BERLIN, Aug. 11 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported a refugee treaty with Libya on Friday and has offered to devote more funds to the international organizations tasked with combating the global refugee crisis.
"Money cannot be a reason to fail," Merkel said on the sidelines of a meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi and Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) William Lacy Swing in Berlin.
Merkel offered to earmark up to 50 million euros (59 million U.S. dollars) next year for both organizations.
She also emphasized the need to curb illegal migration via Libya and expressed the hope for a treaty with the North African country which was similar to the existing one between the European Union (EU) and Turkey.
The process is in its early stages "but it should develop with regards to Libya just as it has developed with regards to Turkey," Merkel said.
Merkel admitted that the situation in Libya was not yet comparable to that of Turkey given the former's territorial fragmentation by rival factions.
Swing voiced optimism that the security situation in Libya had improved, enabling his organization to post around 150 staff in the country.
In 2016, the number of people fleeing from war, violence and prosecution grew by 300,000 to a total of 65.5 million across the world. UNHCR figures released in June showed that every fifth refugee came from Syria.