Angelina Jolie has made a trip to northern Iraq in her role as special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The mum-of-six, actress and director took time out of her busy schedule to visit Kurdish refugee camp in Dohuk and speak to the families who have been misplaced by conflict. Dressed casually in a black padded jacket and matching jeans, Angelina, 39, gave a speech to the hundreds of refugees and politicians who had gathered to welcome the star.
Angelina Jolie has visited a refugee camp in her role as special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees"Since I was last here in Iraq, another two million people have been forced from their homes. Mostly in the last six months – this time Iraqi citizens," she said, before calling on the world's leaders to do more to bring an end to the conflict in Syria and Iraq. "Too many innocent people are paying the price of the conflict in Syria and spread of extremism. The international community has to step up and do more.
The star called on world leaders to do more to bring an end to the conflict in Syria and Iraq"It is not enough to defend our values at home. We have to defend them here, in the camps and in the informal settlements across the Middle East, and in the ruined towns of Iraq and Syria. We are being tested here, as an international community, and so far – for all the immense efforts and good intentions – we are failing," she said at a press conference at the Khanke Camp for Internally Displaced People (IDPs). "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."
The actress-turned-director spoke to families who have been misplaced by the conflictShe continued: "I have met mothers whose children have been kidnapped by ISIL. As a parent, I couldn't imagine a greater horror. They are overwhelmed by thoughts of what is happening to their children," Angelina said. The Unbroken director spent her first day in Iraq visiting Yazidi refugees and touring their camp. Among the ISIS victims she met were a group of elderly women who were among nearly 200 Yazidis recently released by insurgents. More than a million refugees are now living in the region as a result of the Syrian civil war and ISIS overtaking large swathes of Iraq.