Angelina Jolie steps down as UN refugee agency envoy to engage directly with refugees

After years of work in various capacities with the UN, Angelina Jolie has announced that she will be stepping down from her role. The UN and Jolie, announced this in a joint statement. Angelina Jolie has served as a United Nations special envoy for refugees. As per reports, she will instead be focusing on a wider range of humanitarian and human rights issues. The actor, who has been involved with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) for over two decades and has served as special envoy since 2012, stated that she plans to work differently and engage directly with refugees and local organisations.

In a joint statement released on Friday, the UNHCR and Jolie acknowledged her decades of service and her commitment to the refugee cause. The statement also highlighted her recent field missions to Yemen and Burkina Faso, where she met with displaced people and bore witness to stories of suffering as well as hope and resilience.



Jolie expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work with UNHCR and for the privilege of serving as special envoy. She added that she will continue to do everything in her power to support refugees and other displaced people in the years to come. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, praised Jolie's dedication and the difference she has made for refugees and those forced to flee. He also expressed his understanding of Jolie's desire to shift her engagement and support her decision to focus on a wider humanitarian portfolio.

A source close to Jolie said that she will be more effective as an outsider in her new role, as she has always been more closely connected to the people than to the system. The UNHCR has confirmed that Jolie stepped down from her position on Friday and that it has no plans to appoint a new special envoy to replace her.
Jolie was appointed the UN special envoy for refugees in 2012. She has also represented the UNHCR as a goodwill ambassador from 2001 till 2012. She has worked extensively for the cause of refugees, children and women.

FAQs:

1. When did Angelina Jolie join UNHCR?
   Angelina Jolie first started working with the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2001 and was appointed its special envoy in 2012
2. What is UNHCR’s Goal?
   UNHCR's goal is to guarantee the fundamental rules accepted by all States concerning the right of individuals to flee their country and seek asylum in another. To this end, it helps States face the administrative, legal, diplomatic, financial, and human problems that are caused by the refugee phenomenon.