"They call themselves the Group of Seven leading economies—live up to it," says David Miliband, CEO and President of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), about the A-list club of rich-nations—US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan—whose leaders are about to gather to discuss, among other things, the refugee crisis.
The location for this year's G7 Summit, in the Sicilian coastal city of Taormina, is a reminder that Italy's shores are a frontline for refugees making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa and the Middle East.
For the summit dignitaries who will attend, Miliband has some advice, which he shares in this edition of the CGD Podcast. Remember, he urges, "this refugee crisis is a trend not a blip." His suggestions echo a recent, joint CGD-IRC report, Refugee Compacts: Addressing the Crisis of Protracted Displacement. Click below to hear what Miliband wants world leaders to realize about the global refugee crisis.
"We need an economic bargain with hosting countries," Miliband tells me in the podcast, "not just a social services, short-term humanitarian bargain."
One such type of economic bargain are compacts—agreements between host countries and humanitarian and development actors. The CGD-IRC report recommends compacts as one sustainable measure to address the refugee crisis. For more on that, check out the report and infographic, and watch for a podcast on the topic coming later this summer.
Disclaimer
CGD blog posts reflect the views of the authors, drawing on prior research and experience in their areas of expertise.
CGD is a nonpartisan, independent organization and does not take institutional positions.
