UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged USD 109 million for projects in Africa and the Middle East to stop illegal migration “at source”.
The government said the new funding for education, employment opportunities and humanitarian support would help address the factors driving people to leave their homes.
Speaking at the fourth summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which the UK hosted at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Sir Keir agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron that there was “no easy silver bullet” to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.
Speaking at a news conference, Sir Keir said he wanted to reset the UK’s approach to illegal migration and deepen cooperation with Europe on defence and border security.
The PM said illegal migration needed to be tackled “upstream” and there was a “consensus” at the summit that the focus needed to be on taking down smuggling gangs.
The UK has agreed new initiatives with Slovenia and Slovakia to tackle organized crime.
The summit
has focused on the challenge of illegal migration, as well as support for Ukraine.
The EPC, which includes the 27 members of the European Union as well as 20 non-members like the UK, is a more informal forum for cooperation.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said £84m of funding would be rolled out over the next three years to address the factors driving people into small boats.
Projects set to get funding include programs helping Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon to access education and jobs, as well as migrants in North and East Africa to fill local skills gaps, and humanitarian aid for displaced people in war-torn Sudan.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
