Actor George Clooney (right) with his parents Nick and Nina at the UN headquarters in New York. (AP)

United Nations, Jan. 31 (AP): In his new role as UN messenger of peace, George Clooney was playing himself.

The 46-year-old actor’s arrival at the UN headquarters today was greeted with “oohs” and “ahs” from dozens of people, mostly women, who crowded the lobby entrance for a peek and his picture on their cellphones. “Hi guys!” he said, stopping briefly to pose for a picture with his parents and shake a few hands.

Clooney was touring the UN headquarters for a ceremony marking his designation for the special job by secretary-general Ban Ki-moon. He was just back from a trip to Sudan’s Darfur region, arriving in the US by way of India, a major contributor of UN peacekeeping troops.

Clooney and Jane Holl Lute, the assistant secretary-general of peacekeeping operations, were part of “a technical assessment mission” visiting the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping operation in Darfur and the UN missions in the Central African Republic and Chad and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, UN officials said. Clooney took on the job of promoting the world body’s peacekeeping missions after waging his own campaigns for an end to the war in Darfur and for more humanitarian aid for the millions caught up in the conflict.

As the ninth UN peace envoy, Clooney was selected for his ability to focus public attention on critical international political and social issues. He was accompanied today by his parents Nick and Nina Clooney, exchanging the glamour of Hollywood for a day spent among the diplomatic trappings of UN offices, a window-less press conference room and several hours of back-to-back interviews with news media organisations.

Other messengers of peace are Michael Douglas, Elie Wiesel, Jane Goodall, Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Paulo Coelho, Midori Goto and Princess Haya of Jordan.