Annual Letter 2017

------=_Part_267006132_1169481995.1487093041676 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_267006133_341573900.1487093041677" ------=_Part_267006133_341573900.1487093041677 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Gates Notes Insiders Newsletter [ [ [ [ View Online [ | Send to a= Friend [mailto:Enter%20an%20email?subject=3DYour%20Subject %20Line&body=3D= Thought%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20= s.com/GlobalPages/NewsLetter] [] February 14th, 2017 | Our Annual Letter Warren Buffett=E2=80=99s Best Investment By Bill and Melinda Gates | Read Our Full Letter Online [= otes.com/2017-Annual-Letter] Our 2017 annual letter is addressed to our dear friend Warren Buffett, who = in 2006 donated the bulk of his fortune to our foundation to fight disease = and reduce inequity. A few months ago, Warren asked us to reflect on what i= mpact his gift has had on the world. What follows is our answer to him. It=E2=80=99s a story about the stunning gains the poorest people in the wor= ld have made over the last 25 years. This incredible progress has been made= possible not only by the generosity of Warren and other philanthropists, t= he charitable giving of individuals across the world, and the efforts of th= e poor on their own behalf=E2=80=94but also by the huge contributions made = by donor nations, which account for the vast majority of global health and = development funding. Our letter is being released amid dramatic political transitions in these c= ountries, including new leadership in the United States and the United King= dom. We hope this story will remind everyone why foreign aid should remain = a priority=E2=80=94because by lifting up the poorest, we express the highes= t values of our nations. One of the greatest of those values is the belief that the best investment = any of us can ever make is in the lives of others. As we explain to Warren = in our letter, the returns are tremendous. Dear Warren, Your gift a decade ago left us speechless. It was the biggest single gift a= nyone ever gave anybody for anything, and we knew we owed you a fantastic r= eturn on your investment. In this letter, we=E2=80=99ll share some highlights with you, and we=E2=80= =99ll focus on global health=E2=80=94because that was the starting point of= our philanthropy, and it=E2=80=99s the majority of what we do. We don=E2=80=99t have sales and profits to show you. But there are numbers = we watch closely to guide our work and measure our progress. Let=E2=80=99s start with the most important one. Our Favorite Number Melinda: Every September, the UN announces the number of children under fiv= e who died the previous year. Every year, this number breaks my heart and g= ives me hope. It=E2=80=99s tragic that so many children are dying, but ever= y year more children live. Bill: If you add up each year=E2=80=99s gains, 122 million children under a= ge five have been saved over the past 25 years. These are children who woul= d have died if mortality rates had stayed where they were in 1990. Melinda: Saving children=E2=80=99s lives is an end in itself. But it has ot= her benefits as well. If parents believe their children will survive=E2=80= =94and they have access to contraceptives that let them time and space thei= r pregnancies=E2=80=94they=E2=80=99re able to choose how many children to h= ave. Bill: When a mother can choose how many children to have, her children are = healthier, they=E2=80=99re better nourished, their mental capacities are hi= gher=E2=80=94and parents have more time and money to spend on each child=E2= =80=99s health and schooling. That=E2=80=99s how families and countries get= out of poverty. The Best Deal Is Vaccines Melinda: Coverage for the basic package of childhood vaccines is the highes= t it=E2=80=99s ever been, at 86 percent. And the coverage gap between rich = countries and developing countries is the lowest it=E2=80=99s ever been. Th= is explains a lot of the gains in childhood survival=E2=80=94vaccines are t= he single biggest reason for the drop in under-five deaths. Reducing Newborn Mortality Bill: The first day of life is especially dangerous for babies, and more th= an 2.5 million newborns die in their first month. The world hasn=E2=80=99t = made as much progress in this area as we have in others. Newborn deaths now= represent 45 percent of all childhood deaths, up from 40 percent in 1990. Melinda: But some very poor countries have improved their survival rates by= encouraging breastfeeding and increasing the number of trained health work= ers attending births. And health centers we=E2=80=99re funding in Africa ar= e now doing autopsies so pathologists can learn more about the causes of ne= wborn deaths. Bill had the opportunity to observe one of these autopsies la= st year in South Africa. Ending Malnutrition Melinda: Malnutrition makes kids more likely to die from childhood diseases= . It also stunts their growth and hurts their cognitive development. Bill: Malnutrition destroys the most human potential on the planet. We=E2= =80=99re funding research to