Julia Roberts joins Clean Cookstoves

Roberts first learned about the Alliance's effort while interviewing Secretary of State Clinton for a special airing on the Oprah Winfrey Network. "Extraordinary Moms," presented and executive produced by Roberts. It is being aired on Saturday.

"Nearly 2 million people around the world - mostly women and children - die each year from an activity that many of us take for granted: cooking for our families," Roberts said.

"I am proud to stand with Secretary Clinton to work to reduce the senseless and preventable deaths from unsafe cooking conditions in the developing world and I look forward to contributing to the important work of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves."

In her new role, Roberts, alongside Secretary Clinton, the United Nations Foundation, and other Alliance partners, will be instrumental in achieving the Alliance's goal of 100 million homes' adopting clean and efficient cookstoves and fuels by 2020.

Encouraging the development and use of clean cookstoves in cultures, communities, and countries throughout the developing world is consistent with the core principles of U.S. foreign policy and development efforts, which focus on improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations.

On Sept 21, 2010, Secretary Clinton announced the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership led by the UN Foundation, to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and combat climate change by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions.

The Alliance is a public-private partnership of more than 60 national governments, UN agencies, private companies and nongovernmental organizations mobilized to help overcome the market barriers that currently impede the production, deployment, and use of clean cookstoves in the developing world.