Ray Chambers, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria, said yesterday that the 20 million long-lasting mosquito nets – which are being provided by UNITAID, a tool to finance the purchase of drugs against major diseases – will lead to the protection of 40 million people.

UNICEF’s contribution, which follows a previous allocation of $4.8 million, “establishes a critical link in the path to universal access to these life-saving interventions by the end of 2010,” Mr. Chambers said in a statement.

“With over 150 million nets set to be delivered by next year, I remain extremely grateful for Ann Veneman’s leadership in saving so many from this disease,” he added, referring to the Executive Director of UNICEF.

Last year Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a call for the world to work towards universal access to malaria-prevention tools by the end of 2010 and then a target of near-zero malaria deaths by 2015.

About 56 per cent of the population in malaria-affected areas currently has access to insecticide-treated mosquito nets. Last week the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced it would provide 30 million nets in Nigeria, one of the countries worst affected by malaria.

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UN anti-malaria official hails provision of 30 million mosquito nets for Nigeria