Angelina Jolie has spoken out on the refugee crisis, penning a piece with Baroness Arminka Helic for The Times.
Calling for those who are fleeing war to be given prioirity over economic migrants, the actress and UN ambassador and Helic, who was displaced by the 1990s wars in the Balkans, state that the problem will not be solved until we address the conflict that causes the influx of refugees, in a piece entitled "Don't blame refugees for seeking a better life".
"At no time in recent history has there been a greater need for leadership to deal with the consequences and causes of the global refugee crisis," they wrote. "Nothing brings home this truth more than the sight of columns of refugees marching across European borders, from countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria."
"The Syria conflict has created a wave of human suffering that has rolled out across the region and now reached the shores of Europe. Syrians are fleeing barrel bombs, chemical weapons, rape and massacres. Their country has become a killing field."
"It should come as no surprise that people who have endured years of war, or who have been living in refugee camps on dwindling rations, are taking matters into their own hands. How many of us could honestly say that in their shoes we would not do the same, confronted by fear, lack of hope, and a glaring lack of international political will to end the conflict."
"We must face some hard truths. The first is that the responsibility to help is not determined by the accident of geography but by adherence to universal human rights and values. It transcends religion, culture and ethnicity. We should not be reaching for the lowest common denominator in our response to the refugee crisis, but striving to live up to our highest ideals. Every country in the world, not just in Europe, must be a part of the solution."