1
00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:06,800
Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.

2
00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,760
Speaker 2: We want to welcome Bill Gates joining us to discuss

3
00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,920
Speaker 2: what is the Goalkeepers Report for twenty twenty four, the

4
00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,960
Speaker 2: title of which is the Race to Nourish a Warming World. Now,

5
00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,360
Speaker 2: in this report you talk of a global health boom

6
00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:24,960
Speaker 2: that we all experienced from the year twenty to twenty

7
00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,200
Speaker 2: twenty that has come to a screeching halt, and in

8
00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,920
Speaker 2: particular you single out the worst child health crisis being malnutrition.

9
00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,440
Speaker 2: Why is malnutrition such an issue?

10
00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:39,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, So, the incredible progress we made since turn of

11
00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,640
Speaker 3: the century until it started pandemic, and it really should

12
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:43,280
Speaker 3: be celebrated.

13
00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:45,320
Speaker 1: We brought a child to death.

14
00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,519
Speaker 3: Down from over ten million year to under five million,

15
00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:50,760
Speaker 3: and then it plateaued.

16
00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:53,800
Speaker 1: It plateaued, you.

17
00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:58,360
Speaker 3: Know, because of interest costs for the poor countries and

18
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,320
Speaker 3: the pandemic itself. But we want to get back to

19
00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,040
Speaker 3: that rapid improvement. We do need to make products on

20
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,840
Speaker 3: malnutrition to do that, because if you don't get the

21
00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:16,679
Speaker 3: right food when you're before you're born and in your

22
00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,880
Speaker 3: early years, your brain in your body never developed and

23
00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,240
Speaker 3: so your mental and physical capabilities are far far short

24
00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,240
Speaker 3: of what they should be, which is not only a

25
00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,920
Speaker 3: tragedy for you, but your country, where the young people

26
00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:38,319
Speaker 3: is the key driver for their economic growth, they get

27
00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,560
Speaker 3: into a poverty trap when they have very, very high malnutrition.

28
00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,000
Speaker 2: The long term implications for the individual clear. Can you

29
00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,400
Speaker 2: paint the economic impact of this? Have you risen the

30
00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:51,120
Speaker 2: data on it?

31
00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:52,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, So.

32
00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:59,000
Speaker 3: The whole generation that's malnourished, then as they grow up,

33
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,960
Speaker 3: your investments in educating them aren't going to work as

34
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:10,480
Speaker 3: well your ability to move to higher pain activities. It

35
00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:16,320
Speaker 3: gets stalled. And without that engine of productivity, you don't

36
00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,280
Speaker 3: get the tax collection that lets you put even more

37
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:20,520
Speaker 3: into the school system.

38
00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,600
Speaker 1: And so that's where you get prepped.

39
00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:28,920
Speaker 3: Particularly in Africa where the conditions are challenging. The population

40
00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:33,440
Speaker 3: growth makes it more challenging, and then climate change, which

41
00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,280
Speaker 3: is affecting the ability to grow food, is its most

42
00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:40,480
Speaker 3: negative effect, particularly near the equator.

43
00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:44,000
Speaker 2: In poor countries, I think a figure of some three

44
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,960
Speaker 2: trillion dollars in productivity is lost. But sort of the

45
00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,960
Speaker 2: irony of all of this bill is that in many

46
00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:56,440
Speaker 2: ways the solutions aren't rocket science. It's about giving prenatal

47
00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,000
Speaker 2: nutrients to mothers in the form of a bit of

48
00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,480
Speaker 2: fullic acid or vitamins to be enriched. What else could

49
00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,680
Speaker 2: be done though, to more seriously impact and reduce this malnutrition.

