NEW YORK, Sep 23, 2025 — The Gates Foundation has pledged $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’s 2026-2028 replenishment and urged governments to “do more with less” by scaling affordable, lifesaving innovations for children.
Speaking at the 2025 Goalkeepers event in New York before more than 1,000 global leaders from government, philanthropy and the private sector, Bill Gates said the world stands at a “crossroads” for child survival.
“Humanity is at a crossroads. With millions of children’s lives on the line, global leaders have a once-in-a-generation chance to do something extraordinary,” Gates told the audience. “The choices they make now will determine what kind of future we leave the next generation.”
According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, global development assistance for health dropped 21% between 2024 and 2025 to a 15-year low. Gates warned that if proposed cuts hold, they threaten decades of progress that cut child mortality in half since 2000 — from 10 million to fewer than 5 million deaths annually.
A Roadmap for Saving Millions More
The Gates Foundation presented a roadmap to halve child deaths again by 2045 by:
- Renewing investments in proven initiatives such as the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
- Strengthening primary health care systems to prevent, detect and treat illnesses early.
- Investing in breakthrough innovations, including single-dose malaria treatments, long-acting HIV drugs, maternal vaccines against RSV and GBS, and AI-driven medicine delivery.
“What’s happening to the health of the world’s children is worse than most people realize, but our long-term prospects are better than most people can imagine,” Gates said. “I believe governments can and will do what’s needed to save as many children as possible.”
Celebrating Champions
At the event, the foundation awarded Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez the 2025 Global Goalkeeper Award for increasing Spain’s contributions to the Global Fund and Gavi and expanding official development assistance. Ten other Goalkeepers Champions from Africa, Asia, Europe and the U.S. were recognized for advancing child survival, from Kenya’s Jerop Limo on HIV awareness to Uganda’s Krystal Mwesiga Birungi on youth-centred health access.
The Global Fund replenishment, co-hosted by South Africa and the UK, closes in November. The level of investment in the next three years will determine whether the world can continue curbing HIV, TB and malaria, save millions of lives and strengthen 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,” Gates said. “Now, we must go further so the next generation grows up in a world where no child dies from preventable causes.”
The Gates Foundation will take Goalkeepers to the Middle East for the first time in December and release its 2025 Goalkeepers Report later this year to track progress and highlight how leaders’ choices now will shape child survival for decades to come.
