Angelina Jolie is stepping away from her role as a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Special Envoy.
The UNHCR announced the move in a press release Friday. Jolie, 47, said in a statement that she is “grateful for the privilege and opportunity I have had to work with so many outstanding and dedicated UNHCR field officers and other colleagues doing lifesaving work globally, and to serve as Special Envoy.”
“I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people,” she continued. “After 20 years working within the UN system I feel it is time for me to work differently, engaging directly with refugees and local organizations, and supporting their advocacy for solutions.”
A source close to the actress tells People Jolie “decided to leave UNHCR so she can devote more of her efforts to supporting groups led by those most directly affected by conflict, to help empower them and lift their voices and leadership.” She has worked with locally led organizations like the MJP Foundation in Cambodia, which she founded back in 2003.
Among her various humanitarian efforts, Jolie has worked with UNHCR since 2001, and was appointed Special Envoy in 2012.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in the press release that the Oscar winner “has been an important humanitarian partner of UNHCR for very long,” and that they “are grateful for her decades of service, her commitment and the difference she has made for refugees and people forced to flee.”
“After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision,” Grandi added.