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Jordanian protester Laura Aghabi lights candles with other protesters, saying: "We're sending a message to the children who don't have a voice"
As Syrians mark the second anniversary of the start of the nation's unrest, the EU is set to discuss lifting its arms embargo to allow supplying rebels.
The leaders of France and Britain will try to push other EU members to agree to the move at the Brussels summit.
Ties with Russia, one of Syria's key allies, will also be discussed. Moscow strongly opposes arming the rebels.
Up to 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began.
About one million people have fled the country.
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To mark the anniversary, the International Committee of the Red Cross urged world leaders to put pressure on both sides to stop attacks on civilians.
"It is deplorable that high numbers of civilian casualties are now a daily occurrence," said Robert Mardini, who heads ICRC operations in the Middle East.
"These ongoing violations of international humanitarian law and of basic humanitarian principles by all sides must stop."
The unrest began on 15 March 2011 with nationwide protests following arrests in the southern city of Deraa.
Rebels now control large sections of Syria, but the conflict has appeared to be largely in stalemate for months.
A number of vigils have already been held around the world to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, including in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and in Amman in Jordan, where children gathered in front of the Citadel for an event organised by Save the Children.
Jordanian student Aya Khirfan said: "We are here to deliver a very important message to help the people and the children of Syria. We are all there for them and this conflict in Syria will someday be solved."
'Perversity'Analysis
All the indications are that Britain and France would like to see EU agreement on a set of arrangements that would allow the supply of weaponry to Syrian opposition fighters. If that is impossible, the mood music in London and Paris suggests that the British and French governments may go ahead anyway.
Their concern is that the conflict is developing into a bloody stalemate. Neither side can currently win and the longer the fighting goes on, the worse the humanitarian catastrophe and the greater the danger of the conflict spilling over into a regional war.
The real question here is what difference would such arms supplies make ? There is no shortage of weaponry in Syria. However, some military experts believe that specific weapons systems like anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles could help to turn the balance of advantage on the ground.
And to those who fear that more weaponry will simply further militarise the conflict, the British and French view is that, after two years of suffering, the crisis now has to be brought to an end.
French President Francois Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron are expected on Friday to raise the issue of the arms embargo at the talks in Brussels, although Syria is not a formal agenda item.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Hollande said that Paris was "ready to support the rebels".
"We cannot allow the massacre of a people by a regime which right now does not want a political transition.
"France's view is that arms are being delivered to Syria - but to the regime of Bashar, in particular by the Russians," he said.
But the French president stressed that his aim was not a "total war".
A British official said there was a "perversity" about the embargo.
"The embargo does not stop those aiding Assad, but it does stop those who want to help the opposition," the official said.
The UK has indicated that it might veto a forthcoming vote, due in May, to extend the embargo beyond its 1 June deadline, and Mr Cameron has said that it is "not out of the question we may have to do things in our own way".
The French view, largely shared by London, is that Russia and also Iran are arming government forces, and providing weapons to the opposition is the only way to put pressure on the Assad regime, the BBC's Chris Morris reports from Brussels.
US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Washington wanted to see as many governments as possible provide "appropriate support" to the Syrian opposition.
Syrian uprising
- March 2011: Protests erupt in Deraa after youths are arrested for painting revolutionary slogans. Security forces shoot a number of people in Deraa, triggering more unrest
- May: Tanks enter Deraa, Homs and suburbs of Damascus
- July: Hundreds of thousands of people across the country protest
- Oct: Opposition Syrian National Council formed
- Dec: Damascus agrees to allow Arab League observers into the country
- May 2012: Some 108 killed in Houla, near Homs - UN later blames Syrian troops and militia
- Aug: Hundreds killed as troops storm Damascus suburb of Darayya
- Nov: Opposition groups unite in National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
- Dec: US recognises coalition as "legitimate representative" of Syrian people
- Jan 2013: At least 100 killed and burned in their homes in Haswiya, near Homs
- Feb: UN estimates up to 70,000 have been killed
Germany, Austria and Sweden are among the EU states believed to be reluctant to lift the embargo, our correspondent says.
There is also concern in many countries that pouring more weapons into Syria could escalate the conflict.
The UN's Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, said the move could make the job of humanitarian agencies "more difficult".
And Russia on Thursday restated its explicit opposition, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying "arming the opposition is not an option".
There is also concern at the UN that Lebanon is becoming more entangled, with a UN Security Council statement underscoring its concern about cross-border attacks and weapons trafficking.
Chemical weapons 'prepared'The BBC's Barbara Plett, at the UN, says Western governments believe the Hezbollah militant group is increasing its support for the Syrian government.
She says diplomats also believe Iran has accelerated its weapons supply to Syria to try to tip the balance in favour of the Assad government.
Meanwhile Israeli military intelligence chief Aviv Kochavi said Iran and Hezbollah had built up a 50,000-strong force to support the Syrian army and help President Assad stay in power.
Speaking at a conference on strategy and diplomacy, Maj-Gen Kochavi also said the Syrian government was making "advanced preparations" for using chemical weapons but no order had been given for their use.
Syria is believed to hold chemical weapons such as mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent, but officials have said the government will "never, under any circumstances" use them against its own people "if such weapons exist".
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