identify key nutrients and find ways of gettin= g them into the diets of kids in poor countries. When researchers make thes= e discoveries, the rise in the number of children who achieve their potenti= al will change the world. The Power of Family Planning Melinda: Three hundred million women in the developing world have access to= modern contraceptives. This number is an all-time high, but there are stil= l 225 million women in developing countries who want to use modern contrace= ptives and can=E2=80=99t get them. That=E2=80=99s tragic. Contraceptives sa= ve lives and reduce poverty. When women in developing countries space their= births by at least three years, their children are almost twice as likely = to reach their first birthday. When women can time and space their pregnanc= ies, they are more likely to advance their education, earn an income, and h= ave healthy children. This leads to greater prosperity=E2=80=94and it start= s with women who have the power to choose how many children to have. Poverty Is Sexist Bill: Poverty is sexist. The poorer the society, the less power women have.= Men decide if a woman is allowed to go outside, talk to other women, earn = an income. The male dominance in poorer societies is mind-blowing. Melinda: Fortunately, as a society becomes better off, a woman=E2=80=99s po= sition in that society improves. But how do women in poor societies get mor= e power now? Actually, women get more power from other women. About 75 mill= ion women are involved in self-help groups in India alone. The groups might= form to help women get loans or share health practices, but once things ge= t started, the women take it in the direction they want to go. That is empo= werment. More Optimistic Than Ever Bill: In a recent survey, just 1 percent knew that the world had cut extrem= e poverty in half, and 99 percent underestimated the progress. The survey w= asn=E2=80=99t just testing knowledge, it was testing optimism, and the worl= d didn=E2=80=99t score so well. Melinda: Optimism isn=E2=80=99t just a belief that things will automaticall= y get better; it=E2=80=99s a belief that we can make things better. And in = many ways we are making the world better=E2=80=94global poverty is going do= wn, childhood deaths are dropping, literacy is rising, the status of women = and minorities around the world is improving. Bill: Warren, it won=E2=80=99t surprise you to know we=E2=80=99re more opti= mistic than ever. Melinda: And more impatient too. Bill: Especially for this: Bill: This is the number we=E2=80=99re striving toward every day at the fou= ndation. Zero malaria. Zero HIV. Zero TB. Polio is closest to reaching that= magic number. In 1988, there were 350,000 new cases of polio worldwide. La= st year, there were 37. Melinda: Those cases were confined to Northern Nigeria and parts of Afghani= stan and Pakistan. Immunizing children in conflict areas is hard=E2=80=94an= d dangerous. We=E2=80=99re in awe of the vaccinators who are taking risks t= o reach each child. Bill: If things stay stable enough in the conflict areas, humanity could se= e its last case of polio sometime this year. Warren, these numbers help capture the successes and struggles in global he= alth. The problems are still here because they=E2=80=99re so hard to solve.= But we have confidence in the world=E2=80=99s talent, energy, and empathy= =E2=80=94and that lets us end our letter with a bright look ahead. Polio will soon be history. In our lifetimes, malaria will end. No one will= die from AIDS. Few people will get TB. Children everywhere will be well no= urished. And the death of a child in the developing world will be just as r= are as the death of a child in the rich world. We can=E2=80=99t put a date on these events, and we don=E2=80=99t know the = sequence, but we=E2=80=99re confident of one thing: The future will surpris= e the pessimists. Thank you for putting your trust in us, Warren. We won=E2=80=99t let you do= wn. =E2=80=94Bill and Melinda P.S. People ask us all the time how they can help in the fight against chil= d mortality=E2=80=94and we are always proud to recommend making a donation = to UNICEF [, an organization that is successful at = serving families and children worldwide. We hope your gift will help inspir= e others to get involved as well. More on Our Favorite Numbers [ Amazing Gift, Amazing Impact [ I chatted with Warren recently about his amazing gift to our foundation and= what it helped achieve for the world=E2=80=99s poorest. [ YPNidoFHiYU] [ Progress by the Numbers [ Melinda and I talked about some numbers we watch closely to guide our work = in global health and development. [ [] [ [ [ [ =C2=A9 2017 The Gates Notes LLC Unsubscribe [ 84b718165f7f8e8e167c2/contact-1185e1e4baf8e51181003863bb2e0660-7c1d9040c322= 4df1974b0df7037632a8/gevfgenzonyqjva34/tznvy/pbz?f=3Dt] ------=_Part_267006133_341573900.1487093041677 Content-Type: text/html;charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable [3D"Logo"](3D".=) [3D"Logo"](3D".=) [3D"Logo"](3D".=) [3D"Logo"](3D".