The United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron, recognizing the urgency to address the crisis, said last Monday that Britain will accept 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years.
In a speech in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister also said, "We are proposing the UK should resettle up to 20,000 refugees over the life of this parliament."
"In doing so we will continue to show the world that this is a country of extraordinary compassion always standing up for our values and helping those in need," he added.
Furthermore, he also mentioned that Britain will still continue to take refugees from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, noting that, "This provides refugees with a more direct and safe route to the UK, rather than risking the hazardous journey to Europe."
Needless to say, despite the call to the European Union for even distribution of refugees and asylum seekers, Britain has opted out of the quota system. To date, the U.K. has accepted 216 refugees from Syria over the past year and has granted asylum to 5,000 Syrians who fled their country since 2011 when conflict began to tear their country. The number may be large but it is still far smaller compared to other European countries like France, Germany and Sweden.
Meanwhile, according to BBC News, Cameron said that the U.K. has a moral responsibility to those living in camps around Syria. In line with this he says that that the children and the orphans should be prioritized first. The refugees will also be funded for their first year of stay and funding will be taken from Britain's foreign aid budget.
In addition, BBC News said the 20,000-figure will be spread over five years unlike France, which is taking 24,000 in two years and Germany, which has received 18,000 refugees over the weekend.
The Prime Minister's written statement is also published in the government website.