50
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,920
Speaker 3: Well, in the last ten years, we've gained a deep

51
00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,760
Speaker 3: understanding of what goes on that if you don't get

52
00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,239
Speaker 3: the right food, your actually your stomach gets inflamed and

53
00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,960
Speaker 3: then you can't even absorb the food that you're eating,

54
00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,880
Speaker 3: and that's partly you're not getting the right vitamins. You know,

55
00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,919
Speaker 3: we can help with that by making sure that during

56
00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,440
Speaker 3: pregnancy your mother gets those vitamins and then later that

57
00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,720
Speaker 3: the food you eat are fortified in the right ways.

58
00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,720
Speaker 3: And that can be done vary inexpensively and so cheap.

59
00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,960
Speaker 3: Solutions that are ready to scale dress almost half of

60
00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,240
Speaker 3: this problem. And then we have a pipeline of innovation

61
00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:48,440
Speaker 3: that'll go after the rest of it.

62
00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:49,720
Speaker 1: But it you know, it's.

63
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:54,680
Speaker 3: Clear what we need to do to enable these kids

64
00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:56,280
Speaker 3: to achieve their potential.

65
00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,240
Speaker 2: Can you talk about that pipeline of innovation a little

66
00:03:59,240 --> 00:03:59,520
Speaker 2: bit more?

67
00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,520
Speaker 3: What excited you that, Well, what we've seen is that

68
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,320
Speaker 3: the microbiome, which is the term for.

69
00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:07,760
Speaker 1: All the bacteria.

70
00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,680
Speaker 3: Growing in your gut, it can get into a bad state,

71
00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,480
Speaker 3: and so we want to get it back to that

72
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,680
Speaker 3: non and flamed state. And one I approach that we're

73
00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,520
Speaker 3: trialing is actually to eat a probiotic. We're actually the

74
00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,280
Speaker 3: good bacteria get into your stomach and out compete the

75
00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:32,240
Speaker 3: bad bacteria. We think that will be quite beneficial.

76
00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:33,479
Speaker 1: You know.

77
00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:38,240
Speaker 3: We have that out in countries to see the effects,

78
00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:39,920
Speaker 3: and then we'd have to drive the price of that

79
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:42,800
Speaker 3: down so that you can join these other tactics has

80
00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:47,360
Speaker 3: proven ways to help out all of these kids.

81
00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,719
Speaker 2: The innovation is obviously something we lean into when we

82
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,520
Speaker 2: think ultimately of Bill Gates. You're the tech guy who's

83
00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:57,560
Speaker 2: every other question at the moment, I'm sure is about

84
00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:01,240
Speaker 2: generative AI. Is there anything within these new developments that

85
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,760
Speaker 2: the whole world is obsessing about that is helping in

86
00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,200
Speaker 2: practical ways for malnutrition and for world health?

87
00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,760
Speaker 3: Well, the you know, malnutrition in some ways it's you know,

88
00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:13,960
Speaker 3: such a basic thing.

89
00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:14,960
Speaker 1: Uh.

90
00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,080
Speaker 3: You know, so we do need to raise money to

91
00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,400
Speaker 3: get resources for this so that the poor countries, you know,

92
00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:23,760
Speaker 3: get out of the poverty trap and then are are

93
00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:30,440
Speaker 3: self sufficient. The innovation, UH is going to accelerate tools

94
00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,520
Speaker 3: like AI or helping us understand that God the immune system,

95
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,359
Speaker 3: you know, how to design vaccines UH in a in

96
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:40,800
Speaker 3: a very deep way. And you know, the key thing

97
00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,559
Speaker 3: that the Foundation has innovation is making sure it's not

98
00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:49,640
Speaker 3: just helping the rich countries, but it's helping the poor

99
00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:53,480
Speaker 3: ust And so, you know, can they get medical advice

100
00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,760
Speaker 3: in their native language on their cell phone. Can they

101
00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:03,960
Speaker 3: have their diseases that are so ignored, like malaria, Can

102
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,480
Speaker 3: we use AI to develop ways to not only reduce

103
00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:11,400
Speaker 3: that but eventually eradicate it. And so, you know, that's

104
00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,279
Speaker 3: where the Foundation is looking at the innovation and making

105
00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,720
Speaker 3: sure that it's benefiting those most in need.

