Gulf philanthropy rising: Global leaders discuss transformational impact of philanthropy for development

The Islamic Development Bank hosted a special Philanthropy Forum at their Annual Meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre, titled ‘Harnessing Philanthropy for Development: The Road Less Travelled’. The high-profile event brought together global philanthropic and business leaders to explore the untapped potential of philanthropic capital in accelerating development and humanitarian efforts.

The forum featured prominent renowned figures in the philanthropy, development and humanitarian aid fields, including Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre, Princess Nouf bint Muhammad bin Abdullah, CEO of the King Khalid Foundation, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy, Suliman Abdulaziz Azzabin, CEO of King Abdullah Humanitarian Foundation, Stanlake Samkange, executive director of the World Food Program, Danah Dajani, senior vice president at Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, and Naila Farouky, CEO of the Arab Foundations Forum.

The forum began with a plenary conversation between Bill Gates and Badr Jafar and shed light on Gate’s philanthropic journey and unwavering commitment to global health. The discussion also highlighted the evolving landscape of giving in the MENA region, the potential for greater collaboration between philanthropy and development banks, as well as new challenges and opportunities such as climate change and the advent of artificial intelligence.

Highlighting a transformative visit to Africa in 1993, Bill Gates described how it exposed him to the devastating realities of extreme poverty and the high rates of preventable diseases, a major contributor to child mortality. Gates shared that in 2000, when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was launched, a staggering 10 million children worldwide died before the age of five. Through their focused efforts on malaria, polio, and nutrition, the Foundation has demonstrably halved that number and aims to reduce childhood mortality by a further 50 per cent in the coming decades.

Sharing his positive outlook, Gates said: "I’m optimistic and see possibilities. We are making progress, the human condition today is better than ever before, life expectancy is longer, more children survive past the age of five and the opportunities to take innovation, which is accelerating, and apply it to reduce inequality has never been so great. I believe it’s not just an emotional state, but it’s factual. We can drive progress and we have made progress."

Climate change took centre stage as the conversation continued. Jafar, having chaired the inaugural COP28 Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum, emphasised the importance of increased cross-sectoral collaboration for climate and nature action, commenting: "We're four months since COP 28 UAE and the historic UAE Consensus. The ‘whole of society’ approach that was the vision of His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, saw the most inclusive climate gathering ever, bringing together geographically diverse and sectorally diverse stakeholders. The ground-breaking results reinforced the fact that we absolutely need the authentic engagement of business and philanthropy in the climate action agenda if we are to move from pledges and announcements to action and implementation."

In an annual report, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation stated that it intends to increase its own giving to $9 billion per year by 2026. Late last year, the Foundation joined the UAE to accelerate the development of innovations that will help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia build resilience and adapt to climate change. In 2017, the UAE and Gates Foundation launched the Reaching the Last Mile Fund to support efforts to eradicate treatable diseases like polio and malaria worldwide.