Angelina Jolie steps down as special envoy to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Julia Johnson
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Angelina Jolie is stepping aside from her role of more than 20 years as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees‘s special envoy “to engage on a broader set of humanitarian and human rights issues.”
In a joint statement on Friday, Jolie and the UNHCR made the announcement.
“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 lifesaving work globally, and to serve as Special Envoy. I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people,” the actress said. “After 20 years working within the UN system I feel it is time for me to work differently, engaging directly with refugees and local organisations, and supporting their advocacy for solutions.”
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“Angelina Jolie has been an important humanitarian partner of UNHCR for very long. We are grateful for her decades of service, her commitment, and the difference she has made for refugees and people forced to flee,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. “After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision. I know the refugee cause will remain close to her heart, and I am certain she will bring the same passion and attention to a wider humanitarian portfolio. I look forward to our continued friendship.”
“Ms. Jolie will continue to work to build a more equal, just and inclusive international system,” the UNHCR said in the statement.
Recently, the actress took a trip to Capitol Hill and the White House in Washington, D.C., where she consulted with senators regarding the reauthorization of the Patrick Leahy and Orrin G. Hatch Justice for All Act.
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“Currently, there’s no method within the federal government that provides crime victims with a right of access to their own records of crimes they experienced and reported,” she said of the reason for her visit.
She was seen meeting with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). She further met with the White House Gender Policy Council, according to reports.