Angelina Jolie will step down from her role as ambassador for the UN refugee agency.

The Oscar winner said refugees are "the people she admires most in the world" and that she will now focus her time working with organizations led by people directly affected by the conflict.

Jolie, 47, is known for her activism as much as her acting career, which includes starring roles in films such as Mr & Mrs Smith, Maleficent, Wanted, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, etc. She has worked with UNHCR since 2001 and in 2012 was appointed special envoy.

*UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In an Instagram post, Jolie said she would spend the rest of her life working with refugees.

"After more than 20 years, today I am leaving my job with the UN refugee agency. I believe in many things the UN does, especially the lives it saves through emergency aid. UNHCR is full of amazing people who make a difference in other people's lives every day."

In a joint statement with Jolie, UNHCR praised her for her "tireless" work in more than 60 field missions in countries including Yemen (Middle East) and Burkina Faso (Africa), and described her as "one of the most influential advocates of refugee rights".

Jolie added that she was "grateful for the privilege and opportunity" to work with the organization.

Source: Guardian