Angelina Jolie braved the rain as she gave a passionate speech in Lebanon today, where she praised the country for its acceptance of Syrian refugees. The actress and Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) urged governments from around the globe to open their doors and accept Syrian refugees on the five-year anniversary of the Syrian Civil War.
The "Maleficent" star addressed reporters in Fayda, a refugee settlement located in Bekaa Valley, and she thanked the country for taking in a quarter of its population in Syrians, which equated to more than one million refugees.
"You are setting an example to the world of generosity, humanity, resilience and solidarity," Jolie said in a statement.
She went on to explain that she hoped that five years after the start of the Syrian conflict she would be visiting the country to welcome its citizens back home. She said it is "tragic" and "shameful" that the war has gone on for this long.
Jolie, who was appointed to the role of Special Envoy in 2012, said that the number of Syrian refugees has surpassed the number of refugees from World War II, and she called on global governments to let go of fear and allow Syrians to find refuge in other countries.
"My plea today is that we need governments around the world to show leadership: to analyse the situation and understand exactly what their country can do, how many refugees they can assist and how, in which particular communities and to what timeframe; to explain this to their citizens and address fears - based not on emotion but on a measured assessment of what can and must be done to share the responsibility and get on top of this situation," Jolie said.
The mom of six spent time with refuges who call Fayda their home, and she spoke with a fellow mother who became paralyzed after she was shot by a sniper's rifle in her home country of Syria. The woman now lives with her husband and children in one room at the refugee settlement, and she told Jolie that all she wanted was for her children to go to school and live a better life.
"When I saw her beautiful smile, and her dedicated husband and children looking after her, I was in awe of them. They are heroes to me. And I ask myself, what have we come to when such survivors are made to feel like beggars?" Jolie asked. "We can do the right thing by refugees and build a more secure international environment. We can build order out of chaos."
Watch a clip from Jolie's press conference below:
