Bill Gates

21st Century Development: Innovation with Impact

Nov 3rd, 2011 4:36 PM UTC
By Peter Taylor

While leaders meet at the G20 summit in Cannes, Bill Gates was invited to speak about financing for development.

In his report, he makes the case for why we must continue investing in the livelihoods of poor people—and he suggests some innovative ways to do it.

In the report, Bill Gates says:

“Leadership from the G20 is critically important right now. The global economic situation is as fragile as it has been at any time in the past 50 years. As leaders of the G20, you face a difficult challenge: How do you resolve the immediate crisis while continuing to make smart investments in long-term growth and improved living conditions?

In the past 50 years, a billion people were saved from starvation by advances in agriculture. Health has improved in stunning ways, thanks to innovations like vaccines. In 1960, 20 million children under the age of 5 died. In 2010, fewer than 8 million children under 5 died. The world population more than doubled during this time, which means the rate of death has been cut by over 80 percent. Aid generosity has played an important role in these successes

Despite the current economic crisis, I am optimistic that we can build on the generosity and innovations that worked in the past. The group of countries able to contribute resources to development is larger than ever before. The number of people who can spur innovations is much greater than in the past. For these reasons, I am convinced we can create a new era in development.”

You can download a full copy of the report 21st Century Development: Innovation with impact from the Gates Foundation website.

Budge up Bono and Bob – Bill’s the Big New Activist for This G20

Oct 25th, 2011 3:28 PM UTC
By Jamie Drummond

This blog  originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

While Bono and Bob Geldof have long been banging away, pressing world leaders for progress to help the poorest with debt cancellation, more money and better policies to fight hunger and disease, there is a tough new activist in town: Seattle’s finest, Bill Gates Jnr.

In a remarkable twist of political theatre, the billionaire philanthropist – who’s foundation gives away $2.5bn a year – has been asked by President Sarkozy to present his vision on how to finance the fight against poverty to the mixed bag of G20 leaders when they meet next week in Cannes.

To those who don’t know him, it will seem a surprisingly radical vision. Bill will call for a new partnership of revolutionary innovation between the developed world, the emerging powerhouses of the BRICS, the developing world and the private sector. Mr Gates has a devastating deadpan data-delivery style.

Bono calls it the “Kill Bill” manoeuvre. We trust it will go down well with world leaders.

It is essential we all pay serious attention to his proposals because they may shape the fight against extreme poverty for a generation to come. So if you don’t like his proposals, you should feel free to shout out. If you do like them – well, let’s shout even louder.

Even before the report has been published, much attention has been given to Gates’ support for a financial transaction tax. There are clearly huge opportunities here and those countries that are willing to do so should adopt such a levy, but with one key proviso: a significant portion of the proceeds must go towards fighting global inequalities and helping those in extreme poverty.

But this step alone is not enough. Not even its biggest supporters will argue that an FTT can singlehandedly finance the fight against extreme poverty. Fortunately there are many other big and wide-reaching proposals in his paper which also deserve urgent attention and action.

First up is Mr Gates’ push for legally binding measures to enforce transparency in the oil, gas and mining sector. Africa’s natural resources were worth $246 billion in exports in 2009. The proportion of this wealth that was spent on public services and helping people to pull themselves out of poverty should have been much larger than it was.

But without the transparency that shines a light on the contracts that governments sign with big business, money goes astray. He may not know it but in recommending this he has thrown his weight behind the “Publish What You Pay” coalition that ONE is part of, which has been campaigning on this issue for years.

The campaign helped push the USA to lead on this issue, and indeed just today the European Commission is presenting its proposals for legally binding rules to force companies extracting natural resources to make public their payments to governments. So just as Bill’s proposals on a financial transaction tax takes on the Big Banks, so his proposal on transparency takes on Big Oil.

This is why Bill is shaping up to be such a fascinating evidence-based activist. By just following the hard data his empirical process is leading to some very big ideas.

Gates’ proposals will get to the heart of the issue around the future financing of the fight against poverty. Ultimately the largest source of money for fighting poverty comes from within developing countries. The more our aid – resources given by European and American taxpayers – is used to leverage their aid – resources raised by African and other developing country taxpayers for their priorities – the smarter our aid will be and the sooner we can get out of the aid business altogether.

This is similar to the point Tony Blair made in his speech to the Overseas Development Institute last week. It’s not an argument for ending aid prematurely, rather it’s a case for scaling aid up smartly as promised until it is dwarfed entirely by the resources African citizens raise for themselves to fight poverty and promote growth. Then the aid industry exits stage left, job done.

