The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $912 million over the next three years to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, urging governments to make bold decisions that could save millions of lives.
Announcing the pledge at the 2025 Goalkeepers event on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Foundation, described the Global Fund as “one of the most effective lifesaving initiatives,” noting it has saved more than 70 million lives since its creation in 2002.
He said the fund has reduced deaths from AIDS, TB and malaria by over 60 per cent while strengthening global health security.
“Each dollar invested in the Global Fund delivers an estimated $19 in health and economic returns,” Gates said, adding that the new commitment brings the Foundation’s total support to $4.9 billion since 2002.
The pledge is expected to boost contributions to the Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, co-hosted by South Africa and the United Kingdom, which concludes 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,” Gates said.
He added: “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.”
The Goalkeepers event, attended by over 1,000 leaders from government, philanthropy and the private sector, focused on renewing global commitment to saving children’s lives. Gates urged leaders to seize what he described as a “once-in-a-generation chance” to eliminate deadly childhood diseases by 2045.
However, he expressed concern that donor countries are cutting back on health spending due to high debt levels, domestic challenges and ageing populations.
Citing data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), he noted that global development assistance for health dropped by 21 per cent between 2024 and 2025, falling to a 15-year low.
Gates warned that sustained cuts could reverse decades of progress, including halving child mortality since 2000 from 10 million to fewer than five million deaths annually.
Despite shrinking budgets, Gates said the path forward remained clear: sustained investments, innovative health solutions and strong primary healthcare systems. Research by the Gates Foundation and IHME shows that continued investments and scaled innovations could halve child deaths again within 20 years.
The roadmap calls for renewed commitments to proven initiatives such as the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; strengthening primary healthcare to detect and treat childhood illnesses early; and increased investment in research and development.
It also highlights breakthrough innovations, including new malaria-prevention tools, single-dose malaria treatments, long-acting HIV drugs, maternal vaccines against respiratory infections, and the use of artificial intelligence to accelerate and lower the cost of medicine delivery.
“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.
