UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Lebanon, urges aid for Syria's children, expresses gratitude to Lebanon, and welcomes new UN resolution on Syria
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie is visiting Lebanon to highlight the plight of Syrian children, and to thank the Lebanese people for assisting refugees as the conflict enters its fourth year. On her three-day visit, which began this weekend, she met refugee families and held talks with President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
Ms. Jolie welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council 2139 on Humanitarian Assistance to Syria, which she described as "a long overdue step in the right direction for the hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrian men, women and children trapped in hard to reach areas across Syria." The Special Envoy emphasized the need for the resolution to be more than just a paper declaration: "It must be implemented - and that will take political will and courage. The unity that the Council has shown must not be a one-off, but the start of a new phase in ending the conflict."
Ms. Jolie met orphaned Syrian children who fled to Lebanon and who are now living in the Bekaa Valley. There are 3,500 unaccompanied children, or children who have been separated from their families, now known to be living in Lebanon. Ms. Jolie said: "Meeting these children was a heart-rending experience. They have lost their families and their childhood has been hijacked by war. They are so young, yet they are bearing the burdens of their reality as if they are adults."
Access to education is one of many of the challenges faced by the refugee population. Syrian refugees struggle to maintain their shelter, pay the rent and access water. She met one little boy who expressed a wish to be a doctor when he grows up. His siblings started to laugh, explaining that he doesn't understand what has happened to him. "How can he become a doctor in an empty tent?" they asked.
Throughout the visit, Ms. Jolie stressed the vital contribution that Lebanon is making as the recipient of the largest share of refugees from the crisis. With the number of registered refugees nearing the one million mark, Lebanon has the highest per capita concentration of refugees of any country in recent history. If the US were to welcome a comparable number of refugees relative to its population size, it would be sheltering 75 million people.
The Special Envoy discussed the humanitarian crisis with President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Tammam Salam. She paid tribute to Lebanon for generously receiving refugees despite its own internal challenges. "The generosity and solidarity shown by Lebanon and Lebanese to its neighbor serves as an example to the world for which we should all be grateful. We all need to help them bear this burden," said Ms. Jolie.
Ms. Jolie's visit to Lebanon is her third on behalf of UNHCR. She was last in the country in September 2012.
Related news and stories
Joint Statement by UNHCR and Angelina Jolie
UNHCR Special Envoy, Ms. Angelina Jolie Statement to the High-Level Pledging Event on the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie calls for protection and support for the people of Yemen, and an end to the conflict to stop human suffering
Remarks by UNHCR Special Envoy, Ms. Angelina Jolie, on World Refugee Day
Angelina Jolie marks World Refugee Day with refugees in Burkina Faso
Statement by UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie as Venezuelan refugees and migrants top 4 million
Your search for « angelina jolie » matched 491 results. Displaying page 6 of 55 pages.
-
Jolie highlights the continuing suffering of the displaced in Bosnia
6 Apr 2010 ... SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, April 6 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has called for steps to end the continuing suffering of displaced victims of the Bosnian War after hearing ...... -
Angelina Jolie visits camp in Chad to assess situation for Darfur refugees
27 Feb 2007 ... BAHAI, Chad, February 27 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Tuesday completed a two-day mission to a refugee camp in eastern Chad which enabled her to assess how the security ...... -
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie supports displaced during visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina
21 Aug 2010 ... SARAJEVO, 21 August 2010 (UNHCR) -UN refugee agency Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has been in Bosnia and Herzegovina today, meeting the country's Presidency and discussing a number of issues, ...... -
Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie visits Syrian refugees in Turkey
17 Jun 2011 ... HATAY PROVINCE, Turkey, June 17 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie travelled on Friday to Turkey's border with Syria, meeting with many of the refugees who have fled their country in ...... -
Angelina Jolie urges support for Syrian refugees and Iraqi returnees
16 Sep 2012 ... DOMIZ REFUGEE CAMP, Iraq, September 16 (UNHCR) - UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie today hailed the Iraqi government's willingness to host Syrian refugees fleeing violence and said she hoped all ...... -
Angelina Jolie highlights humanitarian crisis during Syria and Iraq visits
28 Aug 2007 ... 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 ...... -
UNHCR Special Envoy urges action to solve Syria crisis
13 Sep 2016 ... AMMAN, Jordan – During a three-day visit to meet with Syrian refugees in Jordan, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt urged the international community to do more to solve the country’s crisis ...... -
Angelina Jolie returns to Ecuador to highlight challenges facing refugees
18 Jun 2010 ... LAGO AGRÍO, Ecuador, June 18 (UNHCR)- UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has returned to northern Ecuador to see how the situation has changed since she was last in the country eight years ago ...... -
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt visits displaced people in Myanmar's Kachin State
31 Jul 2015 ... Geneva, 31 July 2015 UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt travelled to Myitkyina township in Kachin State on Thursday, where over 100,000 people have been displaced since a cease-fire agreement ......