On June 4, one of the well-known faces of Hollywood officially entered her 40s. As we celebrate this milestone, let’s take a moment to reminisce on the stunning photographs captured during her 14-year tenure as the Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Angelina Jolie’s life took a turn when she was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations High Commissioner (UNHCR) on August 27, 2001. This prestigious title was bestowed upon her in Geneva, Switzerland and she was overjoyed with pride. Ever since then, she has traveled to over 30 different countries as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, even putting her own safety at risk.
Jolie started her journey of exploring various refugee camps globally. It’s quite unbelievable to envision a well-known actress, who graces the big screens, donning a UNHCR uniform and conversing with refugees at the border of the Republic of Ingushetia and Republic of Chechnya back in August 2003.
In June 2004, a woman who was a mother of six kids assisted refugees in Sudan with their luggage by loading it onto a truck.
During her four-day trip to Pakistan, Jolie visited an Afghan refugee camp. As the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, she expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for providing a safe haven to around 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
In November 2006, Angelina had a discussion with Anand Sharma, the Indian Deputy Foreign Minister. She shared her happiness regarding the Indian government’s efforts towards creating better living conditions for refugees. Angelina admired the attention given to the lives of refugees and felt grateful for their well-being.
Under the scorching heat of August 2007, Angie attentively heard the tale of a senior woman who sought refuge in Al Waleed, Iraq.
The warm grin on Angelina’s face as she interacts with a young Iraqi refugee.
Upon her arrival in Northern Pakistan, she made an appeal to the global community to provide assistance to the 21 million individuals affected by the catastrophic flood that occurred back in July 2010.
In early 2011, the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations made a trip to Qala Gudar village, situated on the outskirts of Kabul in Afghanistan, with the aim of planning and organizing the construction of a school specifically for girls.
During her visit to the Shousha camp near the Tunis-Libya border in Ras Djir, Tunisia in April 2011, Jolie appealed to the global community to provide more aid and assistance to the hundreds of thousands of refugees taking shelter in Tunisia, who were forced to flee from Libya.
In June 2011, Angelina Jolie and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres paid a visit to refugees on the island of Lampedusa in Italy. The famous actress and the UN representative met with refugees and urged countries’ authorities to welcome people fleeing from conflict zones. This visit took place just before World Refugee Day.