Angelina Jolie Pitt is continuing her humanitarian efforts abroad and addressing the growing global refugee crisis. The special envoy visited Greece, which has become the main entry point to Europe for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing Syria and other strife torn countries, She greeted people, even comforting a crying boy with a warm embrace. She expressed her appreciation for the support and solidarity Greece has shown the hundreds of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers who have landed on their shores after dangerous and difficult, sometimes deadly, journeys.
The actress visited Lebanon and Greece on behalf of the United Nations, meeting with both countries’ respective prime ministers to discuss how the influx of refugees is affecting their nations. Greece has been particularly impacted by the Syrian Civil War and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, with 1,000,357 refugees entering Europe through Greece since Jan. 1, 2015, according to the UNHCR.
Angelina Jolie Pitt on the Syrian Refugee Crisis: ‘We Need to Get On Top of This Chaotic Situation”. “The crisis we see today is the result of open-ended conflicts around the world. From Afghanistan to Darfur and Somalia, these are wars that continue every day, long after they have fallen from the headlines,”
“Now, with 60 million refugees worldwide, people are running out of safe places to which to run. That is why we are seeing the movement of refugees desperate to get into Europe or any other place of safety. We need to get on top of this chaotic situation, working to end the conflicts that are creating refugees and ensuring that countries like Greece and Turkey have the means to identify and assist people with a genuine claim for asylum and take the necessary steps urgently to improve their asylum systems,” Jolie Pitt says.
In Greece, she met with officials to assess the humanitarian situation and to explore the role the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) could play in support of the Greek government and the European Union. While Lebanon has received an influx of mostly displaced Syrians, Greece has seen a mix of refugees from both Syria and Afghanistan, as well as migrants from other countries.
In a call for leaders around the world to take action last week, Jolie Pitt called the response to the ongoing crisis “tragic and shameful.”
In a call for leaders around the world to take action last week, Jolie Pitt called the response to the ongoing crisis “tragic and shameful.”
