London, May 7 (IANS) Actress Julia Roberts has been appointed as the global ambassador for a United Nations Foundation campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of smoke from inefficient cookstoves.

Roberts first learned about the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves organisation earlier this year when she interviewed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her TV special "Extraordinary Moms".

Roberts, a mother of three, has now joined forces with Clinton to bring attention to the need for modern, clean and safe stoves in the developing world, where many families rely on kitchen appliances or open fires fuelled by wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste to cook, which can cause potentially fatal health affects.

"Nearly two 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," contactmusic.com quoted Roberts as saying.

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

"Extraordinary Moms" will air in the US on the Oprah Winfrey Network Saturday, on the eve of Mother's Day.