Melinda Gates: Philanthropy can take risks where gov'ts don't

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By CGTN's World Insight

Philanthropy needs to lead the way where authorities are unable or unwilling to help, whether it's to do with education, development or health, as in the case of polio which has now been almost completely been eradicated thanks to concerted international efforts, Melinda Gates told CGTN's World Insight in an exclusive interview.

Philanthropy adds up to only two percent of the entire US budget, but it can take risks “where government can’t or won’t take a risk,” said Gates.

Philanthropy can make use of new scientific innovations and it is the responsibility of civil society and government to scale that up, she added.

Gates and her husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill, are among the world's leading philanthropists, having given tens of billions of dollars to initiatives predominantly focused on health, education, and economic development in developing countries.

Together with Warren Buffet, they started the Giving Pledge, a campaign that encourages the world's wealthiest people to give at least half their wealth to philanthropic causes.

Philanthropy is a learning journey, Melinda Gates told CGTN, and she and her husband were constantly learning about the different fields they got involved in as part of their work.

Through their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they recently announced a commitment of up to 450 million US dollars to support the eradication of polio. The disease has existed for thousands of years, but recent decades have seen the number of cases drop from the thousands to just over a handful.

"We are trying to eradicate polio from the planet and we're very very close," said Gates, noting however that in Syria “basic vaccinations that you do for kids haven’t been kept up because of the war,” leaving dozens of children paralyzed by an outbreak of the disease.

“We're working on some of the problems that humanity has left behind," she added. "You have to have a long-term vision for it and know that you're going to get there, and you just tack against those specific issues and make sure you stay focused on the goal.”

World Insight with Tian Wei is a 45-minute global affairs and debate show on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 10.15 p.m. BJT (1415GMT), with rebroadcasts at 4.15 a.m. BJT (2015GMT).