And the job is already half done. Africa has come a long way in the last decade or so since debts were dropped and aid became bigger and smarter. Here are just some of the numbers.

46.5 million more kids started going to school in Africa between 1999 and 2008. In 2009, nearly 4 million Africans were receiving antiretroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS, up from only 50,000 in 2002. Measles deaths in Africa declined by 92% between 2000 and 2008. Remarkable stuff, but more to do.

That is why Bill is also eyeing the huge sums sitting in the coffers of the emerging powers. 1% of sovereign wealth funds may not seem like a lot, but when you realise they currently are currently worth just under $5 trillion, that’s a decent sum.

Applying that kind of money to investments in agriculture and infrastructure can quickly reduce the marginalisation that blights vast regions and put them in a position where they can function fully in the global economy. That is in the interests of all. Current global growth is just about creeping along only because of the arrival of the Chinas and Indias. Africa will be next and the sooner African growth surges even more to help prop up the global economy, the better for us all.

So the future of development finance is about unlocking the capital of emerging economies – but Bill argues it’s also about unlocking their creativity. Their recent experience with rapid development gives them a wealth not just of cash but of knowledge which, if used wisely and mixed with the dynamism of entrepreneurs in developing countries, will unleash job-generating growth not just for their economies but for the global economy.

There remains a real risk that the Cannes G20 summit will go down as the moment where we failed to not just get the Eurozone sorted, but also failed to spot the surging opportunities in this changing world. To world leaders I would say only this: pay heed to Bill Gates’ modest proposals – they could well be the best way to figure out the future not just of financing the fight against poverty, but also the fight for global growth.

Conference to save 4 million lives in 4 years #4mlives

Jun 13th, 2011 9:27 AM UTC
By Peter Taylor

This morning a historic conference is taking place in London, with the aim of pledging support for vaccines which could help save 4 million lives.

On Friday we handed in a petition signed by 300,000 ONE members calling on world leaders to support vaccines, and ONE members were at the conference greeting delegates as they arrived, reminding them that they have 4 hours to save 4 million more lives.

You can follow updates on our blog here, or by searching for the #4mlives hashtag on twitter.

Updates

DFID have put together some information for bloggers covering the event

9.50 David Cameron gives a speech defending the UK’s commitment to aid – UK aid will ensure that a child is vaccinated every 2 seconds for the next 5 years.  “I believe when you make a promise to the poorest people in the world, you should keep it”

You can read his speech in full on the Downing Street website.

10.15 Bill Gates speaks to the conference ‘not everyday we give away a billion dollars but for a cause like this it is exciting to be doing it’

The Guardian are covering the event in their live blog here

View from the Social Media room: ONE supporter @SnailWhaleTail tweets:  Pres of Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf being interviewed at @GAVIAlliance http://yfrog.com/h0gqoidqj

13.30 Watch the live webcast from the press conference.

13.43 Andrew Mitchell: announces 4.3billion US dollars for vaccines at the pledging conference today – 230 million additional doses of vaccine

13.46 Bill Gates: the momentum we’ve developed here means that future vaccines will be purchasable for those who need it the most

“If you can save 4 million lives in 4 hours it’s worth every minute.”

Sharing the Proof in Germany

Apr 18th, 2011 12:59 PM UTC
By Alicia Blázquez

Last week, Living Proof was finally launched in Germany. Living Proof focuses on the success stories and the amazing progress we can see thanks to smart aid – because despite all the bad news we hear from Africa and other developing countries, there is real progress in the fight against extreme poverty! We have strong evidence and proof for that – and we want to share this “Living Proof” throughout Germany. To this end, we have selected 20 amazing Youth Messengers, who will help us do just that over the next few months. The messengers are from all over Germany, extremely committed and many of them have even been to Africa and seen the challenges and successes for themselves.

We are very proud that Federal President Christian Wulff agreed to serve as patron of this program. On the occasion of the German Living Proof launch, President Wulff invited the Youth Messengers to “Bellevue Castle”, where they had the chance to meet the President, his wife, and – last but not least – Bill Gates. The President praised the commitment of the Youth Messengers and the positive outlook of Living Proof. Bill Gates asked the Youth Messengers to share the proof with as many people as possible, and to find creative ways of doing this.

Right after this exciting meeting the Youth Messengers joined Bill Gates for a photo session at the famous Brandenburg Gate. Here, our Youth Messengers were in great demand of the media. Many of them were interviewed and seized the opportunity to share the proof with the readers out there.

