Angelina Jolie steps down as UN refugee envoy after more than 20 years

The Hollywood star wrote: “After over 20 years, I am stepping down today from my work with the UN Refugee Agency.  I believe in many things the UN does, particularly the lives it saves through emergency relief. UNHCR is full of amazing people making a difference in people’s lives every day. Refugees are the people I admire most in the world and I am dedicated to working with them for the rest of my life. I will be working now with organizations led by people most directly affected by conflict, that give the greatest voice to them.”

However, Jolie did not provide any details about what led to this decision or about the organisations she was planning to work with in future.

In a joint statement issued Friday, the American actor and the UN agency announced she was “moving on” from her role as the agency’s special envoy “to engage on a broader set of humanitarian and human rights issues.”

“I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people,” Jolie was quoted as saying in the statement, adding that she felt it was time “to work differently” by directly engaging with refugees and local organizations.