Angelina Jolie will be taking on a new role with the UN. The United Nations announced today that Jolie has been named Special Representative on the Afghan refugee situation.
Jolie, who has served as the goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for the last ten years, will work to resolve the fate of 2.7 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran.
Jolie didn’t give any specifics to reporters, but the Oscar Nominated actress did say that she will be “looking at a few countries in the world.”
Jolie said:
“We’re hoping to discuss it in the next few weeks but we want to research it properly and do it well.”
Antonio Guterres, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said that Jolie would be “our special envoy mainly for the most dramatic refugee situations that require a lot of advocacy.”
After a meeting of UNHCR’s Executive Committee in Geneva, Jolie told reporters about her experiences working with the UN over the last decade.
Jolie said:
“My personal experiences with UNHCR have been moving, sometimes heartbreaking, but always rewarding and unforgettable… “After decades of displacement and many years of war, we are entering a defining moment for Afghanistan.”
The UNHRC reports that there are still 1.7 million Afghanistan refugees in Pakistan and 1 million in Iran.
Do you think Angelina Jolie will be able to help the UN to resolve the fate of the Afghanistan refugees?
