MAFRAQ, JORDAN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) special envoy Angelina Jolie visited Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on Sunday, calling for "a viable political settlement" to the Syrian crisis.
Accompanied by the UNHCR Representative in Jordan Stefano Severe, the Hollywood actress called on UN Security Council members to visit the refugee camps and see first hand the plight of the refugees after seven years of displacement.
"After seven years of war, most Syrian refugees have exhausted any savings they had. The vast majority of them already live below the poverty line, on less than three dollars a day. Imagine what that would mean for your family," Jolie said.
The Hollywood star, at her fifth visit to Jordan since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, sent a message publicly urging the international community to do more to meet the needs of desperate Syrian families and the countries hosting them as well.
"UNHCR does not have the funds to provide in full even the most necessities for survival for many families," Jolie said, adding that the UNHCR response for the Syria crisis was only 50 percent funded in 2017.
After talking with a Syrian refugee family who had been living in Zaatari refugee camp for the past five years, Jolie visited "Tiger Girls" program funded by UNHCR, which aims to empower young refugee girls through a range of academic and social skills courses.
Jordan hosts over 655,000 Syrian refugees since the beginning of the Syrian war, with the vast majority of them living in cities and towns.
Zaatari refugee camp, which was established in 2012, is located about 70 km north of the Jordanian capital Amman and hosts almost 80,000 refugees.
