Angelina Jolie has issued her first statement as a newly-married woman - but it has nothing to do with her nuptials.

The actress and activist has made the most of the interest in her following her top secret wedding in France a week ago (23Aug14) by shining the spotlight on the plight of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria.

As fans waited for word from Jolie or Brad Pitt about their wedding ceremony, the Wanted star, who is also special envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, used the interest to raise awareness.

In a statement released on Friday (29Aug14), she wrote, "Three million refugees is not just another statistic. It is a searing indictment of our collective failure to end the war in Syria.

"International stability is steadily bleeding away in Syria. UN Security Council Resolutions are being ignored; war crimes are being committed on a daily basis; regional countries are staggering under the human burden; and Syrian refugees are dying in the Mediterranean sea, trying to reach Europe.

"We need to see a new attempt to resolve the conflict and greater efforts to support more than 13 million Syrians who are in desperate need. The reputation and credibility of the international system is at stake with so many thousands of lives threatened in Syria."