Look To The Stars News: UNHCR

Celebrities And Companies Help In Horn Of Africa

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:15:00 +0000

In less than three months, thousands of Americans have donated to send 150,000 anti-malaria bed nets in response to the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.

An eclectic group including celebrities like Jonah Hill, and organizations like the Consumer Electronics Association, The United Methodist Church, and the Union for Reform Judaism came together to send nets through the UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign—a global, grassroots campaign to fight malaria in Africa—and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Every 60 seconds, a child dies from malaria—a disease spread by a single mosquito bite. Due to the location and crowded environment in refugee camps, malaria is a leading cause of death among refugees, making bed nets a key tool for survival. Access to insecticide-treated bed nets can help curb the spread of malaria by up to 90 percent.

Angelina Jolie Inspires New Home For Bosnian Refugees

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Thirteen Bosnian refugees moved into a new US-financed apartment building named after Angelina Jolie last week.

Villa Angelina was built in the Bosnian city of Rogatica and funded by a US Government donation of $500,000 made following the actress’ two visits to Bosnia last year. The trips were facilitated by the UNHCR, and saw Angelina meet with the Chair of the Presidency, Haris Silajdžic, and Presidency member Željko Komšic.

During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, almost half of the country’s population was displaced. Recognising the enormity of the displacement, Jolie stated that “the consequences of such a tragedy cannot be undone, however we have a responsibility to do all in our power to reduce the pain by helping those who need assistance. In doing so, we contribute to overcoming divides and building a better future for all the people of the country”.

Angelina Jolie Visits Aid Agencies In Libya

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:15:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie was in Libya on a personal mission this week to bring awareness to the agencies bringing aid to the country.

The star arrived in the country on Tuesday for a two day trip.

“I have come to Libya for a variety of reasons, to see a country in transition at every level and to witness efforts to fully realize the promise of the Arab Spring,” she said. “The country faces a host of challenges, including internally displaced people, refugees, rule of law, security, sanitation, education, health and other humanitarian needs. All of these pieces must be delivered and coordinated properly in an environment of reconciliation and justice.”

Angelina Jolie: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Refugees Depend On You

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:15:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Tuesday urged the international community to scale up its efforts to deal with the crisis in the Horn of Africa, saying the lives of hundreds of thousands of refugees depended on it.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie at the annual meeting of the refugee agency’s governing body. Photo: UNHCR/J. Tanner.

Angelina Jolie Honored By UNHCR For Refugee Work

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

The UNHCR paid lavish tribute on Monday night to award-winning American actress Angelina Jolie and Yemeni humanitarian aid group Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS) for their outstanding work for refugees over many years.

SHS founder Nasser Salim Ali Al-Hamairy makes an acceptance speech as Angelina Jolie and UNHCR chief António Guterres look on

Alexander McCall Smith Brings Literature To Young Refugees

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Acclaimed author Alexander McCall Smith has discussed his contribution towards a project to bring the joys of literature to young refugees with the help of UNHCR.

The novelist has become one of 18 acclaimed authors helping to ensure that children living in refugee camps can also enjoy the pleasures of reading. The writers have each contributed a short story to a collection entitled “What You Wish For” and organized by the Book Wish Foundation. All of the proceeds will be donated to UNHCR to build libraries in camps housing more than quarter-of-a-million refugees displaced by the conflict in Darfur.

McCall Smith, who is best known for “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” spoke recently with UNHCR’s Laura Padoan about “The Strange Story of Bobby Box,” his contribution to the collection, and why he believes that books are vital to our well-being. Excerpts from the interview:

Angelina Jolie Spends Busy Weekend With Refugees

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Angelina Jolie had a busy weekend with the UNHCR, traveling to Turkey to meet Syrian refugees on Friday, and meeting boat people on a tiny Italian island on Sunday.

A massive influx of refugees into Turkey has stretched the country’s resources in the last two weeks, as thousands of people escape violence in Syria. There are around 10,000 people living in four camps on the Turkish border at the moment, being looked after by the Turkish Red Crescent. Angelina visited one of these – the Altinozu camp in Hatay, where 1,700 people are living – to raise awareness of their plight.

Angelina Jolie To Visit Syrian Refugees In Turkey

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Angelina Jolie has been granted permission to visit Syrian refugees in Turkey this weekend.

The UNHCR ambassador will land in Istanbul on Friday, then make her way to Hatay to visit some of the 8000 Syrians who have flooded into the country to escape violence in their homeland. Many of the refugees are currently staying in tent cities set up by the Turkish Red Crescent Society.

Jolie is currently in Malta with Brad Pitt and their children.

Angelina Jolie: Do 1 Thing For Refugees

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:40:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has released her annual video message for World Refugee Day (June 20).

“Every day, thousands of people run from war, persecution and terror,” she says in the new video. "Even one is too many. One family forced to flee is too many. One child growing up in a camp is too many. One refugee without hope is too many.