=) [View Online= a> |](3D" to a Friend](3D"mailto:Enter%20an%20email?subject=3DYour%20Subject) = 3D" Fe= bruary 14th, 2017 | Our Annual Letter =20 Warren Buffett=E2=80=99s Best Investmen= t =20 By Bill and Melinda Gates | [Read Our Full= Letter Online](3D"=) =20 Our 2017 annual letter is addressed = to our dear friend Warren Buffett, who in 2006 donated the bulk of his fort= une to our foundation to fight disease and reduce inequity. A few months ag= o, Warren asked us to reflect on what impact his gift has had on the world.= =20 What follows is our answer to him.= i> =20 It=E2=80=99s a story about the stunn= ing gains the poorest people in the world have made over the last 25 years.= This incredible progress has been made possible not only by the generosity= of Warren and other philanthropists, the charitable giving of individuals = across the world, and the efforts of the poor on their own behalf=E2=80=94b= ut also by the huge contributions made by donor nations, which account for = the vast majority of global health and development funding. =20 Our letter is being released amid dr= amatic political transitions in these countries, including new leadership i= n the United States and the United Kingdom. We hope this story will remind = everyone why foreign aid should remain a priority=E2=80=94because by liftin= g up the poorest, we express the highest values of our nations. =20 One of the greatest of those values = is the belief that the best investment any of us can ever make is in the li= ves of others. As we explain to Warren in our letter, the returns are treme= ndous. =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] =20 Dear Warren, =20 Your gift a decade ago left us speechless. It was the biggest single gift a= nyone ever gave anybody for anything, and we knew we owed you a fantastic r= eturn on your investment. =20 In this letter, we=E2=80=99ll share som= e highlights with you, and we=E2=80=99ll focus on global health=E2=80=94bec= ause that was the starting point of our philanthropy, and it=E2=80=99s the = majority of what we do. =20 We don=E2=80=99t have sales and profits= to show you. But there are numbers we watch closely to guide our work and = measure our progress. =20 Let=E2=80=99s start with the most impor= tant one. =20 Our Favorite Number =20 =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] Melinda: Every September, the UN announces the number of children= under five who died the previous year. Every year, this number breaks my h= eart and gives me hope. It=E2=80=99s tragic that so many children are dying= , but every year more children live. =20 Bill: If you add up each year=E2=80=99s gains, 122 million childr= en under age five have been saved over the past 25 years. These are childre= n who would have died if mortality rates had stayed where they were in 1990= . =20 Melinda: Saving children=E2=80=99s lives is an end in itself. But= it has other benefits as well. If parents believe their children will surv= ive=E2=80=94and they have access to contraceptives that let them time and s= pace their pregnancies=E2=80=94they=E2=80=99re able to choose how many chil= dren to have. =20 Bill: When a mother can choose how many children to have, her chi= ldren are healthier, they=E2=80=99re better nourished, their mental capacit= ies are higher=E2=80=94and parents have more time and money to spend on eac= h child=E2=80=99s health and schooling. That=E2=80=99s how families and cou= ntries get out of poverty. =20 The Best Deal Is Vaccines =20 =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] =20 Melinda: Coverage for the basic package of childhood vaccines is = the highest it=E2=80=99s ever been, at 86 percent. And the coverage gap bet= ween rich countries and developing countries is the lowest it=E2=80=99s eve= r been. This explains a lot of the gains in childhood survival=E2=80=94vacc= ines are the single biggest reason for the drop in under-five deaths. =20 Reducing Newborn Mortality Bill: The first day of life is especially dangerous for babies, a= nd more than 2.5 million newborns die in their first month. The world hasn= =E2=80=99t made as much progress in this area as we have in others. Newborn= deaths now represent 45 percent of all childhood deaths, up from 40 percen= t in 1990. =20 Melinda: But some very poor countries have improved their surviva= l rates by encouraging breastfeeding and increasing the number of trained h= ealth workers attending births. And health centers we=E2=80=99re funding in= Africa are now doing autopsies so pathologists can learn more about the ca= uses of newborn deaths. Bill had the opportunity to observe one of these au= topsies last year in South Africa. =20 Ending Malnutrition =20 Melinda: Malnutrition makes kids more likely to die from childhoo= d diseases. It also stunts their growth and hurts their cognitive developme= nt. =20 =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] =20 Bill: Malnutrition destroys the most human potential on the plane= t. We=E2=80=99re funding research to identify key nutrients and find ways o= f getting them into the diets of kids in poor countries. When researchers m= ake