Special envoy for malaria Ray Chambers to help secure investment for achieving health-related MDGs

"Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has tasked Ray Chambers, who has served as his special envoy for malaria since 2008, with promoting and securing greater investment to achieve the health-related targets within the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," the U.N. News Centre reports. "In his expanded role, Mr. Chambers will help increase funding from the public and private sectors to achieve the goals to reduce child and maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and other diseases by 2015, the internationally agreed deadline for reaching the MDGs," according to the news service (3/1). In a statement, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said Chambers will "direct his talents and business experience towards building political will and financial support for the health-related MDGs. At this crucial time, with 2015 fast approaching, Ray Chambers is well placed to help mobilize the resources we urgently need to accelerate progress" (3/1). UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said in a statement, "With less than a 1000 days to go before the agreed deadline for achieving the MDGs, we need leaders like Ray to help us reach our goals" (3/1).