Cate Blanchett: Ten Years of Work Protecting Refugees

May 24, 2026 Refugees and migrants

Ten years of work with the Refugee Affairs Department

Over 10 years of cooperation with the UNHCR, the two-time Oscar-winning actress and producer Cate Blanchett has met with refugees and internally displaced persons in Jordan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Niger, South Sudan, and Brazil.

And stories about fleeing from war, violence, and climate disasters, as well as the desire to rebuild one’s life and return home, continue to inspire its work supporting refugees.

“Meetings with refugees around the world and the opportunity to hear personal stories about loss, hope, survival, and overcoming difficulties is a great honor and the most important part of my work with the UNHCR,” Blanchett said.

“My commitment to this work today remains the same as ten years ago. I will do everything possible to ensure that the stories of these people are heard and no one can say: ‘We didn’t know about this,'” he added.

Voice in support of refugees

The actress uses her international fame to draw attention to refugee issues and to advocate for support—whether in interviews with the media, within the framework of the “Blue Ribbon” initiative—a campaign by the UNHCR whose platform consists of major international ceremonies—or, as last year, when she gave Pope Leo XIV a bracelet created by refugee artisans.

A significant part of her activities takes place outside the public space. Thanks to meetings with political leaders, heads of large companies, and philanthropists, Blanchett helped raise substantial funds in support of refugees.

Performances on the world stage

At the same time, the actress has repeatedly spoken publicly in support of refugees. Thus, in 2018, after meeting with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, she spoke at the United Nations Security Council in New York, and in 2023 she appealed to the European Parliament with a call to pursue a more humane policy in the field of asylum provision. Later in the same year, she opened the second Global Forum on Refugee Issues in Geneva.

It was Blanchett who developed the idea of the Displacement Film Fund, designed to draw the film industry’s attention to the problems of forced displacement of populations.

The fund supports the work of refugee directors, as well as other authors who tell stories about the lives of forcibly displaced persons. Later this month, at the Cannes Film Festival, the fund will announce a new list of grant recipients.