Bill Gates says his foundation will not compensate for funding shortfalls caused by U.S. and UK aid cuts to global vaccination efforts, warning of rising child mortality as a result.
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has said the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will not make up for funding gaps created by major reductions in global vaccine support from Western governments, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom.
Speaking ahead of a crucial donor conference in Brussels, Gates said the foundation would maintain its $1.6 billion contribution to Gavi, the international vaccine alliance, but would not exceed that amount despite pressure created by shrinking state aid.
“We’re not a substitute,” Gates told the Financial Times.
“Even people who are cutting should prioritise Gavi as some portion of their budget.”
He described Gavi as the “best buy in global health” and called for sustained government support.
Gavi aims to raise $9 billion to expand its efforts, which include vaccinating an additional 500 million children over the next five years. But the alliance is facing major shortfalls due to declining commitments from its top donors, the U.S. and UK. Combined with the Gates Foundation, these entities accounted for more than half of all pledges to Gavi between 2000 and 2023.
The Trump administration’s latest budget includes no allocation for Gavi. Meanwhile, the UK has pledged to remain a “leading investor” despite implementing a 40% cut to its international aid as a share of national income.
Gates, who has spoken with members of the U.S. Congress, warned that the consequences of such cuts are already being felt.
“For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down,” he said, citing the reversal of decades-long gains in child mortality.
He emphasised that fully funding Gavi would be the most effective step in reversing the rise in global child deaths. “That is a tragedy,” Gates said.
If U.S. and UK contributions fall below the $1.6 billion mark, the Gates Foundation would become Gavi’s single largest donor. It is also set to become the top funder of the World Health Organisation after President Donald Trump initiated a U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations health body.
“It would be a strange world where a single individual is a bigger giver to the World Health Organization and Gavi than every other country in the world,” Gates said. “That is a very strange thing.”
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