Speeches & Commentary by Melinda French Gates, Co-Chair




SBRI Passport to Global Health (April 30, 2008)

"We have the opportunity—now—to create the world we want to live in, a world in which all children are treated as if they are worth saving."

Malaria Forum (October 17, 2007)

"Bill and I believe that these advances in science and medicine, your promising research, and the rising concern of people around the world represent an historic opportunity not just to treat malaria or to control it—but to chart a long-term course to eradicate it."

Save the Children's 75th Anniversary Benefit (September 6, 2007)

"When you raise your voice, when you support Save the Children, you give mothers a chance to see their children grow up happy and strong. You give children a chance to make their dreams come true."

CARE International (May 10, 2007)

"Whatever the conditions of people’s lives, wherever they live, however they live, they share the same hopes, the same dreams as you and I...they want food, health, safety, shelter, all the things we care about."

Council on Foundations (April 30, 2007)

"Our foundation works hard to think through problems carefully, but it’s simply impossible to get our strategies exactly right in the beginning. In the end, our effectiveness depends on our willingness to take feedback and turn it into smarter and more honed strategies."

World Economic Forum (January 25, 2006)

"The next century will see amazing innovations in fields like medicine, telecommunications, finance, and education. If we harness these innovations so they benefit the people who need them the most, we can save millions of lives, and help billions lift themselves out of poverty."

White House Malaria Summit (December 14, 2006)

"If we all work together, we will succeed. We already have the tools. We know that bed nets and insecticides protect people from malaria, and we know that treating people who are sick can save their lives. "

XVI International AIDS Conference Keynote Speech (August 13, 2006)

"We need to be much more aggressive about getting all of today’s prevention tools to everyone who needs them. And we need a constant stream of new innovations—especially those that put the power to prevent HIV in the hands of women."

United Way of King County Breakfast (June 7, 2006)

"I’d like to talk with you today about our common efforts in homelessness and early learning—and also about the historical link between our family’s giving and the United Way of King County."

Texas Conference for Women (October 20, 2005)

"We have to address the inequities that were not created by the hurricanes, but exposed by them. We have to ensure that people have the opportunity to make the most of their lives. This is what I would like to talk about today."