“Do one thing – visit UNHCR.org and learn how you can make a difference.”

Angelina Jolie's Deep Shock At Refugee Drownings

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie expressed “deep shock” last week at the reported drownings of 213 people in rough waters some 60 kilometres off the southern coast of Italy.

According to survivors, the group – including Somalis, Eritreans and Ivorians – set off from Libya three days ago in an attempt to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean. They told UNHCR that many women and three children were among the 213 people who are presumed to have drowned when the vessel foundered on Wednesday. The Italian coastguard rescued 47 people, including two women, one of them pregnant.

“These people were refugees twice,” Guterres said. “They fled war and persecution in their own countries and now, in their attempt to seek safety in Italy, they tragically lost their lives.”

Angelina Jolie Makes Charity Trip To Tunisian-Libyan Border

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:05:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Tuesday travelled to the Tunisian-Libyan border to urge greater international support for people fleeing fighting in Libya.

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie meets Somali refugees today at Choucha Camp, located near the Tunisian-Libyan border.

Angelina Jolie Meets Refugees In Afghanistan

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:00:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has just returned from her second visit to Afghanistan, and is calling for greater focus on the reintegration of Afghan refugees.

The actress and humanitarian was in Afghanistan for two days to meet refugee returnees and internally displaced people. More than 5.5 million refugees have returned to the country since 2002, with the UNHCR concerned about their access to basic needs.

Angelina Jolie Campaigns For Refugees In Libya And Côte d'Ivoire

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:15:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie today voiced deep concern for the tens of thousands of civilians caught up in two separate and fast-unfolding emergencies: Côte d’Ivoire and Libya.

“As we witness these newest crises unfold in west and north Africa, it is critical that all parties respect the fundamental right of people in danger to flee to safety – whether civilians caught in conflict in their own country or refugees and asylum seekers caught in new conflicts,” Jolie said. “All I’m asking is that civilians be protected, and not targeted or harmed.”

In Côte d’Ivoire, fierce fighting in the Abobo district of Abidjan and clashes in the west over the past few days have blocked access for humanitarian organizations and brought the country perilously close to all-out civil war. Thousands of people have been displaced in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s commercial hub, and refugees have been streaming across the country’s western border into Liberia in unprecedented numbers. Eastern Liberia is already dealing with more than 70,000 Ivorians who have arrived there since the presidential election of late November.

Mia Farrow's Tribute To Charity And John Lennon

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Mia Farrow is an acclaimed actress and humanitarian activist who, for the past 10 years, has served as a Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF. She has travelled extensively to places such as Darfur in Sudan, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she has met with the victims of conflict and worked to bring greater international attention to humanitarian crises.

Recently, she completed a personal project to match photographs taken during her travels to the John Lennon song, “Imagine.” The video can be seen here.

Angelina Jolie Celebrates Charity Anniversary In Spain

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors Angelina Jolie and Jesús Vázquez met in Spain last week and paid tribute to the staff of the refugee agency on its 60th birthday and to the people they help.

“In the week of UNHCR’s anniversary, I would like to highlight the strength and courage of the world’s refugees and [other] forcibly displaced people who are, for all of us, an example of generosity and dignity,” Jolie said during a visit Thursday to UNHCR’s Madrid office. “My thoughts go also to the dedicated UNHCR staff, who for many years have risked their lives to protect the lives of refugees.”

Nobel Peace Laureates Gather In Hiroshima For World Summit

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:30:00 +0000

The 11th Edition of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates was held in Hiroshima on November 12th-14th, 2010.

The international conference was historic and groundbreaking in that it marked the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombings of two Japanese cities. In light of recent meetings between the United States and the Russian Federation to reduce each nation’s nuclear weapons arsenals and of the results of the recent U.N. Conference of New York, the Summit confronted the issue of nuclear disarmament and propose concrete measures to address this most pressing issue.

Chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev and Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome, the event attracted Nobel Peace Laureates such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Fredrik Willem De Klerk, Lech Walesa, José Ramos- Horta, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Mohamed ElBaradei, Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams. Senior representatives of such international organizations as the United Nations (UN), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Children’s Found (UNICEF), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Pugwash Conferences (PUGWASH), International Peace Bureau (IPB), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International (AI) and many others also attended.

Barbara Hendricks Visits Ethiopia For Refugees

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Opera soprano and UNHCR ambassador Barbara Hendricks is currently in Ethiopia to raise awareness of the 140,000 refugees in the country.

“I hope my visit can increase awareness of this often forgotten refugee situation,” said Hendricks. “In my 24 years working on behalf of UNHCR I have rarely come across such powerful stories as I heard here in the camps here.”

Most of the refugees – around 80,000 – have escaped from violence in Somalia. However, Ethiopia struggles to provide the fresh water, health care and necessities of life for the refugees.

