You may wonder why we have selected singers, musicians, actors and a high-profile business personality to represent UNHCR around the world. Can their star power raise awareness about the suffering and needs of millions of uprooted people around the world?

While our Goodwill Ambassadors come from diverse backgrounds and have different skills, they share one thing in common – an unstinting willingness to use their time and influence to help those who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution or conflict. This commitment is invaluable for UNHCR and that's why we treasure them so highly.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors like Angelina Jolie, George Dalaras and Barbara Hendricks communicate the message of respect and compassion for refugees to the general public in a uniquely powerful way. They are serious, committed and engaged with our mission.

These celebrities use their privileged access to mass media and other resources to give a voice to refugees, who are often victims of forgotten humanitarian crises and who often suffer from uninformed negative stereotyping. Our Goodwill Ambassadors are uniquely positioned to make direct representations to those with the power to effect change.

Working from the heart, they use their talent and fame to fund-raise and lobby for refugees during meetings with world leaders as well as the general public. Their work supports UNHCR's protect, build and advocate approach – protecting refugees, helping build new lives and advocating for the displaced.

UNHCR first worked with Goodwill Ambassadors in the early 1980s, when British film stars Richard Burton and James Mason helped bring the agency to a wider global audience. Today, eight Goodwill Ambassadors work with us to help the most vulnerable: Barbara Hendricks (named in 1987), Adel Imam (2000), Angelina Jolie (2001), Giorgio Armani (2002), Julien Clerc (2003), George Dalaras (2006), Osvaldo Laport (2006) and Muazzez Ersoy (2007).

These pages give some background about our high-profile celebrity envoys and their work. They are also testament to the positive use of star power for social good. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors make a difference.