G7 ministers pledge to promote education to tackle poverty, promote global peace

Education ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries pledged on Sunday in Japan to cooperate through education on global issues including the ongoing refugee crisis and poverty, along with general issues of peace in the world.

Following a two-day meeting concluding Sunday, which took place in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan, the ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union said that education underscores the future of peace in the world.

The G7 ministers vowed in a joint declaration that education was essential to promote core global values and laws to young people, which could help to battle religious radicalization and, through higher quality education, help the Syrian war-linked refugee crisis and the countries in Europe that are dealing with the influx of those displaced.

The ministers also concurred that young people throughout the wold equally had the right to receive an education and that such opportunities should be made available regardless of financial circumstances or gender.

The ministers at the two-day meeting, which was hosted by Japanese education minister, Hiroshi Hase, also said that subjects like mathematics and the sciences should also be better promoted and made available to all youngsters, including those in impoverished nations.

The declaration as well as other pertinent action points will be used for the main G7 summit, which will be held in Mie Prefecture, also in central Japan, and hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on May 26 and 27.