Mon 21 June 2021:
Oscar-winning actress and the Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Angelina Jolie visited a refugee camp in Burkina Faso on World Refugee Day to raise awareness about the displacement of refugees, the UNHCR reported.
“I’m humbled to be in Burkina Faso, and by the extraordinary grace of the people I have met here. I am here to show my solidarity with the Burkinabe people, who continue to welcome their displaced brothers and sisters despite terrible attacks and challenges,” Jolie said.
“The way the international community tries to address conflict and insecurity is broken”
In Burkina Faso for #WorldRefugeeDay, UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie called on the world to focus on finding solutions to reduce refugee numbers globally. https://t.co/1Shvl5z7sR pic.twitter.com/j66G3GjRR8
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 21, 2021
The envoy visited the Goudoubo camp in the Northeast of the country. Speaking at the camp, Jolie highlighted the fate of the 82 million people who are currently forcibly displaced worldwide and added that in the 20 years that she has been with the UNHCR she has “never been as worried” about the scope of human displacement.
“The truth is we are not doing half of what we could and should to find solutions to enable refugees to return home,” the special envoy added.
She called out the international community, saying that the way they are trying to solve this problem is “broken,” “erratic … unequal” and “built on inherited privilege.” Instead, Jolie asked the international community to find new solutions to reduce refugee numbers globally.
Burkina Faso is affected by the displacement of refugees in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa. Since 2019, over 1.2 million people were forced to leave their homes. The UNHCR’s funding in Burkina Faso is one of the critically lowest with only 22% of the funding criteria being met.
UNHCR ambassador, Angelina Jolie (in black), speaks to women at the refugee camp in Goudebou in Burkina Faso on 20 June 2021. Picture: @Refugees/Twitter
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