Bill Gates gives $20 billion to stem 'significant suffering'

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Despite huge global setbacks in the past few years, I see incredible heroism and sacrifice all over the world and I believe progress is possible,” Bill Gates, the foundation’s co-chair, said in a statement. “But the great crises of our time require all of us to do more… I hope by giving more, we can mitigate some of the suffering people are facing right now and help fulfill the foundation’s vision to give every person the chance to live a healthy and productive life.” Co-chair Melinda French Gates said the additional spending will help provide a more “fair and inclusive recovery.” “Philanthropy has a unique role to play in helping people around the world recover from the pandemic and rebuild the underlying systems that left so many so vulnerable to begin with,” French Gates said in a statement. At the “Hunger Pains: The Growing Global Food Crisis” webinar Monday, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman said two decades of advances have been halted by the current global crises spawned by the Russian invasion. “Polarization is forcing us to look backwards and fight again for basic human rights, social justice, and democratic norms.” While achieving gender equality has long been one of the foundation's primary investment areas, in his essay, Bill Gates singled out the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade as “a huge setback for gender equality, for women’s health, and for overall human progress.” “The potential for even further regression is scary,” he added.