By Oluwafunke Ishola

The Gates Foundation has pledged 912 million dollars  over the next three years to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The foundation urged governments to take crucial decisions that could affect the lives of millions of people.

Bill Gates, Chair of the foundation, said the Global Fund was one of the most effective lifesaving initiatives, noting it had saved more than 70 million lives since its creation in 2002.

Speaking at the 2025 Goalkeepers event on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Gates said the fund had reduced deaths from AIDS, TB, and malaria by more than 60 per cent, while strengthening global health security.

According to him, each dollar invested in the Global Fund delivers an estimated $19 in health and economic returns.

He disclosed that the new pledge brings the foundation’s total commitments to $4.9 billion since 2002, making it one of its largest investments.

Gates explained that the pledge was designed to galvanise governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to contribute greatly to the Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, co-hosted by South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The replenishment cycle ends in November.

“With millions of lives on the line, the level of investment in the Global Fund over the next three years will determine whether the world saves lives, curbs HIV, TB, and malaria, and bolsters economies and global health security.

“An entire generation is alive today thanks to the world’s generosity, smart investments, and the hard work of governments and Global Fund partners. Now, we must go further so the next generation grows up in a world where no child dies from preventable causes,” he said.

The Goalkeepers event, attended by over 1,000 government, philanthropy, and private-sector leaders, focused on reigniting a shared commitment to saving children’s lives.

Gates urged leaders to seize the opportunity to make some of the deadliest childhood diseases history by 2045.

“Humanity is at a crossroads. With millions of children’s lives at stake, global leaders have a once-in-a-generation chance to do something extraordinary. The choices they make now, whether to cut health aid or to give children the chance to live healthy lives, will shape the future,” Gates said.

He observed that many donor countries had slashed global health budgets due to domestic challenges, high debt levels, and ageing populations.

Citing the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), he noted that global development assistance for health (DAH) fell by 21 per cent between 2024 and 2025, reaching a 15-year low.

Gates warned that if current cuts hold, they could reverse decades of progress that halved child mortality since 2000, from 10 million to less than five million deaths annually.

Albeit shrinking budgets, he said the roadmap for progress remained clear: sustained investments, innovative health solutions, and strong primary healthcare systems.

Findings by the Gates Foundation and IHME show that continued investments and scaled innovations could cut child deaths in half again over the next 20 years.

“We have a roadmap for saving millions of children and making some of the deadliest childhood diseases history by 2045. I urge world leaders to invest in the health of all people, especially children, to deliver this future,” Gates said.

The roadmap calls for renewed commitments to proven initiatives such as the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to help countries make cost-effective health decisions, access vaccines and medicines, and transition to self-reliance.

It also recommends prioritising primary healthcare to detect and treat childhood illnesses early, investing in research and development, and deploying breakthrough innovations.

These include new malaria-prevention tools, single-dose malaria treatments, long-acting HIV drugs, maternal vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus and group B streptococcus, and the use of artificial intelligence for faster and cheaper delivery of medicines. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Tosin Kolade