Angelina Jolie blasts world powers on Syria's refugee crisis
- Details
- Published on Saturday, 25 April 2015 10:08
- Written by CBS News
Jolie brief the council as special envoy for the U.N. on refugee issues.Syria's ambassador said simply of her presence, "She's beautiful."Nearly four million Syrians have fled the conflict into neighboring countries, which warn they are dangerously overstretched."We cannot look at Syria, and the evil that has arisen from the ashes of indecision, and think this is not the lowest point in the world's inability to protect and defend the innocent," Jolie said."We are standing by in Syria," she said, adding that the council's powers lie unused because its members cannot agree on how to address the conflict.Jolie, who said she has made 11 visits to Syrian refugees in the region since the crisis began in 2011, called strongly for the political will to act.Russia, a top Syria ally and backed by China, has vetoed multiple council resolutions on Syria, including an effort last year to refer the situation there to the International Criminal Court.Jolie said the council must now "work as one," and she said she would like to see the foreign minister of each of the 15 council members come to the table to negotiate a political solution.She also urged council members to visit Syrian refugees and see the crisis for themselves.In addition, Jolie spoke briefly about the rising migrant crisis on the Mediterranean, where more than 1,300 migrants fleeing Syria and other places have drowned at sea over the past three weeks."It is sickening to see thousands of refugees drowning on the doorstep of the world's wealthiest continent," she said. "No one risks the lives of their children in this way except out of utter desperation."In January, Jolie appealed for urgent funding to assist millions of displaced Iraqis and Syrians living in dire conditions in northern Iraq.More than 3.8 million Syrians have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, according to the UNHCR, while another 7.6 million Syrians are displaced inside the country. At least 1.8 million Iraqis were also displaced last year by violence triggered by the Sunni militant onslaught.
 |
Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt statement as the conflict in Syria entered its fifth year
- Details
- Published on Saturday, 14 March 2015 13:58
- Written by UNHCR
As the conflict in Syria entered its fifth year, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt said:"It is deeply alarming that the international response so clearly falls short of what is needed to end the conflict in Syria.People are entitled to feel bewildered and angry that the UN Security Council seems unable to respond to the worst crisis of the 21st century.It is shameful that even the basic demand for full humanitarian access has not been met. Meanwhile, neighbouring countries and international humanitarian agencies are being stretched beyond their limits.And it is sickening that crimes are being committed against the Syrian people on a daily basis with impunity.The failure to end this crisis diminishes all of us.I urge governments around the world to put aside their differences and mount a new attempt to solve the conflict politically.And I appeal for urgent steps to demonstrate that the international community is serious about accountability in Syria: to show that we will not turn a blind eye to war crimes, and that we will not fail refugees, the displaced, and the survivors."
 |
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie let kids decide who will benefit from donations they make
- Details
- Published on Monday, 02 March 2015 12:47
- Written by Times of India
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie let their six children help decide who will benefit from the huge donations made by their Jolie-Pitt Foundation, it has been revealed.The 13-year-old Maddox, 11-year-old Pax, 10-year-old Zahara, 8-year-old Shiloh and six-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne have already earmarked 22million pounds for worthy causes, the Daily Star reported.Shiloh recently suggested 1.2million pounds worth of donation to the Naankuse Lodge and Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia, the African country in which Jolie gave birth to her.A source said that youngsters are banned from bragging about their donation s to their pals as Pitt and Jolie are trying to teach them it's better to give without seeking public credit.
 |
Angelina Jolie's new movie sheds light on Yazidi women's tragedy
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 12:01
- Written by i24news
Jolie, who is also the Special Envoy to the UNHCR, produced three movies while visiting a Kurdish refugee camp.The third of three new short movies on the Yazidi genocide in Iraq, produced by Hollywood actress and director Angelina Jolie, was posted exclusively on the US news site The WorldPost on Tuesday.Jolie, who is also the Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, produced the documentaries for the UN agency during her visit to a Kurdish refugee camp in northern Iraq last month.The movies tell the tragic stories of Yazidi women captured by Islamic State militants in Iraq.The first two movies were published on The Guardian website on February 10."My daughter screamed ‘I will never go with you!’ "The last movie tells the story of Naseema, a 45-year-old Yazidi woman, who lost her husband, two daughters and three sons and was seized by the extremists last summer.The family was separated from each other in captivity. “As they were capturing us, my eldest daughter was screaming. She was shouting at them, ‘I will never go with you!’” Naseema remembers. "After they took her outside, they closed the door and she disappeared."Naseema endured terrible conditions during five months in captivity -- with little food or water -- and her children's health deteriorated, UNHCR told The WorldPost.Naseema was released in January before taking shelter in an abandoned building in northern Iraq.During her visit to Iraq, Jolie called for more international assistance to people displaced by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. "Nothing can prepare you for the horrific stories of these survivors of kidnap, abuse and exploitation, and to see how they cannot all get the urgent help they need and deserve," she said."Many of these innocent people have been uprooted multiple times as they seek safety amidst shifting front lines," she said. "The people I met today need to know that we will be with them."
|
Angelina Jolie Opens Center to Combat War Zone Violence
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 11 February 2015 05:36
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie and England’s First Secretary of State William Hague have just opened the fist-ever academic center to combat violence against women in war zones across Europe.The center will be based at the London School of Economics in England, and will primarily focus on women in conflict-related issues and on broadening accountability to end rape and sex crimes in relation to war.“I am excited at the thought of all the students in years to come who will study in this new Centre. There is no stable future for a world in which crimes committed against women go unpunished,” Angelina said in a statement. “We need the next generation of educated youth with inquisitive minds and fresh energy, who are willing not only to sit in the classroom but to go out into the field and the courtrooms and to make a decisive difference.”
 |
Share
