Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie (47) has announced that she will break up with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with whom she has been in a relationship for over 20 years. It has been six months since Jolie previously criticized the United Nations for not responding properly to human rights violations.
On the 16th (local time), Jolie issued a joint statement with the UNHCR and said, “I am grateful to have been able to work with the United Nations for 20 years,” and “now I will step down of this situation.” He said, “Refugees are the people I admire most in the world.” We will continue to do our best to support refugees,” he said.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that Jolie left the UNHCR because she thought the United Nations was not responding properly to recent human rights violations.
Jolie wrote in an article for Time magazine on World Refugee Day this June, “Because of the way the United Nations was set up, the rights and lives of those who suffer the most from conflict and persecution are being sacrificed. (The United Nations) listens only to the interests and voices of the great powers.” Jolie also pointed out that “the United Nations is not interested in hearing the stories of local organizations and volunteers and empowering their efforts.”
An unnamed official close to Jolie told the NYT, “Jolie believes she will be able to spend more time effectively with more people outside the United Nations.”
Jolie, who established a relationship with UNHCR in 2001, was appointed special envoy in 2012 and has been active until recently. He visited more than 60 conflict zones around the world, including Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Myanmar, to draw attention to the refugee issue.
This year, Jolie paid attention to the Ukrainian refugee problem caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In March, he visited a pediatric hospital in Rome, Italy, where he met with young Ukrainian refugees, and in April, he interacted with children and volunteers at the hospital at the Lviv medical facility in western Ukraine.
“Jolie is considered one of the most influential advocates for refugee rights in the world,” said UNHCR Chief Executive Filippo Grandi. I am grateful for his decades of service, dedication, and the change he has made for refugees,” he said, “I support him as he continues to work for refugees.”
Correspondent Lee Chae-wan chaewani@donga.com
