On the 24th of January, Bill Gates was invited by the European Parliament to be the keynote speaker at the meeting of the Committee on Development. He presented his extensive experience as co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the fight against poverty. He emphasized the work of the European Union, describing it as an example for the rest of the world to follow. The EU has a unique understanding of regional and economic cooperation and as a unified body, it displayed its generosity, preventing millions of poverty related deaths. The work is certainly far from over, as there are still more than 2 billion people living on the edge. This paradox was discussed today in the European Parliament.
Third world countries have limited food, medicines and vaccines against infectious diseases. Eight million children still die each year before they reach the age of five. Fifty years ago, twenty million children died before they reached this age. Bill Gates presented these topics through the work of his foundation and its partners, working to fight poverty through applications of medicines, vaccines and food.
Mr. Gates explained that his philanthropy stems from his parents, further stating that everyone should be aware of how their actions have the potential to achieve great results. A survey, conducted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that 70% of Europeans believe that development aid is an important value. This further compels us to continue the work to improve living conditions in underdeveloped countries.
The Foundation primarily emphasizes two areas of assistance: health and agriculture. Fantastic results have been achieved in the eradication of childhood diseases, greatly reducing mortality in underdeveloped countries. Agricultural investments have also led to greater domestic production of food in underdeveloped areas.
Bill Gates ended his speech with two key donor concerns. The first concern is that financial assistance given to countries somehow inhibits their own efforts to fight poverty. The second is that aid does not reach the right people. He believes that there are many examples that can alleviate these concerns. Corruption, in his eyes, is largely a historical problem that was intertwined with Cold War politics. He believes that programs like the Global Fund successfully identify and prevent corruption. Most importantly however, is for donors to see the positive effects of aid and then to decide where and how to donate.
