US Edition Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood actress, has been singled out for recognition in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours for her campaigning work against sexual violence and the use of rape as a weapon of war.
Jolie has been made an honorary Dame for using her international recognition to make the question of violence against women not only a global issue, but one to be taken seriously at the highest level.
The actress was in London this week leading a global summit on the issue in London, alongside William Hague, the Foreign Secretary.
As a foreign citizen Jolie, the co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative PVSI, cannot be addressed as Dame, but receives the award on an honorary basis.
She said: “To receive an honour related to foreign policy means a great deal to me, as it is what I wish to dedicate my working life to. Working on PVSI and with survivors of rape is an honour in itself. I know that succeeding in our goals will take a lifetime, and I am dedicated to it for all of mine.”
Jolie has been honoured alongside four other individuals working for British charities and NGOs in the field of sexual violence, as part of the Diplomatic Service and Overseas Birthday Honours list recognising exceptional service to Britain overseas.
Jolie has also worked as a special envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 2001, regularly visiting refugee camps around the world.
The announcement of Jolie’s award comes at the end of a week in which Mr Hague has been extensively photographed in her company as they attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, in London’s Docklands. Hundreds of officials, diplomats, activists and survivors of rape in conflict zones attended the four-day event to discuss ways to improve the prosecution of offenders and protection of victims.
Jolie urged participants to keep lobbying for action, saying: “Our work is just beginning. The test we now face is whether we can make a difference on the ground. We can and will end impunity.”
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, speaking at the summit, described Jolie as a “fierce and fearless advocate”.
He said: “We’ve all watched her play many remarkable roles, but perhaps her most lasting legacy actually comes from a role she plays in real life — and that is the role of fierce and fearless advocate.”
Mr Hague welcomed the awarding of honours to individuals such as Jolie, whom he said were carrying out “extraordinary work” overseas.
“I am particularly delighted by the awards conferred upon those working with us to eradicate rape and sexual violence in conflict, through the PVSI initiative. Each individual on this list made a real difference and achieved lasting results,” he said.
Also singled out for an honour is Daniel Day-Lewis, the star of Lincoln and There Will Be Blood, who receives a knighthood in recognition of his role as one of Britain’s finest screen actors.
Day-Lewis, 57, who won the most recent of his Oscars in 2012 — becoming the first man to win three best actor Oscars — for his portrayal of US President Abraham Lincoln’s struggle to pass the bill to emancipate slaves, said: “I’m entirely amazed and utterly delighted in equal measure.”
The son of Cecil Day-Lewis, the former poet laureate, and Jill Balcon, the actress, Day-Lewis has been nominated five times for the best actor Oscar and is known for his commitment to method acting, requiring intense immersion in his character.
He is said to have lived in a tent on a deserted Texan oilfield during the making of There Will Be Blood, and to play Gerry Conlon, a man wrongly jailed as an IRA bomber in In The Name Of The Father, he spent two days in a prison cell without food or water.