Angelina Jolie praises ‘brave’ refugees for sharing their stories with her over dinner

Angelina Jolie celebrated World Refugee Day with some of her ‘new friends’ from across the globe, who fled war, violence and persecution. 

In a new Instagram post, uploaded to her Instagram on Monday, the Oscar winner, 47, revealed she enjoyed dinner with pals from Egypt, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Kurdistan, Nigeria, and Gambia.’ 

‘I’m grateful that among so much heaviness in the world, these brave people shared their time and stories with me,’ she captioned a slideshow showing her interacting with families and kids. 

She continued: ‘Family, friends, and food bring people together and I was honored to be joined by new friends to eat, share, and learn.’ 

Among the sweet images, the Eternals actress can be seen giving a little girl a high five and blowing kisses to another while rocking a long black dress, red nail polish and her brown hair cascading over her shoulders. 

Their outing appeared to be held at an expansive park and involved  UNHCR,  the UN Refugee Agency, Save the Children Italia and Joel Nafuma Refugee Center.

Mingling: In a new Instagram post, uploaded to her Instagram on Monday, the Oscar winner, 47, revealed she enjoyed dinner with pals from Egypt, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, Kurdistan, Nigeria, and Gambia’

‘I’m grateful that among so much heaviness in the world, these brave people shared their time and stories with me,’ she captioned a slideshow showing her interacting with families and kids

Enlightening: She continued: ‘Family, friends, and food bring people together and I was honored to be joined by new friends to eat, share, and learn’

Within five hours, her post garnered more than 330,543 likes and 2,043 comments. 

Last week, Jolie spoke out about how the children of Ukraine are facing the ‘greatest consequences from war’ over social media.

‘Globally, children account for 30% of the population but represent 41% of all forcibly displaced people,’ she informed her 13.2 million Instagram followers.

Important discussions: Among the sweet images, the Eternals actress can be seen giving a little girl a high five and blowing kisses to another while rocking a long black dress, red nail polish and her brown hair cascading over her shoulders

She also noted that since February 24, ‘at least 277 children have been killed and 456 injured.’ 

In March, she also addressed the staggering number of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes and country due to the ongoing Russian invasion. 

Last year, following the release of her novel Know Your Rights And Claim Them: A Guide for Youth, Jolie wrote that she is ‘so inspired by young people around the world who are on the front lines of the struggle for human rights.’

Author: Last year, following the release of her novel Know Your Rights And Claim Them: A Guide for Youth, Jolie wrote that she is ‘so inspired by young people around the world who are on the front lines of the struggle for human rights’

 ‘From protecting the environment to fighting inequality and discrimination, they are stepping in to do the work adults should but so far have failed to do,’ she added on Instagram

‘From protecting the environment to fighting inequality and discrimination, they are stepping in to do the work adults should but so far have failed to do,’ she added on Instagram.

She went on to state that ‘in refugee camps and conflict areas globally, children are bearing the burden of the consequences of those bad decisions. 

‘When children and young people have the agency, power and knowledge to speak up, they can change the lives of both young people and adults, helping to achieve a more equal society,’ the Girl, Interrupted star concluded.

She went on to state that ‘in refugee camps and conflict areas globally, children are bearing the burden of the consequences of those bad decisions

The mom-of-six’s project was written in consultation with young activists around the world and human rights lawyer Geraldine Van Bueren. 

Bueren is one of the original drafters of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – aims to equip kids with the knowledge to safely challenge injustices.

During an interview with Reuters, Jolie said: ‘So many children are in harm’s way across the world and we’re simply not doing enough.’

She continued: ‘These are their rights, decided years ago based on what would make them healthy, balanced, safe and stable adults.’

‘When children and young people have the agency, power and knowledge to speak up, they can change the lives of both young people and adults, helping to achieve a more equal society,’ the Girl, Interrupted star concluded; seen in 2011

‘These are their rights, decided years ago based on what would make them healthy, balanced, safe and stable adults.’

Jolie, special envoy for UN refugee agency UNHCR, said she hoped the book would also remind governments of their commitment to the global treaty enshrining children’s civil, social, political and economic rights.

‘We spent a lot of time blocking those rights, so this book is to help the kids have a tool book to say ‘these are your rights, these are things you need to question to see how far you, depending on your country and circumstance, are from accessing those rights, what are your obstacles, others that came before you and fought, ways you can fight.” 

 During an interview with Reuters, Jolie said: ‘So many children are in harm’s way across the world and we’re simply not doing enough’ (pictured in 2022)

The Salt actress added: ‘So it’s a handbook to fight back.’

The mother-of-six said she put up the U.N convention in her home for her children, but was surprised to learn her own country, the United States, has not ratified it.

‘That infuriated me and made me start to question what does that mean?’ said the ex of Brad Pitt.

Busy bee: The star of Salt and Tom Raider has also spoken up about Afghanistan

The humanitarian said she put up the U.N convention in her home for her children, but was surprised to learn her own country, the United States, has not ratified it.

‘That infuriated me and made me start to question what does that mean?’ said the ex of Brad Pitt.

‘So for each country, what is this idea of, you have the right to an education … but then why is it so many children are out of school? Why is it the girls in Afghanistan are being harmed if they go?’ she said. 

More from her Instagram page: Jolie recently shared this image of daughter Zahara reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison with the caption: ‘End of #summerreading. These are some of the favorites in our house. Would love to know yours’ 

The book addresses identity, justice, education and protection from harm, among other issues. It provides guidance on becoming an activist, being safe and a glossary of terms and organizations.

‘Through the book, you have to find your own path forward, because we are very concerned about the safety of children. We don’t want children just running around screaming for their rights and putting themselves in danger,’ Jolie said.

The book is peppered with examples of powerful young voices from around the world, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, climate activist Greta Thunberg and 15-year-old Palestinian journalist Janna Jihad.