Bill Gates promised on Thursday donating almost all his personal wealth in the next two decades and said that the poorest in the world would receive about US $ 200,000 million Through its foundation, at a time when governments around the world are cutting international aid.
He also attacked Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a key figure in the administration of President Donald Trump, accusing him of “Killing the poorest children in the world” with huge cuts to the United States help budget.
“The image of the richest man in the world by killing the poorest children in the world is nothing flattering,” Gates declared the Financial Times. The Government Efficiency Department, led by Musk, has led to the destruction of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, which had previously provided billions of dollars in financing for all types of projects, from children’s vaccines to emergency food assistance.
Gates and Musk once agreed on the role of the rich when giving moneybut since then they have faced several times.
Gates said he was accelerating the plans to sell his fortune and close the Gates Foundation on December 31, 2045.
“People will say many things about me when they die, but I am determined that ‘Rico died’ is not one of them”wrote the multimillionaire co -founder of Microsoft and a philanthropist of 69 years in a publication on its website.
“There are too many urgent problems to solve As if you can retain resources that could be used to help people. “
In an implicit reprimand to the aid cut that Trump has made since he returned to office in JanuaryGates’ statement said he wanted to help prevent newborn babies, children and mothers from dying due to preventable causes, ending diseases such as polio, malaria and measles, and reducing poverty.
“It is not clear if the richest countries in the world will continue to defend their poorest inhabitants.”Gates added, pointing out the cuts of the main donors, including Britain and France, in addition to the United States, the largest donor in the world.
Gates said that despite the deep resources of the Foundation, progress would not be possible without government support.
He praised the response to the aid cuts in Africa, where some governments have reassigned budgets, but said, for example, that the polio would not be eradicated without US financing.
Gates made the announcement on the 25th anniversary of the Foundation. He founded the organization with his then wife, Melinda French Gates, in E2000, and subsequently joined the investor Warren Buffett.
“I have traveled a long way since I was a child And I started a software company with a high school friend, “he said.
The Foundation has donated $ 100,000 million
Since its creation, the Foundation has donated US $ 100,000 millionhelping to save millions of lives and supporting initiatives such as the Gavi Vaccine Group and the World Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The Foundation will close after spending about 99% of its personal fortune, said Gates. The founders initially expected the Foundation to close in the decades after their death.
Gates, whose fortune today is valued at about US $ 108,000 million, expects the Foundation to spend about US $ 200,000 million by 2045, Final figure that will depend on markets and inflation.
The Foundation is already an important actor in world health, with an annual budget that will reach US $ 9,000 million in 2026. He has faced criticism for his enormous power and influence in the field without the necessary accountability, even before the World Health Organization.
Gates himself was also subject to conspiracy theories, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Gates has spoken with Trump several times in recent months about the importance of continuing to invest in world health.
“I hope that other wealthy people consider how much they could accelerate the progress of the poorest in the world if they increased the rhythm and scale of their donations, Because it is a deeply shocking way to give back to society, “Gates wrote.
