Dinner in Honor of UNITAID hosted by Dr Philippe Douste-Blazy in the presence of Bill Gates
France is leading the way in innovating for global health through its strong support for initiatives such as the financial transaction tax and UNITAID, said Bill Gates at a dinner hosted by UNITAID’s Chair Dr Philippe Douste-Blazy. Held at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) in Paris, over 400 guests from politics, industry and media attended this event to raise awareness about France’s pioneering role in international development.
French President François Hollande was present at the opening of the dinner and reconfirmed his commitment, along with Mr Gates, for innovative financing initiatives. “France is taking the lead in getting more countries to adopt a financial transaction tax and dedicating a proportion to development,” said Mr Gates.
Bill Gates is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is one of the world’s most well-known advocates for global poverty eradication. A part of his trip was dedicated to supporting UNITAID, of which France is the largest donor through its air ticket levy and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has financed since the organization’s creation in 2006.
“UNITAID is committed to achieving a world that has health equity for every child and every adult,” said Mr Gates. He congratulated France for playing an important role in creating three “fast-moving and lean” global health organizations – UNITAID, the Global Fund and GAVI. “These three organizations are in part responsible for the decrease in child mortality recently.”
