Bill Gates on GAVI and Global Fund

Jan 26th, 2010 6:30 PM UTC
By Erin Hohlfelder

Please welcome the newest addition to our policy team, Erin Hohlfelder. Erin is the Policy Manager for Health and will primarily focus on AIDS, TB, malaria, and NTDs. We’re very excited for her contributions to the ONE Blog! -Chris

As a new member of ONE’s team, it was exciting to see Bill Gates name ONE as a key partner of the Foundation in his Annual Letter. But it was perhaps even better to see him use the letter as a platform for some of our organization’s top health priorities—the work of the GAVI Alliance and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria—as well as other important initiatives including polio eradication.

Gates is clear that in his work with Melinda at the Foundation, they have not set out to only fund projects that are “safe”; indeed they have been innovative and at times even risky in their investments, with the ultimate aim of real progress in the fight against diseases across the developing world. The Foundation played a key role ten years ago, for instance, in establishing GAVI—a unique program working with governments in developing nations to build sustainable immunization programs and to ensure access to affordable vaccines. Through market-shaping mechanisms and the availability of new vaccines, GAVI has delivered huge returns on partners’ investments: over 4 million child deaths have been averted since 2000 and over 250 million children have received a basic package of immunizations and vaccines.

The Global Fund, too, has been a key mechanism in the fight against global disease. Gates notes that the Fund’s work in both HIV/AIDS and malaria has been invaluable. Alongside PEPFAR, the Fund has taken the lead on scaling up ARV therapy delivery to those who are HIV+, and it has used its grants to sizably increase the delivery and usage of bednets to ward off mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Bill and Melinda Gates have both been vocal advocates for the highly-ambitious goal of malaria eradication; if we want to make this a reality, the Global Fund must continue its important work of partnering with countries and members of civil society to deliver sustainable solutions.

Critically, 2010 is a key replenishment year for both GAVI and the Global Fund. Gates rightly highlights that “improvements in…health have relied heavily on the generosity of rich countries,” and that is cause for concern amidst the financial crisis and growing budget deficits across the board. At ONE, we urge our members to use their collective voice to push their elected officials for their support of proven health interventions, in spite of the challenging economic environment. Robust funding for GAVI and the Global Fund is not just a Gates Foundation priority but a global imperative if we truly hope to reduce poverty and improve health in Africa.

TAGS: Bill Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, Global Fund