Wednesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, appealed to philanthropists to "make a smart investment in the world’s future" by joining the United Nations in accelerating the fight against five of the most deadly infectious diseases which kill millions of people every year.

"Today we have the power and the knowledge to wipe out deaths from five of the world’s biggest health threats: malaria, polio, tetanus, measles and HIV infections in newborns," declared Mr. Ban ar the Second Annual Forbes 400 Summit, which took place at UN Headquarters in New York "We can do this not just in our lifetimes, but in just five years".

Mr. Ban also drew attention to the elimination of cholera in Haiti "The United Nations is striving to do everything it can to eliminate cholera from Haiti. But to support the Government, we need to fill a severe funding gap [...] In the long-term, the country’s health system needs to be strengthened and clean drinking water and sanitation must be available to all citizens." However, Mr. Ban noted that in the oral cholera vaccine is a need that needs to be addressed immediately.

"What Haiti needs is a partner ready to provide $1 million a year for the next three to five years to underwrite free vaccines for the poor and vulnerable people who need them most [...] The United Nations will do its part to raise resources and strengthen the cholera response, but we also need partners who can make a difference for the people of Haiti," stated Mr. Ban.

HL/ HaitiLibre