Gates Foundation commits $200 million to pay for medical supplies and contraception
CTV
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $200 million to help save the lives of mothers and children during childbirth, as the largest American philanthropic donor throws its weight behind the issue during the non-profit's annual Goalkeepers conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $200 million to help save the lives of mothers and children during childbirth, as the largest American philanthropic donor throws its weight behind the issue during the non-profit's annual Goalkeepers conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Melinda French Gates, who says the issue is personal to her, smiled broadly as she introduced herself not just as the co-founder and co-chair of the foundation but as "Nona," or grandmother, gesturing to her oldest daughter, Jennifer, who was seated in the audience in New York on Wednesday.
The foundation pledged $100 million each to health products manufacturer Unitaid, and UNFPA, the UN agency for reproductive health, to fund access to health care and contraceptive supplies and information in low- and middle-income countries. The Gates Foundation has been a major supporter of Unitaid, donating $50 million in each 2012 and 2017, according to the foundation's grant database.
Founded in 2017, the Goalkeepers initiative is how the foundation tracks progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, which UN member countries agreed in 2015 to meet by 2030. The goals set lofty targets to reduce poverty, improve health and education and protect the environment, though progress toward achieving them has fallen significantly off track, especially following the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
In an effort to reach an audience outside of government officials, experts and policy circles, the foundation hosted an award ceremony in New York Tuesday evening and recruited social media influencers to cover it, said Blessing Omakwu, who leads the Goalkeepers initiative.
"My goal is they go back and take these things that we said in a very policy way and make it accessible to their followings and say, `Look, this matters. You should care about maternal health,"' she said.
French Gates recognized former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter with a lifetime achievement award, pointing in part Carter's long commitment to the elimination of guinea worm disease. Singer Bono also received a special award for his work advocating over many years for access to health care in developing countries and for the role he played in launching the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.
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