Angelina Jolie to step down from role as United Nations envoy

Actress Angelina Jolie is to step down from her role at the United Nations' refugee arm after 21 years, saying she wants to engage with refugees and disadvantaged groups directly.

Angelina Jolie meets Somali refugees who fled their homes and found safety in Yemen in March.

Ms Jolie said she wanted to work “differently", with direct contact with refugees and local organisations and would leave her special envoy role with the UNHCR, where she has worked since 2001. She was appointed Special Envoy in 2012.

She said: “I am grateful for the privilege and opportunity I have had to work with so many outstanding and dedicated UNHCR field officers and other colleagues doing lifesaving work globally, and to serve as Special Envoy.

"I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people. After 20 years working within the UN system I feel it is time for me to work differently, engaging directly with refugees and local organisations, and supporting their advocacy for solutions.”

Over the past 21 years, Ms Jolie has carried out more than 60 field missions as part of her role. Most recently, she travelled with UNHCR to Yemen and Burkina Faso to meet displaced people enduring two of the most underfunded and under-reported emergencies in the world.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: “Angelina Jolie has been an important humanitarian partner of UNHCR for very long. We are grateful for her decades of service, her commitment, and the difference she has made for refugees and people forced to flee.

"After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision. I know the refugee cause will remain close to her heart, and I am certain she will bring the same passion and attention to a wider humanitarian portfolio. I look forward to our continued friendship.”