Context:

Bill Gates visited Indonesia to discuss health and sustainable development with President Prabowo Subianto, focusing on global health, nutrition, and public digital infrastructure. Gates praised Indonesia's progress in reducing child mortality through vaccination programs and highlighted the Gates Foundation's role in these efforts. He emphasized the lack of funding for tuberculosis treatments in wealthy countries and announced plans to test a new TB vaccine in Indonesia. The Gates Foundation has significantly contributed to Indonesia's health sector, including a large grant for vaccine production, enabling Biofarma to produce substantial doses of the polio vaccine. In recognition of his contributions, Gates will receive Indonesia's highest honor at the UN General Assembly in September, and he is also involved in Indonesia's ambitious project to combat malnutrition among children and pregnant women, despite concerns about its financial feasibility.

Dive Deeper:

• Bill Gates met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka palace to discuss initiatives in health and sustainable development, including global health, nutrition, financial inclusion, and public digital infrastructure.

• Gates praised Indonesia's success in reducing child mortality rates, highlighting the country's adoption of vaccines for diseases such as Rotavirus and Pneumococcus, which have significantly decreased child deaths worldwide since the Gates Foundation's inception.

• The Gates Foundation is developing a tuberculosis vaccine to be tested in Indonesia, addressing the lack of funding for TB diagnostics and treatments in wealthy countries, as TB remains a significant health issue in Indonesia.

• Since 2009, Gates has granted over $159 million to Indonesia, primarily focusing on health sector improvements such as vaccine procurement, which enabled Biofarma to produce two billion doses of polio vaccine annually.

• Gates' contributions to Indonesia will be recognized with the country's highest honor during the UN General Assembly in September, acknowledging his impact on Indonesian health and development.

• Gates' visit also includes a stop at a Jakarta primary school participating in a malnutrition program, which is part of Indonesia's broader project aimed at feeding nearly 90 million children and pregnant women, despite concerns about the project's cost and economic impact.

• The ambitious malnutrition program, estimated to cost $28 billion by 2029, faces scrutiny over its financial viability and potential influence from industrial lobby groups, with critics questioning its affordability amidst Indonesia's state finances.