Gates Foundation commits $200 million to pay for medical supplies and contraception

By THALIA BEATY
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $200 million to help save the lives of mothers and children during childbirth. The largest American philanthropic donor its throwing its weight behind the issue during its annual Goalkeepers conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. The foundation pledged $100 million each to health products manufacturer Unitaid, and UNFPA, the U.N. agency for reproductive health, to fund access to health care and contraceptive supplies and information in low- and middle-income countries. Founded in 2017, the Goalkeepers initiative is how the foundation tracks progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, which U.N. member countries agreed in 2015 to meet by 2030.