"In all, we understand that more than 30 boat arrivals have been involved. The majority have come from Egypt, although some of these have started their journeys from Turkey. Most of the arrivals have been families with children. Several people have needed hospital treatment for dehydration, and there have been instances of people having to be airlifted directly from the boat in order to get help."

The UN estimates that a further four million people are displaced inside Syria, and the World Food Program says many have declining access to food.

It says Syria will need at least two million tonnes of wheat to cover a shortfall of bad crops this year.

And WFP spokeswoman Ertharin Cousin says with Western sanctions including a financing freeze on President Bashar al-Assad's government, the country's ability to feed itself is being hindered.

"The challenge is that because of the deteriorating crisis, the agriculture system is also being detrimentally impacted, and Syria is now having a challenge purchasing food on the international market. We are watching that very closely, because if that challenge escalates, that could dramatically increase the number of people inside Syria who require assistance from WFP."

By Abby Dinham.