George Clooney Appointed as U.N. Messenger of Peace

George Clooney was named as a United Nations messenger of peace by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday. Clooney is the ninth person chosen from the fields of art, music, sports and literature who has agreed to promote world peace efforts with this new title as a U.N. messenger. The actor is presently visiting Sudan and will receive his official designation January 31 at the U.N. headquarters.

According to Yahoo, Clooney will specialize in peacekeeping because of his experience in focusing public attention on important social and political issues. He has campaigned for refugees in Darfur through the "Not On Our Watch" charity, along with fellow celebrities Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle. Fighting between Sudan's government and Darfur rebels killed more than 200,000 people and has driven more than 2 million people from their homes.

Other U.N. messengers of peace include actor Michael Douglas and Jane Goodall. Kofi Annan originally started the program in 1998.