UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres thanked Germany and donor countries for stepping up with financial contributions.
The UNHCR chief noted that "the generosity of the international community has not diminished" over the past few years, with donations actually on the rise.
The United Nations is asking for a record $20 billion to meet this year`s needs -- six times the level of a decade ago.
The pledge was announced after a meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- with their counterparts from Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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