South & Southeast Asia
South & Southeast Asia bring together diverse strengths, including scientific innovation, growing philanthropy, large-scale implementation, and policy leadership. We partner with governments, institutions, organizations, and philanthropies across the region to help turn promising ideas into practical solutions that save and improve lives and can be adapted in communities across the Global South.
At a glance
- South & Southeast Asia bring together many of the ingredients needed to accelerate progress in global health and development, from scientific innovation and growing philanthropy to strong country leadership, large-scale implementation and regional cooperation through platforms like ASEAN.
- Our work is shaped by the strengths each country brings. Singapore serves as a hub for innovation, philanthropy and partnerships; Indonesia demonstrates how solutions can be delivered at scale; and Pakistan and Bangladesh offer lessons in delivering solutions in some of the world’s most complex operating environments.
- We work with partners to strengthen health systems, expand access to vaccines and care, build digital public infrastructure, strengthen gender equality, support climate-resilient agriculture, and advance the use of data and AI to improve decision-making.
- We help mobilize public, private, and philanthropic resources to support health and development priorities, strengthen local capacity, and accelerate progress.
- We support solutions designed for local contexts and aligned with governments’ own health and development priorities, and help share lessons across countries, so approaches that work in one setting can be adapted and applied throughout the Global South.
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Focus countries
Singapore
Singapore serves as the foundation’s regional hub, drawing on its position as a globally recognized center for finance and innovation to bring together science, capital, and partnerships. Working together, we mobilize resources and scale solutions to support sustainable improvements in health and livelihoods across the region and beyond.
Indonesia
As Southeast Asia’s largest country, Indonesia plays an important role in showing what is possible when proven solutions meet national scale. We work with government and partners on health, nutrition, tuberculosis, vaccine manufacturing, and AI-enabled service delivery, with lessons that can inform progress across the wider region, and the world.
Pakistan
Pakistan is where complexity meets opportunity. From ensuring children get the best start in life and continuing polio eradication efforts, to essential digital services, we work closely with federal and provincial governments and delivery partners to address these health and development challenges.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s strong record of community-based innovation shapes our work with local partners. Together, we work to strengthen health and nutrition systems, improve immunization and primary care, and advance digital and agricultural innovations that can improve resilience and expand access to essential services.
Selected regional engagements
We also engage selectively across the region, supporting health, nutrition, and digital innovation efforts in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, and the Philippines. India is an important partner, with leadership for the foundation’s India-focused work centered out of its India country office, for blended finance and South-South exchange, helping successful approaches and innovations reach communities across South and Southeast Asia and beyond.
Key partners in South and Southeast Asia
Leadership in South and Southeast Asia
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Jamal Khan
Deputy Director, Government Relations, South and Southeast Asia
View profile: Jamal KhanJamal Khan leads the foundation’s engagement with governments and other partners in South and Southeast Asia, with a focus on…
Featured stories
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Indonesia and the Gates Foundation Strengthen Partnership to Expand Access to Health, Innovation, and Inclusive Growth
JAKARTA (May 7, 2025) – The Gates Foundation reaffirmed its long-standing partnership with Indonesia during a high-level visit to Jakarta this week, underscoring a shared commitment to accelerating progress on…
More about our work in South and Southeast Asia
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