Migrant crisis is a 'global challenge': G7 leaders

The refugee crisis gripping Europe is a problem that the whole world must deal with, G7 leaders said today at the close of their talks in Japan.

"The G7 recognises the ongoing large scale movements of migrants and refugees as a global challenge which requires a global response," they said in a statement.

Last year, some 1.3 million refugees, mostly from conflict-ridden Syria and Iraq, asked for asylum in the European Union — more than a third of them in Germany.

"We commit to increase global assistance to meet immediate and long-term needs of refugees and other displaced persons as well as their host communities," they said.

"The G7 encourages international financial institutions and bilateral donors to bolster their financial and technical assistance," they added.