On Friday, actress Angelina Jolie announced her resignation from her position as Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, expressing her intention to continue supporting refugees and displaced persons.
In a joint statement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the actress said she was committed to “a broader range of humanitarian and human rights issues.”
“At a time when the world is facing complex, multifaceted and interdependent crises, it plans to engage with a wide range of actors on a broader range of humanitarian issues, as well as working more directly with local organisations,” the UNHCR statement said.
Jolie has worked with ACNER since 2001, and in 2012 she was appointed as a Special Envoy.
The memo continues: “In this critical role, she has used her powerful voice to raise awareness and support for refugees and to advocate for urgent action and solutions for people forced to flee.”
UNHCR notes that Angelina Jolie has “worked tirelessly over the past 21 years, carrying out more than 60 field missions to witness stories of suffering, as well as hope and resilience.”
Recently, the memo details, Jolie “traveled with UNHCR to Yemen and Burkina Faso, meeting displaced people who have survived two of the world’s most underfunded and underreported emergencies.”
The UN agency continues: “Angelina Jolie has been a valued humanitarian partner for UNHCR for a long time. We are grateful for her decades of service, for her commitment, and for the difference she has made to refugees and people forced to flee.”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he appreciated Jolie’s willingness to change her commitment and supported her decision.
“I know that the refugee issue will remain close to her heart, and I am sure that it will bring the same passion and interest to a broader humanitarian file,” he said.
For her part, Jolie said: “I am grateful for the privilege and opportunity to work with UNHCR’s many distinguished and dedicated field staff and other colleagues who are doing life-saving work around the world and serve as a Special Envoy.”
“I will continue to do everything I can in the coming years to support refugees and other displaced people. After 20 years working within the UN system, I feel it is time to act differently by engaging directly with refugees and local organizations and supporting their advocacy for solutions.”
