Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), has been named the 2011 recipient of the Global Leadership Award by the United Nations Foundation.
The award, presented at a ceremony in New York on Tuesday, recognizes ExxonMobil's efforts to meet the United Nations' goal of substantially reducing deaths from malaria through the ExxonMobil Malaria Initiative.
Since 2000, ExxonMobil has committed more than $100 million to help identify and share best practices that include anti-malarial drugs, treatment programs, long-range research, and advocacy, including the U.N. Foundation's Nothing But Nets program that provides life-saving bed nets to millions of people.
"On behalf of the men and women at ExxonMobil, it is my privilege to accept this Global Leadership Award," Tillerson said. "As one of Africa's major investors, we have seen how malaria can impede business, productivity and economic development at every stage. I am proud that ExxonMobil has taken a leadership role in combatting this disease."
Innovative approaches needed to overcome health system barriers in malaria vaccination