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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named actor George Clooney, as a U.N. “messenger of peace” on Friday to promote the world body’s peacekeeping efforts.

Clooney who has campaigned for refugees in Darfur, is the ninth U.N. messenger named. Candidates are chosen from the fields of art, music, literature and sports who have agreed to help focus attention on the United Nations’ work.
Clooney, who is currently in Sudan, will receive his designation on January 31 at U.N. headquarters.

With fellow actors Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle, Clooney, 46, has used his celebrity status to raise money for refugees through their “Not On Our Watch” charity and draw attention to the crisis in Darfur in western Sudan. Clooney and Cheadle were honored Last month, by Nobel peace laureates in Rome for their efforts in Darfur.

The United Nations is trying to deploy a peacekeeping force in Darfur, where international experts say some 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million driven from their homes in fighting between Sudan’s government and Darfur rebels.

Clooney has starred in a number of films with political themes including Syriana in 2005, for which he won an Oscar.
Former U.N. messengers of peace are actor Michael Douglas, musicians Daniel Barenboim, Midori Goto and Yo-Yo Ma, authors Paulo Coelho and Elie Wiesel, naturalist Jane Goodall and Olympic equestrian Princess Haya of Jordan.  The program was started by Secretary-General Ban’s predecessor, Kofi Annan, in 1998.

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