Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has praised the European Union for its work to combat world poverty.
Attending a hearing on development cooperation at the European Parliament, he said Europe underestimates the importance of its work on development.
“You should be proud of the generosity you’ve provided,” he told MEPs and underlined the importance of Europe’s leadership and the real difference development generosity can make/ “In 1990, 36% of the global population lived in extreme poverty. Today it’s less than 10%.”
The Microsoft founder also stressed the importance of investing in Africa and its rapidly growing population because “by 2050 90% of the people in extreme poverty will live in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Another grave threat to human development is climate change, one that Gates described as “a great injustice” as its most dramatic impact will be on the world’s poor, primarily in Africa.
“If Africa fails, there’s no way Europe can succeed”
Another speaker at the hearing, EU High-Representative Federica Mogherini, reminded MEPs that the EU and its member states invest more in development cooperation than the rest of the world combined: “This means in real terms €20 billion every year in Africa alone.”
Referring to the new European Consensus for Development, Mogherini said EU countries and the European institutions must coordinate their development actions: “The potential impact of our action is unparalleled if we all focus together, as Europeans, on the same set of targets in a coordinated manner.”
Citing the recent migration crisis in Europe, she described the EU’s investment in Africa as the “smartest one Europe can make for our own security and our own stability” as “if Africa fails, there’s no way Europe can succeed”.
Eradicating poverty
Luxembourg EPP member Frank Engel noted how close Africa is, just 14km from the European continent. Engel, who is preparing a report on the financing of external action in the EU’s 2021-2027 budget, added: “What a young African wants is a normally functioning state, and in order to build it, we need a few prerequisites including eradicating poverty.”