After this photo stunt, the Youth Messengers attended the Transatlantic Partnership Award Ceremony in honor of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at the Ritz-Carlton. Bill Gates accepted the award on behalf of the foundation and gave a fascinating speech filled with facts, facts, facts – and featuring a very moving story of an African mother who lost her baby to a pneumonia, an easily preventable disease. Since then, she works with her community to ensure that mothers have their babies vaccinated on time. Indeed, between 2000 and 2009 the death of 5.4 million children was prevented thanks to the effective vaccination programs of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). Really impressive!

In the afternoon, our Youth Messengers participated in a workshop in which we trained them for their upcoming tasks. Renate Bähr, director of our partner-NGO German Foundation for World Population, spoke about challenges and progress regarding the Millennium Development Goals. MP Thilo Hoppe talked about the role of the German parliament in shaping Germany’s development policies and financial contributions. The Youth Messengers were also invited to visit the Development Ministry and meet with Deputy Development Minister Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz. He was very proud to report that earlier that day the Development Ministry and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had signed a cooperation agreement to ensure that the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization gets more resources to continue and further amplify their successful work. Last but not least, our Youth Messengers were trained by Julius van de Laar, a leading campaigning expert, on how to combine online and offline tools to share the proof!

As you can imagine, at the end of this long and exciting day the Youth Messengers (and the ONE team) were quite exhausted, but also highly motivated – because this was just the beginning! The actual work starts now, and our Youth Messengers are already organizing Living Proof events and activities to reach as many people as possible. We will keep you posted on Living Proof in Germany.

Homeward bound

Apr 7th, 2011 2:37 PM UTC
By Roxane Philson

How to sum up the last three days in Europe?

Stamina.

Not mine, but Bill Gates’… It’s unreal. He flew in overnight on Sunday, and in just two and a half days travelled to three cities, delivered three powerful Living Proof presentations, lobbied Presidents, Chancellors, and Ministers, gave numerous media interviews and rallied activists. He is a testament to the ability of a committed person to change the world. Of course, he has a few more resources at his disposal than most – but all the more impressive to think he could just be sat on a yacht sipping down piña coladas.

As I expect he himself would say however, Bill Gates isn’t what the trip should be about. What’s important is the impact, did we make a difference? Well, there have already been impressive outcomes from this visit, including France, Germany and the European Commission pledging to increase their funding for vital vaccines. This extra support will save thousands of children’s lives and free up health systems in developing countries to build healthier, more productive communities.

However, the news yesterday on broken promises shows us how fragile our gains can be and reminds me why this is just the start of our Living Proof campaign…

So, if there is one thing you do today please pass on some Living Proof to a friend, colleague, politician, or loved one (you can find plenty of food for thought on our new website), or simply use the widget below, and encourage them to do the same.

As my grandmother always said you catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar…

Youth Messengers Share the Living Proof in Germany

Apr 6th, 2011 1:51 PM UTC
By Roxane Philson

This morning I travelled with 20 ‘ONE Youth Messengers’ to Bellevue Schloss, the official residence of the German President, to meet with President Wulff and Bill Gates and launch a new programme to Share the Proof with other young people in Germany.

ONE Youth Messengers

The Youth Messengers are a truly inspiring group – many have travelled to Africa and seen first-hand the impact smart aid is having on the ground – and Bill encouraged them to use their long-term vision, to be creative and to get the word out. I can’t wait to see how they get on in the days and weeks ahead.

I also want to continue on a theme I began last night, about the unexpected. This morning I was reminded that there are people who work in politics who care just as passionately as any of us about the injustices of extreme poverty. Take Georg Schmidt, the German President’s Head Africa Development Policy. Now, at this point I have to admit that my German is a little sketchy, but he really was extremely compelling – sharing his own experience of Africa, having lived in Mali for three years, and the positive progress he had seen on the ground. He wasn’t jaded and he still had the fire in his belly (in a buttoned up way), which we hope he will continue to use to fight on behalf of the world’s poorest people.

Bill Gates and ONE members in Berlin

After the meeting it was on to Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate for the unveiling of my favourite Living Proof artwork yet. It was great to see such an important message flanked by ONE members who will ensure other people get involved and that together we share the proof.

A whirlwind afternoon in Strasbourg

Apr 6th, 2011 11:30 AM UTC
By Eloise Todd

Living Proof hit Strasbourg yesterday afternoon and never has so much been done in 4 hours!

First stop was the European Parliament’s Development Committee, where Bill Gates answered questions from Members of the European Parliament on everything from investing in agriculture, why child vaccines are good for climate change (they will help reduce population numbers as better life expectancy leads families to have less children) to programmes for hand washing to improve sanitation.

