Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warns, ‘What's happening to the health of the world's children is…’

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that shrinking global health funding is putting millions of children’s lives at risk. Gates was speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event where he announced a $912 million pledge to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

During the event, he cautioned that private donations cannot fully replace government support. “I am not capable of making up what the government cuts, and I don't want to create an illusion of that,” Bill Gates said.His comments came ahead of the Gates Foundation’s annual Goalkeepers event in New York, which this year focused on renewing global commitment to child survival. Gates revealed that his foundation would contribute $912 million over three years to the Global Fund for its 2026–2028 replenishment cycle.In a Gates Foundation blog post, Gates wrote:“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. I don't expect most governments to suddenly restore foreign aid to historic levels, but I am an optimist, and I believe governments can and will do what's needed to save as many children as possible.”According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, global health assistance fell 21% between 2024 and 2025, hitting a 15-year low. Gates warned that these cuts threaten decades of progress, which had reduced child mortality from 10 million in 2000 to under 5 million annually today.At the Goalkeepers event, he also outlined a strategy to save millions more lives by 2045 through cost-effective innovations and efficient use of resources.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was honored with the 2025 Global Goalkeeper Award during the ceremony.Earlier this year, Gates criticized US foreign aid cuts under the Trump administration, including the withdrawal of funding from Gavi, the vaccine alliance. He warned that such reductions could reverse decades of progress and, citing a Lancet study, projected an additional 8 million child deaths by 2040 if funding is not restored.