Middle East

Our work in the Middle East includes efforts to increase access to vaccines, boost inclusive agricultural production, improve sanitation, and respond to emergency situations. We build partnerships with governments and private donors that are helping fund research and programs that aim to benefit people living in poverty all around the globe.
A health clinic in Luxor, Egypt.
Samina, a polio vaccinator, gives oral vaccine to a 3-year-old child in Karachi, Pakistan. ©Gates Archive/Khaula Jamil

At a glance

  • We build relationships with donors, partners, and leaders in the Middle East to mobilize support for global health and development.
  • Through their leadership, expertise, and resources, Middle East donors and partners are central to our shared mission in driving forward progress across health and development.
  • We collaborate with Middle East partners to develop regional multilateral efforts, including the Lives and Livelihoods Fund which provides affordable, innovative financing for lower-income member countries of the Islamic Development Bank, support global health instruments including the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and co-design transformative programs such as the Nanmo agriculture initiative and the Reaching the Last Mile Fund.
  • We invest directly in a number of countries in the region to deliver humanitarian relief, support smallholder farmers, and expand opportunities for young people.

Overview

Our foundation works with partners across the Middle East to tackle a range of global challenges, from poor health and poverty to climate-related threats to agriculture. While these challenges are complex, solutions are also to be found in the region. Countries across the Middle East are highly engaged in global health and development as members of key global alliances and funding mechanisms that support better outcomes for low-income countries in the region and around the world.

We invest directly in a number of countries and territories in the Arab world, including to deliver humanitarian relief in Yemen and Gaza, and we support smallholder farmers across the region in growing more climate-resilient and nutritious crops.

We know that the most significant gains will come from working alongside donors and partners in the region, combining our respective expertise, resources, and voices to call for change. That’s why we collaborate with local governments, development finance institutions, non-governmental organizations, universities, and private individuals to build programs that can make a real difference.

Through these partnerships, Middle East donors are taking the lead in our shared mission to achieve global polio eradication, including efforts to eliminate polio from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Our partnerships are also bringing lifesaving vaccines to children in the world’s poorest communities. And together, we are working to help strengthen regional health, development, and philanthropy sectors through a range of capacity-building initiatives.

“Decades of partnerships in the [Middle East] have been crucial to drive lasting change and improve health and development outcomes globally and across the region. We remain dedicated to strengthening our joint efforts, ensuring an even greater impact on the lives of those who need it most in the world.”

- Zahira El Marzouki
Head of Middle East Relations
Gates Foundation

Key partnerships

A woman works on a farm in Sierra Leone.
Nanmo: A partnership for access, adaptation, and growth
The Lives and Livelihoods Fund
The Lives and Livelihoods Fund
Global partners celebrate a historic commitment of $777 million to NTD programs at the 2023 Reaching the Last Mile Forum, held at COP28 in Dubai.
A collaboration to combat infectious disease
Anita Kitawa, Nurse at Makueni County Referral Hospital in Makueni County, Wote, Kenya, during a documentary shoot on March 13, 2025. Makueni County has implemented E-MOTIVE (Early Detection and Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage), which is focused on reducing maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), a major cause of maternal mortality.
A South-South initiative to address health care challenges
Challenge for Change: A partnership with the Misk Foundation
Challenge for Change: A partnership with the Misk Foundation
Sweet potatoes on a table.
UAE support for food security and climate resilience
A portrait of Eva Nangalo, a midwife at Nakaseke General Hospital, situated in Nakaseke District, Uganda. Her unwavering dedication to maternal care has spanned an impressive 23-year journey, providing vital support to countless mothers during this time. September 8th,2023.
Beginnings Fund

Foundation news

Saudi Arabia renews commitment to global health and development
In 2024, to accelerate progress toward polio eradication, improved global health, and poverty alleviation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia committed USD 500 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative over five years, USD 3 million to the Afghanistan Polio Legacy Challenge over three years, USD 100 million to the Lives and Livelihoods Fund replenishment, and USD 4 million for humanitarian needs in Gaza.
Gates Foundation and the Misk Foundation launch Challenge for Change
In 2024, the Gates Foundation and the Misk Foundation (also known as the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation) launched the Challenge for Change, a youth program which aims to develop future leaders of nonprofit and social impact initiatives in Saudi Arabia. The program was part of an expanded partnership between the foundation and Saudi Arabia.
Islamic Development Bank and partners launch the second phase of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund
In 2023, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and its development partners, including the Gates Foundation, announced the launch of the second phase of the Lives and Livelihoods Fund on the sidelines of the IsDB Annul Meetings. The foundation has committed to pledge 20% of the total granted by donors to the LLF, up to USD 100 million.

Office Leadership

More about our work in the Middle East

Regional office
Our Middle East team is based in the foundation’s London office.
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