Busy days for the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. Bodies lie in the streets of Libya's cities as a ruthless Muammar Gaddafi tries to cling to power. Egypt is still on the boil and unrest continues to spread across the Middle East.

But then it's only days to Oscar night.

Ban phoned Gaddafy early in the morning before flying out to Hollywood, where he is trying to raise the profile of climate change and – who knows – maybe pitch a movie.

Ban and other UN figures, such as the IPCC's Rajendra Pachauri and the UNFCCC's Christina Figueres – who are the next best thing to celebrities at least in the highly enclosed world of climate change talks – will appear at a discussion for the entertainment industry along with actor Don Cheadle.

"Usually I speak to prime ministers and presidents, but that has its limits," Ban told the Los Angeles Times.

Ban has made climate change a key focus of his tenure at the UN, although for 2011 it has slipped behind sustainability as his number one priority.

But the UN has long had an appreciation for the value of celebrity, using star power to draw attention to refugee crises, or violence against women.

On a similar Hollywood jaunt last year on Oscar eve, Ban spent a day lobbying celebrities on the positive role played by UN blue helmet peacekeepers.

He gave no specific suggestions for film treatments this time around. "I am sure Hollywood can make good stories from this," he said. Perhaps you have some suggestions?

• This article was amended on 24 February 2011. We said Ban phoned Gaddafi from LA. This has been corrected.