We are not right to be a key global health funder, says Gates CEO
Jennifer Rigby
LONDON (Reuters) – It is not right for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to play such a big role in global health funding, but the group will not back away until others step up, its chief executive said.
There has been criticism of the Gates Foundation’s power and influence within the global health sector, including the World Health Organization without the necessary accountability.
Mark Suzman, chief executive, rebuffed the criticisms in his Tuesday annual letter. He stated that the foundation would spend $8.3Billion this year, which is its largest annual budget.
He said that it was wrong for private philanthropy not to be the largest funder of multilateral global health efforts.
“But don’t be fooled, if there is a solution that can improve lives and save lives, then we will advocate relentlessly for it. We will not stop using our influence as well as our monetary commitments in order to find solutions.
Suzman explained that the objective of the fund was to not set the agenda for WHO or other international health groups but to provide better options and data so they can make key decisions.
Bill and Melinda Gates, the tech billionaires-turned-philanthropists who set up the foundation, have long defended their efforts amid questions over whether their vast payouts give them undue influence and impact in global development.
The Gates Foundation is the second largest donor to the WHO after funding efforts to eradicate diseases such as malaria and polio. This has been a topic that critics frequently raised, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suzman wrote, “I would love it if more governments would pass us onto that list – that would mean that more lives would be saved.”
The WHO reached a deal last year that saw member states increase their guaranteed donations, decreasing the role of private donors, and giving the United Nations agency greater spending flexibility.
(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby, Editing by Mark Heinrich