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Norway to participate in EU-led emergency fund for Africa

Xinhua, November 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

Non-EU member Norway said on Wednesday it will contribute to a new EU-led emergency fund for Africa with 3 million euros to help create stability and development of African countries, news agency NTB reported.

"Creating economic development and hope in many countries in Africa is perhaps the most important job," said Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who is currently in Malta's capital Valletta for a meeting of European and African leaders to address root causes of Africa's migrant crisis on Wednesday and Thursday.

Solberg also insisted that African countries should cooperate in the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers from Europe.

A major outcome of the summit in Valletta is expected to be the establishment of the emergency trust fund for Africa, which is set to be signed on Thursday and will receive 1.8 billion euros of funding from the European Commission, complemented with funding from a number of EU Member States and other donors.

The European Commission said the proposal of setting up the fund aimed to help foster stability in the regions in Africa and to contribute to better migration management. More specifically, it will help address the root causes of destabilization, forced displacement and irregular migration, by promoting economic and equal opportunities, security and development.

The two-day summit will bring together European and African Heads of State and Government in an effort to strengthen cooperation in the area of migration and address the current challenges and opportunities.

A large number of international and regional organisations, such as the African Union Commission, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, the UN, the UN's Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), have also been invited to participate. Endit