Hollywood actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie has been working harder than ever after her marriage to Brad Pitt. Already a successful director and producer, the actress has now revealed that she would consider a career “in office” and as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has just joined a high profile campaign to give basic human rights to refugees.
When Vanity Fair magazine probed Angelina Jolie, in a recent interview, about pursuing a “life in politics, diplomacy, or public service,” she simply and enigmatically replied: “I am open.”
There’s no doubt with her on-going humanitarian endeavours and worldwide campaigns that the mother-of-six would make a great head of state.
It is her ongoing role as a humanitarian that has given Jolie an insight into the world of politics, and the possibilities that a political role could afford her in terms of enacting change. She said: “When you work as a humanitarian, you are conscious that politics have to be considered. Because if you really want to make an extreme change, then you have a responsibility.”
One of the big changes Jolie wants to make happen is to help end ‘statelessness’ of refugees. According to the UNHCR: “At least 10 million people worldwide are currently stateless and a baby is born stateless every 10 minutes. Not allowed a nationality, they are often denied the rights and services that countries normally offer their citizens.”
Jolie, along with other high profile personalities, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, supermodel and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Alek Wek, have joined the UNHCR and United Colors of Benetton’s 10-year I Belong campaign and signed an open letter to end statelessness.
In a statement about the campaign, Jolie said being stateless means adults and children have no legal identity, no passport, no vote, and few or no opportunities to get an education. She added: “Ending statelessness would right these terrible wrongs. But it would also strengthen society in countries where stateless people are found, by making it possible to draw on their energy and talents. It is both an obligation and an opportunity for governments everywhere to put an end to this exclusion.”
We certainly believe Angelina Jolie would make a great politician, but Jolie is concerned that her time-consuming Hollywood career might make that tricky saying: “I am conscious of what I do for a living, and that [could] make it less possible.”
To join Angelina Jolie in the fight against statelessness, visit here and sign the open letter.
Image: Getty