Watch the video of Bill’s presentation and the questions and answers here [click on the 'Language' link on the video to select your chosen language]:

Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, and Bill Gates posted a joint tweet on Living Proof, and Bill’s meetings with European Commissioners covered how environmental policy can contribute to development through green growth, how research and development can invest in more health and agriculture, and how more trade and more aid are needed for development to work.

Development Commissioner Piebalgs and President Barroso endorsed the vital work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI), and Barroso stated that 33% of the 1 billion Euros he committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) last September will be dedicated to the health MDGs, and also committed to increasing the European Commission’s contribution to GAVI at the June pledging conference in London. Very positive!

We’ll be working with ONE Members to make sure those promises become reality , but we were assured that when the Commission commits, it delivers, and we’re very much looking forward to the next 7-year budget to make sure that development remains a priority.

Today the Living Proof campaign moves to Germany, so the baton passes from Strasbourg to Berlin. Onwards!

Sometimes it’s the unexpected things that are the most powerful

Apr 5th, 2011 7:22 PM UTC
By Roxane Philson

Last night ONE hosted a Living Proof event in Paris event aimed at convincing French politicians that development is worth their investment, and that they should stick to their promise of reaching 0.7% of Gross National Income on development assistance by 2015.

As I mentioned in my first blog in this series, if Living Proof is to succeed it needs to touch both the head and the heart. Bill Gates and prominent economist Esther Dufflo both made powerful arguments – one of the most interesting was about whether by saving lives we contribute to overpopulation. Bill himself had questioned this when he first got in to development work and after researching the issue came up with some surprising findings.

He found evidence to support the view that when families know their children have a better chance of surviving they choose to have fewer children. This was illustrated on a visual by the graphical and global health guru Hans Rosling (see his TED Talks), which you can see here in an earlier presentation:

You’ll see that as life expectancy goes up, family size goes down…

And so to matters of the heart…If a good hour of facts and figures hadn’t won you over then cue Mamadou Touré a softly spoken man from Cameroon and head of the Africa 2.0 initiative (which mobilizes young African leaders to create change from within). Mamadou stood up to ask a question, and as he did explained that part of the reason he was there and creating his own change was thanks to the opportunities afforded to him thanks in part to aid – he said he himself was ‘Living Proof’.

Sometimes it’s the unexpected things that are the most powerful.

Sharing the Living Proof in Strasbourg

Apr 5th, 2011 12:07 PM UTC
By Eloise Todd

It’s the second day of Living Proof’s European launch and today Bill Gates will come to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to talk about how smart aid investments make political and economic sense – even in a downturn.

First, Bill will address the European Parliament’s Development Committee, which will be streamed live online at 14:00 CET. Members of the Parliament’s budgets committees have also been invited to hear how even when budgets are under pressure, money for child vaccines, healthcare and agriculture can give some of the biggest returns on investment.

Update: A video of the session is now available online on the European Parliament website

There will also be meetings with key European Commissioners- including Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development who is responsible for the world’s second largest aid budget (12.6% of global Overseas Development Aid at the last count) and President of the Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. Bill will also be meeting President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, who has already been tweeting about Living Proof.

That’s a lot to fit in to an afternoon, but in this historic corner of France we’ll be talking to MEPs, Commissioners and citizens from all corners of the 27 EU Member States. Help us spread that message on Facebook and use the #livingproof hashtag on twitter.

Got to run now, more later!

Monday in Paris

Apr 4th, 2011 8:46 PM UTC
By Roxane Philson

As a ONE member, you can never be sure what you’ll be doing in the name of fighting extreme poverty – it can have some funny twists… One day you might be calling your government to stop proposed budget cuts and the next you might be working with Bill Gates in Paris to promote action on vaccines. Ok, it doesn’t happen THAT often, but for a few of our French members today, that was their experience…

We met up this very bracing Monday morning at the Trocadero in Paris.  ONE members were there to support Bill Gates in the first of a series artwork unveilings taking place over the next few days in Europe, and to get the message out. They also attempted to hold back the photographers fighting for the best spot (note to self: brush up on karate skills and never wear ballet flats to such events…).

Bill Gates used the unveiling to stress the need to finally put an end to Polio.  For many of us it might come as a surprise that this disease still exists – in fact, since 1988, this vaccine, which only costs 13 cents,  has been provided to billions of children and the number of cases is down more than 99%.  But as with smallpox, they key is to eradicate this disease completely so that it can’t keep coming back. 13 cents to save a life… It gives me some perspective…I don’t think anyone can argue with that as a good investment.

Tonight is different again – an event with French politicians to persuade them their investments are worth it…

More to come…