George Clooney to visit U.N. Thursday

U.S. actor George Clooney holds the 2007 Peace Summit Award which he and colleague Don Cheadle received during a ceremony at the city hall in Rome December 13, 2007. [Agencies]

U.S. actor George Clooney, recently appointed U.N. Messenger of Peace, will visit the U.N. Headquarters on Thursday for the first time since he was named to the new post by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 18, according to a U.N. statement released on Wednesday.

Accompanied by his parents, Clooney is to meet with Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, who will present him with the U.N. Messenger of Peace certificate and dove pin, as is the tradition with all newly-designated messengers.

Clooney will speak to a meeting of troop contributors, during which Assistant Secretary-General Lute will brief member states on the joint African Union-U.N. Hybrid operation in Darfur, Sudan, the U.N. Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad and the U.N. Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) .

Following that meeting, Clooney will take part in a press conference to speak on his recent visit to Darfur, Chad and DRC, where he accompanied Lute on her recent technical mission.