these discoveries, the rise in the number of children who achieve their= potential will change the world. =20 The Power of Family Planning =20 Melinda: Three hundred million women in the developing world have= access to modern contraceptives. This number is an all-time high, but ther= e are still 225 million women in developing countries who want to use moder= n contraceptives and can=E2=80=99t get them. That=E2=80=99s tragic. Contrac= eptives save lives and reduce poverty. When women in developing countries s= pace their births by at least three years, their children are almost twice = as likely to reach their first birthday. When women can time and space thei= r pregnancies, they are more likely to advance their education, earn an inc= ome, and have healthy children. This leads to greater prosperity=E2=80=94an= d it starts with women who have the power to choose how many children to ha= ve. =20 =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] =20 Poverty Is Sexist =20 Bill: Poverty is sexist. The poorer the society, the less power w= omen have. Men decide if a woman is allowed to go outside, talk to other wo= men, earn an income. The male dominance in poorer societies is mind-blowing= . =20 Melinda: Fortunately, as a society becomes better off, a woman=E2= =80=99s position in that society improves. But how do women in poor societi= es get more power now? Actually, women get more power from other women. Abo= ut 75 million women are involved in self-help groups in India alone. The gr= oups might form to help women get loans or share health practices, but once= things get started, the women take it in the direction they want to go. Th= at is empowerment. =20 =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] =20 More Optimistic Than Ever =20 Bill: In a recent survey, just 1 percent knew that the world had = cut extreme poverty in half, and 99 percent underestimated the progress. Th= e survey wasn=E2=80=99t just testing knowledge, it was testing optimism, an= d the world didn=E2=80=99t score so well. =20 Melinda: Optimism isn=E2=80=99t just a belief that things will au= tomatically get better; it=E2=80=99s a belief that we can make things bette= r. And in many ways we are making the world better=E2=80=94global poverty i= s going down, childhood deaths are dropping, literacy is rising, the status= of women and minorities around the world is improving. =20 Bill: Warren, it won=E2=80=99t surprise you to know we=E2=80=99re= more optimistic than ever. =20 Melinda: And more impatient too. =20 Bill: Especially for this: =20 =20 [3D"Thumbnail"] =20 Bill: This is the number we=E2=80=99re striving toward every day = at the foundation. Zero malaria. Zero HIV. Zero TB. Polio is closest to rea= ching that magic number. In 1988, there were 350,000 new cases of polio wor= ldwide. Last year, there were 37. =20 Melinda: Those cases were confined to Northern Nigeria and parts = of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Immunizing children in conflict areas is hard= =E2=80=94and dangerous. We=E2=80=99re in awe of the vaccinators who are tak= ing risks to reach each child. =20 Bill: If things stay stable enough in the conflict areas, humanit= y could see its last case of polio sometime this year. =20 Warren, these numbers help capture the = successes and struggles in global health. The problems are still here becau= se they=E2=80=99re so hard to solve. But we have confidence in the world=E2= =80=99s talent, energy, and empathy=E2=80=94and that lets us end our letter= with a bright look ahead. =20 Polio will soon be history. In our life= times, malaria will end. No one will die from AIDS. Few people will get TB.= Children everywhere will be well nourished. And the death of a child in th= e developing world will be just as rare as the death of a child in the rich= world. =20 We can=E2=80=99t put a date on these ev= ents, and we don=E2=80=99t know the sequence, but we=E2=80=99re confident o= f one thing: The future will surprise the pessimists. =20 Thank you for putting your trust in us,= Warren. We won=E2=80=99t let you down. =20 =E2=80=94Bill and Melinda =20 P.S. People ask us all the time how = they can help in the fight against child mortality=E2=80=94and we are alway= s proud to recommend making a donation to [UNICEF](3D"=), an organization that is successful at serving familie= s and children worldwide. We hope your gift will help inspire others to get= involved as well. =20 More on Our Favorite Numbers 3D"= td> [Amazing Gift, Ama= zing Impact](3D"=) [I chatted with Warren recently about his amazing gift to our fo= undation and what it helped achieve for the world=E2=80=99s poorest.](3D"http=) =20 [[3D"Thumbnail"]= a>](3D") [Progress by the = Numbers](3D"=) [Melinda and I talked about some numbers we watch closely to gui= de our work in global health and development.](3D"http=) =20 = [=3D"Logo"](3D" [3D"Logo"](3D") [3D"Logo"](3D".=) [3D"Logo"](3D".=) [3D"Logo"](3D".=) =C2=A9 2017 The Gates Notes LLC [Unsubs= cribe](3D") ------=_Part_267006133_341573900.1487093041677-- ------=_Part_267006132_1169481995.1487093041676--