Ecuadorean Actor Speaks Charity With UNHCR

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Ecuadorean actor Roberto Manrique has gathered a loyal following in the region for his roles in Latin American telenovelas, or soap operas. The 31-year-old soared to stardom after appearing in soaps such as “Los Victorinos” and “El Clon.” But away from the small screen and the stage, he has recently developed a keen interest in the welfare of refugees in a country that hosts some 135,000 people of concern to UNHCR.

Most of them are from neighbouring Colombia, where Manrique works for the Telemundo network. His interest in refugee issues stemmed from a chance meeting in Bogotá with Xavier Creach, head of UNHCR’s office in the northern Ecuadorean town of Lago Agrio. Creach invited the actor to visit the area and meet refugees in the rainforest. Manrique talked recently to UNHCR Public Information Officer Sonia Aguilar about his humanitarian work and his association with UNHCR.

Angelina Jolie: Charity Trip To Help Pakistan

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:00:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has been in Pakistan today, highlighting the suffering of millions of flood victims and the need for continuing aid for the displaced.

Jolie is travelling as the personal envoy of UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. On Tuesday she visited Mohib Banda village in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and areas near Peshawar, including the Azakhel Afghan refugee settlement and the Jalozai camp for internally displaced people (IDP).

“It’s clear this crisis is far from over,” she said. “People have lost everything: their homes, their belongings, their crops and cattle, and their livelihoods. Long after the cameras have gone, people will be struggling to rebuild their lives.”

Angelina Jolie Films PSA For Pakistan

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:30:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has appealed for greater public support for efforts to provide humanitarian relief to the millions of people whose lives have been devastated by the floods inundating much of Pakistan.

In a video message released today, the actress points to the sheer scale of the disaster.

“One-fifth of Pakistan is under water… and the threat of disease now looms for 20 million affected people. This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is an economic and social catastrophe. UNHCR is on the ground. The more support we can give, the greater number of tents, food, clean water and medicine will get to the people in need,” she says.

Angelina Jolie Makes Charity Trip To Bosnia With UNHCR

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

UN refugee agency Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has been in Bosnia and Herzegovina, meeting the country’s Presidency and discussing a number of issues, including the plight of the country’s displaced people during a one-day visit.

Her visit, a private trip in support of her work in the region, was partly facilitated by UNHCR and was the second this year to Bosnia and Herzegovina following her previous visit in April. On this occasion, Jolie met with the Chair of the Presidency, Haris Silajdžic, and Presidency member Željko Komšic. Presidency member Nebojša Radmanovic was out of the country and could not attend the meeting, however the Goodwill Ambassador did reach out by leaving a personal note with his Office.

Angelina Jolie Highlights Need For Charity Aid In Pakistan

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Angelina Jolie is asking fans to support Pakistan in its hour of need.

The country is suffering from some of the worst flooding in history, with over 20 million people affected and over 2,000 dead.

“This one is really one that we really have to urgently get in there and try and do what we can,” Jolie told the BBC during the London premiere of Salt. “We’ll financially help, we’ll try to figure out which is the best group, we’ll probably do HCR and hope to visit and go when the attention dies down and maintain the attention. Because it’s millions and millions of people who’ll be uprooted for a very, very long time.”

Angelina Jolie And Hillary Clinton Join For World Refugee Day

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0000

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took part in a unique live video event linking four locations around the world to mark World Refugee Day on Friday.

The event was held in the Benjamin Franklin room on the top floor of the US State Department in Washington, DC, and included participants linked from Ecuador, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria.

Addressing the audience of 250 people, media and those watching via the internet, Clinton said: “I hope we can use this day to honor the courage and resilience of the millions of refuges around the world who push forward each and every day with the hope that tomorrow might bring a return home or the hope of a better life. I certainly intend to remain committed to making that hope a reality.”

Angelina Jolie Records PSA For World Refugee Day

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:30:00 +0000

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie has recorded a PSA for the 2010 World Refugee Day, which will take place on June 20.

It is the second time the star – who has visited over 20 countries for the organization since 2001- has recorded a video for the annual event, which aims to raise awareness of the 34 million people of concern to UNHCR who face a shortage or lack of the essentials of life – clean water, food, sanitation, shelter, health care and protection from violence and abuse. Last year, she also marked the day by appearing alongside UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres to call on the world to recognize millions of victims of conflict around the world not as a burden but as a potential gift at an event in Washington DC.

“Having a home, a place we belong, a place we feel safe, is something most of us take for granted,” she says in the video. “Please remember the millions of people around the world forced from their homes. Because the only hope of return is to not be forgotten.”

Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt Surprise Bosnian Refugees

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Hollywood’s powerhouse couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt lent their support to the refugees in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during their visit to the Balkan country last Monday.

The couple successfully stayed out of the spotlight after the public was first made aware of their surprise arrival by Bosnian border police.