Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Actress Angelina Jolie appointed UNHCR envoy


The UN refugee agency announced on Tuesday that actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie

will take on a new and expanded role for UNHCR as Special Envoy of High Commissioner António Guterres.
Film star Angelina Jolie will use her powerful box office fame to draw attention to some of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.
Jolie, who has already served more than 10 years as goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is taking on a new role as special envoy for large-scale crises that cause huge numbers of civilians to flee their homelands.
A spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says Jolie will focus on complex crises that result in mass displacement of people such as Afghanistan and Somalia.
Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that Jolie’s promotion from goodwill ambassador to special envoy reflects her long-standing work for UNHCR.
He said Jolie would focus on complex emergencies and work to facilitate lasting solutions for people displaced by conflict.
“High Commissioner Guterres is grateful to Ms. Jolie for accepting this role at a critical time in global displacement. Her new status as Special Envoy is effective immediately,” he added.

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