US-led summit to seek to double number of resettled refugees

WASHINGTON – The White House says an international summit hosted by President Barack Obama will seek to double the number of refugees resettled around the world.

Obama plans to host the summit on refugees in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. White House national security adviser Susan Rice says the summit’s goals include a 30 per cent increase in funding for humanitarian support. She says the leaders will also seek to increase by 1 million the number of refugees attending school globally.

The summit comes as the Obama administration struggles to meet its commitment to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees this year. Europe has borne the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis.

Mexico, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Jordan and Ethiopia are co-hosting the summit along with the U.N. secretary-general.