Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Announces $1 Million Award for Global Health

SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is establishing a $1 million award to be given in the field of global health. The Gates Award for Global Health will be presented annually to an organization that has made an extraordinary contribution to the improvement of health around the globe.

"This award will bring much-deserved recognition to the groups that are dedicating themselves to promoting better health for all the citizens of the world," said Dr. Gordon Perkin, Director of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "The Foundation is pleased to highlight the important work being carried out around the world to reduce the health gap between the rich and the poor."

An international call for nominations is going out today. The recipient will be selected from among the nominees by the Board of Directors of the Global Health Council, the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to health improvement and equity globally.

"This is a great day for global health," said Nils Daulaire, President and CEO of the Global Health Council. "By establishing this remarkable award, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is shining a spotlight on those groups whose work may not make daily headlines, but who make an enormous difference in improving health for all the world's people."

Any organization from any country in the world that has substantively improved the health and the lives of people in need may be nominated for the Gates Award; the organization may be a charitable institution, a private company, or a public entity. Nominations must be received by the Global Health Council on, or before, February 28, 2001. The award will be presented at a special reception during the Global Health Council's annual international conference, which will take place on May 31, 2001, in Washington, D.C.

Details of the nomination process can be found on the Global Health Council's Web site.