ISE-SHIMA: The refugee crisis gripping Europe is a problem that the whole world must deal with, G7 leaders said Friday, as it called for beefed-up efforts to tackle the root causes of mass migration.
Last year, some 1.3 million refugees, mostly from conflict-torn Syria and Iraq, asked for asylum in the European Union — more than a third of them in Germany — stretching resources and aggravating popular resentment in some countries.
The mass movement has provided fuel for Europe’s far right parties and populist politicians like France’s Marine Le Pen, who has called for a clampdown on immigration.
So far this year, the International Organisation for Migration says an estimated 190,000 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. More than 1,300 are known to have died en route.
“With the number of refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable migrants at its highest level since the Second World War, the G7 recognises the ongoing large scale movements of migrants and refugees as a global challenge which requires a global response,” it said in a communique at the end of a two-day summit in Japan.
“We place the highest priority on humanely and effectively managing this challenge, addressing both the humanitarian consequences and the root causes of massive displacement.”
The G7 — the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada — said it would kick in more money to help the problem.
It gave no global figure, but German leader Angela Merkel told reporters the G7 had decided to dedicate its attention this year “especially to Iraq” –one of the chief sources of the tide of migrants fleeing conflict and seeking refuge in Europe — and would provide 3.6 billion euros ($4 billion) to the country.
