Angelina Jolie highlights humanitarian crisis during Syria and Iraq visits
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has visited Iraq and Syria to see first-hand the plight of hundreds of thousands of families uprooted by the ongoing conflict in Iraq.
DAMASCUS, Syria, August 28 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has visited Iraq and Syria to see first-hand the plight of hundreds of thousands of families uprooted by the conflict in Iraq.
The UN refugee agency estimates more than 4. 2 million Iraqis have left their homes - 2 million to neighbouring states and another 2.2 million displaced inside Iraq.
Yesterday in Damascus, Jolie visited a UNHCR registration centre and spent hours talking to Iraqi refugees in their homes. Today, she crossed into Iraq to visit 1,200 refugees trapped in a makeshift camp at the border, unable to flee Iraq, and later watched scores of Iraqis crossing into Syria at a border checkpoint.
As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Jolie said she would leave politics to others while focusing on the region's huge humanitarian needs.
"I have come to Syria and Iraq to help draw attention to this humanitarian crisis and to urge governments to increase their support for UNHCR and its partners," Jolie said. "My sole purpose in both countries is to highlight the humanitarian plight of those uprooted by the war in Iraq."
After talking with some of the stranded refugees at Iraq's Al Waleed camp on Tuesday, Jolie said: "it is absolutely essential that the ongoing debate about Iraq's future includes plans for addressing the enormous humanitarian consequences these people face."
While in Iraq, she separated from UNHCR to visit privately with US troops and other Multi-National Forces based in the area.
Jolie arrived in Syria on Monday. In Damascus, she met some of the thousands of Iraqi refugees registering with UNHCR, nearly one-quarter of whom are victims of violence and torture. Tens of thousands are without jobs, and many young people are in danger of losing out on an education and a future. She recognized Syria for its open borders and generosity to Iraqis.
In late July, UNHCR and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched a joint US$129 million education appeal aimed at getting 155,000 young Iraqi refugees throughout the Middle East back into school. The United States announced Tuesday that it will contribute US$30 million to the appeal.
Related news and stories
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
UNHCR, IOM welcome Spain's expedited resettlement of Syrian refugees from Türkiye in earthquake aftermath
Vital aid reaches Syrian quake survivors who – again – have lost everything
Your search for « angelina jolie » matched 491 results. Displaying page 1 of 55 pages.
-
Former Special Envoy Angelina Jolie
... Angelina Jolie dedicated over 20 years of service to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador from 2001 – 2012 and then as Special Envoy from 2012 – 2022. In her critical ...... -
Angelina Jolie visits "dire" refugee settlement on Kenyan border with Somalia
12 Sep 2009 ... DADAAB, Kenya, September 12 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Saturday visited Dadaab, the world's largest refugee settlement. Describing the three-camp complex close to north-east ...... -
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt make holiday visit to Colombian refugees in Costa Rica
26 Dec 2006 ... The 29-year-old Colombian refugee had made the cake for his "special guests," UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt, who stopped in his bakery on a Christmas Day visit to ...... -
Angelina Jolie travels to Syria-Jordan border as refugee influx continues
6 Dec 2012 ... AMMAN, Jordan, December 6 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie has travelled to the Jordan-Syria border overnight on Wednesday-Thursday to meet frightened and exhausted Syrian refugees who had ...... -
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie urges the world not to forget Iraqi refugees
2 Oct 2009 ... DAMASCUS, Syria, October 2 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie called Friday on the international community not to forget the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees who remain in exile ...... -
Angelina Jolie visits West Mosul, where Iraqi families are returning home to ruins
16 Jun 2018 ... UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie today visited West Mosul, an urban area held captive by ISIS for three years until its liberation last summer. After walking among the bombed-out buildings that line ...... -
Angelina Jolie calls for leadership and humanity as millions flee Venezuela
8 Jun 2019 ... MAICAO, Colombia – With over 4 million Venezuelans now living in exile, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie today appealed for more leadership, more humanity and more support to countries bearing the ...... -
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie wins award for humanitarian work
25 Nov 2013 ... GENEVA, November 25 (UNHCR) - Acclaimed actress and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie has been presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her work on behalf of the forcibly displaced and ...... -
Student excels at Angelina Jolie Pitt-funded girls school in Kenya camp
27 Mar 2015 ... KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP, Kenya, March 27 (UNHCR) - Naomi Chol studied at a school funded and supported by Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie Pitt, but the 16-year-old from South Sudan has become a ......