106
00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,960
Speaker 2: The Foundation talking with global leaders often, I'm sure global

107
00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:27,719
Speaker 2: leaders of wealthy developed nations who are preoccupied right now

108
00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,440
Speaker 2: with their own political instabilities, their own worries about the

109
00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:35,320
Speaker 2: cost of living. Will you get the help you need

110
00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:37,200
Speaker 2: from developed nations? Do you think?

111
00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,359
Speaker 1: Now that's a very good question. You know.

112
00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,120
Speaker 3: The dream is that even in the face of huge

113
00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:49,600
Speaker 3: budgetary challenges that all countries have, that they would be

114
00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,680
Speaker 3: willing to have one to two percent that go to

115
00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,360
Speaker 3: help the poorest, to help help these countries move forward.

116
00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:01,640
Speaker 3: And these are things where you're saving a life for

117
00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:05,200
Speaker 3: less than a thousand dollars per life. Saved, so, you know,

118
00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:10,840
Speaker 3: very catalytic, very well measured. You know, I wouldn't be

119
00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:12,920
Speaker 3: putting my money in unless I knew that it was

120
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,000
Speaker 3: extremely well spent. And so we're trying to keep this

121
00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,320
Speaker 3: on the agenda to continue that miracle that took place

122
00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,240
Speaker 3: where we made so much progress getting rid of childhood death.

123
00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:29,960
Speaker 2: You talk of that miracle, and I've got to ask you,

124
00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,560
Speaker 2: as someone who you know, almost sees us taking those

125
00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,440
Speaker 2: steps ahead, and then it feels as though something gets

126
00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,360
Speaker 2: in the way. Call it a war, call it a

127
00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,840
Speaker 2: global epidemic, and we take what feels like two steps back.

128
00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,400
Speaker 2: Do you ever just loose confidence? Do you ever feel

129
00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,240
Speaker 2: that this is a fight that caught me one?

130
00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,320
Speaker 3: Well, I will say that when we set the current

131
00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,560
Speaker 3: goals the United Nations, which are called the Sustainable Development Goals,

132
00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:01,440
Speaker 3: we didn't anticipate a pandemic. We didn't dissipate the financial

133
00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,239
Speaker 3: difficulties that the African countries would find themselves in paying

134
00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,400
Speaker 3: more in interest than they can for health and education.

135
00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:12,200
Speaker 3: And we didn't anticipate the wars that have broken out

136
00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:16,200
Speaker 3: both Ukraine and several others including the Middle East. And

137
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,320
Speaker 3: so the goals we set for twenty thirty. You know,

138
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,720
Speaker 3: you look back and you know it feels a bit naive,

139
00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,200
Speaker 3: but you know, every life saved really counts. You know,

140
00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,320
Speaker 3: here we're talking about millions of lives. We're talking about

141
00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,360
Speaker 3: making these countries stable, having health systems so that if

142
00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,920
Speaker 3: potential pandemics getting started, they can stop it before it

143
00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:41,640
Speaker 3: spreads globally, So not only the moral benefits, but the

144
00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:47,880
Speaker 3: global benefits are pretty strong. And yes, it's harder today

145
00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,600
Speaker 3: than it was a few years ago to get through

146
00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,240
Speaker 3: the noise level to get this cause to be heard.

147
00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:59,360
Speaker 3: But you know, because it's you know, it's about helping

148
00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,600
Speaker 3: other humans, I think we'll succeed.

149
00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:03,920
Speaker 1: You know, we're very committed to it.

150
00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,920
Speaker 2: Well, thank you for talking us through accelerating the progress

151
00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:11,040
Speaker 2: towards the global goals. Appreciate it, Bill Gates, Thank you

152
00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:11,560
Speaker 2: for your time.

153
00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:12,240
Speaker 1: Thank you