Absolument Jolie

Angelina Jolie made an honorary dame by the Queen

Details: Published on Saturday, 11 October 2014 15:47; Written by Telegraph

Angelina Jolie, the Tomb Raider star, has been made an honorary dame by the Queen . Angelina Jolie, the Oscar-winning actress, has been made an honorary dame by the Queen for her campaign work fighting sexual violence and for services to UK foreign policy.The 39-year-old film star, best known for her role in Hollywood blockbuster Tomb Raider, was presented with the award during a private audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.After the presentation, Jolie’s husband, Brad Pitt, and the couple’s six children, were shown into the Palace’s 1844 room and presented to the Queen.As an American, Jolie, cannot be addressed as Dame but can use the initials of the award - DCMG - after her name.The actress, co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative( PVSI), was recognised in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas Birthday 2014 Honours list and received the honorary damehood for services to UK foreign policy and the campaign to end war-zone sexual violence. During the audience, the Queen presented the actress with the insignia of an Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George.A Buckingham Palace spokesman said Jolie spent around 20 minutes with the monarch.
The award was first announced in June during the week when Jolie was co-chairing the End Sexual Violence in Conflict (ESVC) global summit in London with then foreign secretary William Hague.She said at the time: “To receive an honour related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to. Working on PVSI and with survivors of rape is an honour in itself. I know that succeeding in our goals will take a lifetime, and I am dedicated to it for all of mine.”Her work as a humanitarian runs parallel to her career as a leading actress who has been a huge box office draw for more than a decade.She has been described by US Secretary of State John Kerry as a "fierce and fearless advocate" and he said her dedication to campaigning could overtake her successful film career as her lasting legacy.Jolie, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the drama Girl, Interrupted, is also special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.The actress announced in a New York Times article last year that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy because she carries the 'faulty' gene BRCA1, which sharply increased her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

source : Telegraph

Angelina Jolie Releases Statement on Syrian Refugees

Details: Published on Saturday, 30 August 2014 10:25; Written by Just Jared

Angelina Jolie is turning the spotlight from her big wedding to Brad Pitt to the devastating situation in Syria in a newly released statement.“Three million refugees is not just another statistic,” the 39-year-old actress and UNHCR special envoy, said of the displaced citizens who have fled Syria because of the civil war. “It is a searing indictment of our collective failure to end the war in Syria.”“International stability is steadily bleeding away in Syria. UN Security Council Resolutions are being ignored; war crimes are being committed on a daily basis; regional countries are staggering under the human burden; and Syrian refugees are dying in the Mediterranean sea, trying to reach Europe. We need to see a new attempt to resolve the conflict and greater efforts to support more than 13 million Syrians who are in desperate need,” Angelina added.“The reputation and credibility of the international system is at stake with so many thousands of lives threatened in Syria,” she concluded.

source : Just Jared

Angelina Jolie to 'Glamour': Sexual Violence is a 'Crime Against Humanity'

Details: Published on Wednesday, 09 July 2014 16:35; Written by Just Jared

Angelina Jolie poses with some brave warriors at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London as part of a feature for Glamour‘s latest issue.Here’s what the 39-year-old actress had to share with the mag:On sexual violence as a weapon of war: “Everywhere I went, rape was the silent killer. But it became quickly clear to me that these women were not just the collateral damage of war. Rape was a strategic, organized scheme to destroy entire communities.”On the camaraderie among her fellow activists: “We care for each other–and for each other’s children. It is a profound source of joy and inspiration.”On the importance of combating sexual violence: “[T]his is not a woman problem. It’s a crime against humanity.” For more from Angelina, visit Glamour.com.

source : Just Jared

Angelina Jolie Made an Honorary Dame by Queen Elizabeth II!

