The Ocean's Eleven star has teamed up with human rights activist John Prendergast and the Enough Project, a non-profit organisation which aims to end genocide and human rights abuses, to create The Sentry.

The Sentry's mission is to analyse money flow to target those who fund and profit from violence so world leaders can change policy and "make war more costly than peace".

In a video launching the initiative, Clooney says, "Real leverage for peace and human rights will come when the people who benefit from war will pay a price for the damage they cause."

Prendergast adds, "Conventional tools of diplomacy usually have not helped end conflicts because they don't alter the calculations of those fuelling war and committing atrocities... The objective of The Sentry is to follow the money and deny those war profiteers the proceeds from their crimes."

The Sentry project is also backed by Clooney's organisation Not On Our Watch, which he co-founded Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle.