News Desk : dhakamirror.com
To confront the “massive global challenges” the world is experiencing, Bill Gates announced on Wednesday that he will donate $20 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In a statement, Gates said that the foundation, which he and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates founded in 2000, now aims to spend $9 billion annually to fund initiatives and causes that prevent pandemics, lessen child fatalities, eradicate diseases, combat climate change, and promote gender equality.
“These innovations will not come in time to avoid the problems altogether, but the faster we move, the less people will suffer,” Gates said. “For many people including myself this is the most concrete way of contributing, even when it seems modest compared to the scale of the problems. Focusing on being part of the solution is better than giving up in despair.”
With a net worth of $114 billion, he ranks as the fourth-wealthiest person in the world, according to Bloomberg. Gates said Wednesday that he plans to move off the world’s richest list one day.