‘We can’t stop at almost’ — Bill Gates commits fresh $912m to fight malaria, TB

Bill Gates has pledged a fresh $912 million over three years to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. 

The Global Fund is a multilateral financing mechanism that works to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Since 2002, the fund’s partnership has saved 70 million lives.

Speaking at the Goalkeepers flagship event in New York on Monday, Gates warned world leaders that they have a “once-in-a-generation chance” to save millions of children’s lives.

The Gates Foundation chair issued a stark call to eliminate some of the deadliest diseases by 2045.

“Humanity is at a crossroads. With millions of children’s lives on the line, global leaders have a once-in-a-generation chance to do something extraordinary,” Gates said.

“The choices they make now — whether to go forward with proposed steep cuts to health aid or to give the world’s children the chance they deserve to live a healthy life — will determine what kind of future we leave the next generation.”

The pledge comes as donor countries, dealing with domestic challenges, high debt levels, and ageing populations, made dramatic funding cuts to global development assistance for health.

According to a recent study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, global development assistance for health fell by 21 percent between 2024 and 2025, and is now at a 15-year low.

Gates warned that if current cuts hold, they threaten decades of progress that saw child mortality cut in half since 2000, from 10 million children to less than five million children a year.

The Gates Foundation’s new pledge brings its total commitments to the Global Fund to $4.9 billion since 2002, making it one of the foundation’s largest investments.

The Global Fund’s fundraising replenishment cycle ends this November, underscoring the urgency for governments to make pivotal decisions in the coming weeks and months.

Gates optimistic the US will do what’s needed

The US government donated $6 billion to the Global Fund in 2022 and has been the biggest donor to the alliance for fighting deadly diseases across the world.

President Donalt Trump’s White House has however led numerous budget cuts affecting health alliances like the World Health Organisation (WHO), but Gates is optimistic wealthy countries will do what is needed.

“What’s happening to the health of the world’s children is worse than most people realise, but our long-term prospects are better than most people can imagine,” Gates said.

“I don’t expect most governments to suddenly restore foreign aid to historic levels, but I am an optimist, and I believe governments can and will do what’s needed to save as many children as possible.”

Gates presented a roadmap for saving millions of children, which includes renewing investments in proven initiatives such as the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The roadmap also prioritises primary healthcare systems to prevent, detect, and treat childhood illnesses early, and investing in research and development of breakthrough innovations.

These innovations include new approaches to combating malaria, long-acting HIV drugs and prevention options, new maternal vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus and group B streptococcus, and artificial intelligence to improve medicine delivery.

Results from work by the Gates Foundation and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation indicate that sustaining global investments in child health and scaling lifesaving innovations could cut child deaths in half again over the next 20 years.

Since 2002, the Global Fund has saved more than 70 million lives, reduced deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria by more than 60 percent, and strengthened global health security.

Each dollar invested in the Global Fund delivers an estimated $19 in health and economic returns, the foundation said.

The foundation’s pledge aims to galvanise governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to make significant investments for the fund’s eighth replenishment, which is co-hosted by South Africa and the United Kingdom.

“An entire generation is alive today thanks to the world’s generosity, smart investments, and the hard work of governments and Global Fund partners,” Gates said.

“Now, we must go further so the next generation grows up in a world where no child dies from preventable causes.”