Global development

A community health worker puts a mark on a child's finger after administering the polio vaccine during a door-to-door polio vaccination (nOPV2) campaign in the Hamar Jajab district, in Mogadishu, Somalia, on May 29, 2023.
A community health worker puts a mark on a child's finger after administering the polio vaccine during a polio vaccination (nOPV2) campaign in Mogadishu, Somalia. ©Gates Archive/Ismail Taxta

Global development

Disease, conflict, and suffering thrive on poverty. Our global development programs create opportunities for people, communities, and countries to build wealth and invest in their futures. We work to create virtuous cycles that lead to prosperity and well-being for all.
Everyone should have the chance to live a healthy and productive life, no matter who they are or where they live.
- Mark Suzman

Related program strategies

Learn more about the foundation’s strategies that focus on global development to promote inclusive, sustainable economic growth.

Agricultural Development

Development Policy and Finance

Digital Connectivity

Digital Public Infrastructure

Economic Mobility and Opportunity

Emergency Response

Global Education Program

Global Health Agencies and Funds

Immunization

Inclusive Financial Systems

Nutrition

Polio

Primary Health Care

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

Featured Impact Stories

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Read stories and insights about global development.
Olayinka Dada, Financial Service Provider Advisor, at the Lagos Business School, AbdulAzeez Oguntoyinbo, Founder and CEO at Esusu Africa, and Ifeoma Obidum, CEO of Feedwell Global Link, during a learning session in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 23, 2025.

The digital finance fix helping Nigeria’s market vendors grow their businesses

See how a partnership between Lagos Business School and local innovators is using digital finance to empower small business owners in Nigeria.
Fernando Mallman works on repairs to irrigation infrastructure in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Mallman is working with Embrapa agronomists to rebuild degraded soils to withstand floods and drought while stabilizing yields and income.

Climate resilience is essential to a healthier, more prosperous world

We can’t secure health and prosperity without climate resilience. CEO Mark Suzman shares what works—and why now.
By Mark Suzman CEO, Board Member, Gates Foundation
Aishatu Abbas, right, a Mama-to-Mama women's group member, speaks to staff members, foundation employees, and Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria, in Gombe State, Nigeria.

Gavi and the case for global health funding

Over 25 years, Gavi has protected 360 million people and moved 19 countries to self-financed vaccines—but that progress could be at risk. 
By Greg Widmyer Director, Immunization, Gates Foundation

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