Key Points:
- Bill Gates pledges $912M to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria.
- Africa’s children face high health risks; government aid cuts are warned against.
- Continued funding and innovations are crucial to save lives.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Monday its Bill Gates global health pledge of $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, matching its previous pledge in 2022. The foundation called on governments to reverse cuts in global health funding, warning that reduced aid could disproportionately affect African countries.
Speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event in New York, Gates emphasized the risks facing children in Africa. “A kid born in northern Nigeria has a 15% chance of dying before the age of 5. You can either be part of improving that or act like that doesn’t matter,” he said, highlighting the urgency of the Bill Gates global health pledge.
The announcement comes as global development assistance fell 21 percent between 2024 and 2025, reaching a 15-year low, according to the U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Gates noted that organizations like the Global Fund are racing to raise funds before the end of the year.
Goalkeepers’ event highlights global health goals
The Bill Gates global health pledge was announced ahead of the Goalkeepers event, which aims to accelerate progress on United Nations development goals for 2030, including improving global health and ending poverty. “I am not capable of making up for what the government cuts, and I don’t want to create an illusion of that,” Gates said.
Founded in 2000 by Gates and his then-wife, the foundation is among the largest funders of global health initiatives. It focuses on ending preventable deaths of mothers and babies, tackling infectious diseases, and lifting millions out of poverty. Earlier this year, Gates announced plans to donate almost his entire $200 billion fortune by 2045, accelerated by urgent global needs.
Funding is essential to saving lives
Experts stress that sustained funding for institutions such as the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as well as prioritizing primary healthcare and adopting innovations like the long-acting HIV prevention drug lenacapavir, could save millions of additional lives. Gates said, “What’s happening to the health of the world’s children is worse than most people realize, but our long-term prospects are better than most people can imagine.”
Africa bears a disproportionate share of the global burden of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nearly 70 percent of all people living with HIV worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and the region also records the highest rates of tuberculosis infection and death. Malaria remains endemic in most African countries, with children under five and pregnant women among the most vulnerable.
Maintaining funding for global health initiatives has contributed to significant progress over the past two decades. Since 2000, child mortality has been halved, saving approximately five million lives annually. However, experts warn that continued reductions in development aid could put this progress at risk.
The Gates Foundation’s $912 million Bill Gates global health pledge underscores the critical role of private philanthropy in global health, particularly in regions where government support has declined. Gates reiterated that addressing the health crisis in Africa requires urgent, coordinated action.