Details: Published on Saturday, 14 June 2014 09:49; Written by Just Jared

Angelina Jolie can add a new achievement to her already impressive life of work – royal recognition! The 39-year-old actress has been made an honorary dame by England’s Queen Elizabeth II for her work combating sexual violence in war zones. Angelina will not be able to use the title of “dame” before her name though as she is not a British or Commonwealth citizen. Previous United States citizens have received honorary knighthoods include director Steven Spielberg, former President Ronald Reagen, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.“To receive an honor related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to,” Angelina said (via Associated Press). Working on PVSI and with survivors of rape is an honour in itself. I know that succeeding in our goals will take a lifetime, and I am dedicated to it for all of mine.” Pictured inside: Angelina meeting with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and foreign secretary William Hague on Thursday (June 12) at Clarence House in London, England.

source : Just Jared

Angelina Jolie accepts invitation to visit Nauru

Details: Published on Monday, 14 July 2014 10:27; Written by SMH

International film star Angelina Jolie has accepted an offer to visit Nauru, according to reports.The invitation followed Jolie’s meeting with Nauru's President Baron Waqa at a global summit on sexual violence against women in conflict last month.The Hollywood actress is the Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.Nauru is a destination for Australian asylum seekers under the federal government's policy of not accepting asylum seekers on the Australian mainland.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres has been a staunch critic of the effect on asylum seekers. He has previously called the Australian attitude to asylum seekers arriving by boat to seek protection as "very strange".Nauru's government confirmed the actress had accepted the invitation, and said it believed the visit would be an opportunity to showcase the facilities for refugees on Nauru, the ABC reported.No date has been set for Jolie's visit to Nauru.Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday any visit by the Hollywood star to Nauru was not a matter for Australia.‘‘Well, those are matters for the Nauruan government, they decide who comes to their country. You should direct those questions to them,’’ he said during a press conference in Canberra.When asked whether the minister was concerned Ms Jolie's visit would shine a light on Australia's treatment of asylum seekers in Nauru, Mr Morrison said: ‘‘I don't plan to respond to any of the assertions you have made. Who visits Nauru is a matter for the Nauruan government.’’

source : SMH

Humanitarian Angelina Jolie Banned From Entering Sudan, After Her Visa Is Denied

Details: Published on Wednesday, 18 June 2014 10:28; Written by Radar Online

A-lister Angelina Jolie was prevented from entering Sudan by via authorities in the Arab republic, as she attempted to enter to attend a civil society event in the country’s capital of Khartoum.The Tomb Raider star‘s absence was confirmed Friday by Peter Tibber of the British embassy in Sudan, after she was slated to appear at a summit there, according to local media.Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, did lend her presence at the event in a video, where she criticized Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his administration for their death sentence of Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, a Christian woman who would not renounce her religion, and was subsequently convicted of apostasy, with the grave implications.
“Khartoum should respect the fundamental right to freedom of religion, and to repeal its laws that ban people from converting their faith, as they are inconsistent with its 2005 Interim Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” Jolie said in the clip.The outspoken actress also took exception with what she said was a disproportionate amount of wealth and power among Sudan’s political elites.“They steal wealth, then fund the Janjaweed, the internal security organs, and the Sudanese Air Force, and ensure that those brutal instruments of control are held by a small circle of ruling party officials,” the Maleficent star said in the taped clip.Earlier in the week, Jolie lent her presence to a conference in London dedicated to the prevention of wartime rape. Jolie is no stranger to international political activism, also having devoted years to causes in Sudanese areas such as Darfur and South Kordofan.

source : Radar Online

Amal Alamuddin Joins Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie at Anti-Rape Summit

Details: Published on Friday, 13 June 2014 18:31; Written by Just Jared

Amal Alamuddin makes her entrance at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on Thursday (June 12) at ExCel in London, England.The 36-year-old lawyer and fiancee of George Clooney was there to join the couple’s pals Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the four-day conference.Amal, who is a human rights lawyer that attended on behalf of UNICEF, was spotted taking notes during the conference that day.“It is a myth that rape is an inevitable part of conflict,” Angelina said in her opening remarks at the conference earlier in the week. “There is nothing inevitable about it. It is a weapon of war aimed at civilians. It has nothing to do with sex – everything to do with power. It is done to torture and humiliate innocent people and often very young children.”

source : Just Jared