Angelina Jolie and Ben Stiller in Ukraine – the reasons

What do American actress Angelina Jolie, fashion designer Giorgio Armani and Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies have in common? They are all UN refugee envoys for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Hollywood star Ben Stiller is also among the chosen few. In his role as UNHCR Ambassador, Stiller recently traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“You gave up a great acting career for this. What you have done for your country and for the world is really inspiring, »said Stiller in a video BBC , which shows their meeting. “You are my hero.” Shortly before the end of the visit, which was accompanied by the media, Selenski thanked Stiller and said it was “very important” to keep reminding people of what was happening in Ukraine.

Like Scholz and Macron, Stiller had previously visited the Kiev suburb of Irpin, where fierce fighting was taking place at the beginning of the Russian war of aggression. The 56-year-old is the third American filmmaker to be in Ukraine after the outbreak of war.

UNHCR special function since 1987

Before him, Sean Penn and Angelina Jolie were in the war zone. Jolie has been a “Goodwill” ambassador for the UN for more than twenty years and has seen many trouble spots during this time. In March she traveled to Yemen to draw attention to the situation of refugee families there.

The UNHCR special function has existed since 1987. The first to bear this title was the American-Swedish soprano Barbara Hendricks. This was followed by a number of other celebrities from a wide variety of areas. The youngest member, and the first professional footballer to receive this appointment, is Bayern player Alphonso Davies. An overview.

But what is the job of these special envoys, and how does one become one? The UNHCR writes: “The ambassadors must have a basic knowledge of refugees and refugee crises as well as work experience with those affected and an above-average interest before their commitment is made official by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and ultimately by the UN Secretary-General.”

Her job is to use her influence to raise public awareness of refugee issues and raise funds. The UNHCR writes on request that the support leads to a mobilization of resources and an increase in public awareness and understanding of refugee issues.

According to the organization, the “Goodwill” ambassadors work on a voluntary basis and have to finance all trips themselves. Many are also personal donors.

It is no coincidence that practically every UN humanitarian organization works with celebrities. That seems to be paying off economically.

$9.15 billion for refugee aid

The UNHCR is financed almost exclusively by voluntary contributions. 85 percent come from governments and the European Union. 3 percent comes from other intergovernmental organizations and pooled funding mechanisms, while another 11 percent comes from the private sector, including foundations, corporations, and the public.

The UN refugee protection organization was founded in 1950 with an annual budget of $300,000. A new high was reached in 2021. UNHCR’s annual budget was $9.15 billion. According to the UN, more than 10 billion dollars will be needed this year.

Humanitarian aid has become a billion dollar industry. This is also underlined by the donations to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

Two months after the start of the war, Swiss Solidarity has collected over 115 million Swiss francs. It is now around 125 million Swiss francs. This is the second largest amount ever collected in Switzerland. According to the UN, a total of 1.247 billion dollars are needed.

From the point of view of the Swiss Refugee Aid (SFH), the UNHCR has been doing important and indispensable work in and for international refugee protection and the implementation of the Geneva Refugee Convention since it was founded.

The fact that the UNHCR needs more funds for these tasks is obvious in view of the continuously growing number of people who have to flee from war, conflicts and persecution worldwide, writes the SFH on request. However, according to the SFH, the UNHCR budget usually only covers half of the actual annual needs.

More flexibility in the use of financial resources

The immense sums of money donated automatically create responsibility for the numerous aid organizations. Responsibility to donors and to recipients. Because especially in developing countries, a lot of money from outside can cause a country to get out of balance.

A study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) supports this. Aid funds are therefore not always allocated according to actual needs, but depend on the mandate and the possibilities of the aid organization.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (Deza) also came to this conclusion Final report on the implementation of the strategy for international cooperation (IZA) came. More flexibility is needed in the use of financial resources in order to work with countries in the area of ​​migration that are not priority countries for international cooperation.

Ukraine is a priority country and the solidarity worldwide is enormous – also on the part of celebrities. This fact in particular could soon cause criticism.