The actress Angelina Jolie has announced this Friday her resignation as special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), expressing her intention to continue supporting refugees and displaced persons.
In a joint statement with UNHCR, the actress says she is committed “to a broader range of human rights and humanitarian issues.”
“At a time when the world is facing complex, multifaceted and interconnected crises, she plans to engage with a broader range of actors on a broader range of humanitarian issues, as well as work more directly with local organizations,” the UNHCR statement said. . .
Jolie has worked with ACNER since 2001, and in 2012 she was named a Special Envoy.
“In this pivotal role, he used his powerful voice to raise awareness and support for refugees and to call for urgent action and solutions for people forced to flee,” the note continues.
UNHCR recalls that, over the past 21 years, Angelina Jolie “worked tirelessly, carrying out more than 60 field missions to witness stories of suffering, as well as hope and resilience.”
More recently, the note details, Jolie “traveled with UNHCR to Yemen and Burkina Faso, to meet with displaced people who survived two of the world’s least-funded and under-reported emergencies.”
“Angelina Jolie has been an important humanitarian partner of UNHCR for a long time. We are grateful for her decades of service, for her commitment, and for the difference she has made for refugees and people forced to flee,” the UN agency continues.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he appreciated Jolie’s desire to change her commitment and supported her decision.
“I know the refugee cause will remain close to his heart, and I am sure he will bring the same passion and attention to a broader humanitarian portfolio,” he said.
For her part, Jolie said: “I am grateful for the privilege and opportunity I have had to work with so many outstanding and dedicated UNHCR field officers and other colleagues doing life-saving work around the world and to serve as Envoy Special”.
“I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people. After 20 years of working in the UN system, I feel it is time to work differently by getting directly involved with refugees and local organizations and support their advocacy for solutions,” he said.
Source: TSF
