Biographical Note

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS RAY CHAMBERS OF UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MALARIA

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Ray Chambers of the United States as his Special Envoy for Malaria.

Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds and affects all regions of the world, yet it does not enjoy the high profile visibility of other issues of similar scale and impact.  The Secretary-General attaches high priority to concrete action being taken to control and stop malaria.  Mr. Chambers will help the Secretary-General to raise the issue of malaria on the international political and development agendas, including by doing all in his power to reduce child deaths from the disease.

Mr. Chambers is a philanthropist and humanitarian who has directed most of his efforts towards at-risk youth.  He is the founding Chairman of the Points of Light Foundation and co-founder, with Colin Powell, of America’s Promise -- The Alliance for Youth.  Mr. Chambers is the co-founder of the National Mentoring Partnership.  He served as Chairman of The Millennium Promise Alliance.  He is the founder and Co-Chairman of Malaria No More, with Peter Chernin, President of News Corporation, and is taking a leave of absence from that role to focus on his appointment as the Secretary-General’s Envoy for Malaria.

Mr. Chambers has been instrumental in the revitalization of the City of Newark, New Jersey, and was the founding Chairman of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.  He is a member of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and is the former Chairman of Wesray Capital Corporation, which he co-founded with William E. Simon.

Mr. Chambers was born in Newark, United States, in 1942.

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