GENEVA — Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie, named Monday as goodwill ambassador by the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, came close to tears as she recalled recent visits to refugee camps in Pakistan and Sierra Leone.
Describing conditions in the camps as "frightening" and "shocking," the 26-year-old movie star said she would use her new role with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise international awareness of the plight of the world's more than 20 million refugees.
Jolie, who recently starred in "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," said she planned to speak before the U.S. Congress on the issue of refugees and visit more camps.
"I hope to reach out to anybody that I can so that people understand refugees, who they are (and are) more open-minded to refugees," she told a news conference at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.
Jolie, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her portrayal of a mental patient in "Girl, Interrupted," said she particularly wanted to draw the attention of young people to the plight of refugees.
"The fact that she is a young actress means she can relate to young people (and) that is what we need to convince the young generation that something has to be done," said UNHCR chief Ruud Lubbers.
By becoming goodwill ambassador, Jolie follows in the footsteps of other international film stars such as Italy's Sofia Loren and late Welsh actor Richard Burton.