PRESS RELEASE PLACE: Geneva DATE: 2 May 2016 UNHCR News HQP100 P.O. Box 2500 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Tel +41 22 739 85 02 Cate Blanchett appointed UNHCR Fax +41 22 739 73 14 www.unhcr.org @RefugeesMedia Goodwill Ambassador GENEVA, May 2nd (UNHCR) – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the appointment of Academy Award winning actor Cate Blanchett as a global Goodwill Ambassador. The announcement comes as Blanchett returns from a mission to Jordan to witness the ongoing humanitarian operation for people displaced by the conflict in Syria. She met Syrian refugee families to hear first-hand about the perilous journeys they had undertaken and the daily challenges they face. "I am deeply proud to take on this role", said Blanchett. "There has never been a more crucial time to stand with refugees and show solidarity. We are living through an unprecedented crisis, and there must be shared responsibility worldwide. It feels like we're at a fork in the road, do we go down the compassionate path or do we go down the path of intolerance? As a mother, I want my children to go down the compassionate path. There's much more opportunity, there's much more optimism and there is a solution down that path." Prior to her appointment, Blanchett had been working closely with UNHCR for over a year to raise awareness about the forcibly displaced. In 2015, she travelled to Lebanon to meet Syrian refugees and to hear about the experiences of stateless people as part of her support for UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign. She has also supported World Refugee Day, UNHCR’s appeal for the Europe refugee crisis, and attended the Women in the World Conference in New Delhi to represent UNHCR and moderate a high level panel discussion on the global refugee crisis. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said: “I am very pleased that Cate Blanchett is joining us. Goodwill Ambassadors play a pivotal role in creating better public understanding and support for refugees, and never has there been a greater need to build these bridges. She has already demonstrated great commitment to the cause and we look forward to seeing her inspire many more people in her new role.” ENDS Cate Blanchett is not available for interview Photos: link Credit: UNHCR/J. Matas Video (via UNHCR webpage): link B roll: link For media inquiries please contact: 1 | Page PRESS RELEASE Alison Tilbe [email protected] +44 7534 739755 UNHCR News Leona Everitt [email protected] +44 7966 134226 HQP100 Claire Lewis [email protected] +44 7880 230934 P.O. Box 2500 CH-1211 Geneva 2 Jennifer Abraham [email protected] +1 9179 002901 Tel +41 22 739 85 02 Fax +41 22 739 73 14 www.unhcr.org @RefugeesMedia Further materials • Supporting World Refugee Day in 2015, by sharing Ahmad’s story. • Supporting UNHCR’s appeal for the Europe Refugee crisis. • Attending the Women in the World Conference in New Delhi in November 2015 to represent UNHCR and moderate a high level panel discussion on the global refugee crisis. • Supporting UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness on Radio Everyone, after meeting Rama and hearing her story in Lebanon in 2015. About UNHCR: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR safeguards the rights and well-being of refugees and stateless people. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. UNHCR is on the front lines of the world's major humanitarian crises, including Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and countless other emergencies. 2 | Page .