Newsletter Edition #364 [The Files In-Depth]
Readers,
There are numerous, parallel, ongoing efforts by academics, activists, journalists, and professionals to infuse greater reflexivity in global health. There is room to do much more.
In this edition, we bring you an important interview with American journalist Tim Schwab, where he addresses the imperative to discuss philanthropist billionaire Bill Gates, and the fall out on global health as a result of Gates' documented association with - financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates has arguably been one of the most influential funders in global health, in Geneva and in national capitals. Media attention has only increased in light of the Epstein affair. We believe this interview not only sheds light on the precariousness of global health financing as shaped by select donors such as Gates, and more importantly, on the grave violations of rights of women and girls victimized in the Epstein power play.
We hope you find this illuminating. We are grateful to Schwab for educating our readers on the disturbing ambivalence in global health funding on this issue, and on raising the questions we should not shy away from. Schwab thinks Gates' political capital is waning.
The implications for global health are real. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has indicated that his annual donations to the foundation may not continue because of the unfolding scandal, Schwab says.
Read more.
Geneva Health Files offers value to our readers who are experts in global health. Tracking global health policy-making in Geneva is tough and expensive, without institutional support. For six years, we have provided you with the information and tools that directly contribute to your work in the field. We rely on our readers who value news they can use.
By becoming a paying subscriber you make our work possible. Our subscribers contribute towards greater accountability in global health.
Priti
Priti Patnaik, Founder & Publisher, Geneva Health Files
Feel free to write to us: genevahealthfiles@gmail.com ; Find us on BlueSky, Instagram and Linkedin.
I. THE GENEVA HEALTH FILES INTERVIEW
"Recipients Reluctant to Bite The Hand That Feeds Them": Tim Schwab on the Gates-Epstein Saga & What It Means for Global Health
Tim Schwab is an investigative journalist based in Washington DC. He responded to queries by Geneva Health Files in a long-ranging interview, that pieces together how we should begin to understand the impact of the Gates-Epstein association on global health.
His extensive reporting on the Gates Foundation, which includes the 2023 book "The Bill Gates Problem," has been recognized with a Deadline Club Award, Izzy Award, New York Times Editor's Choice, and Booklist starred review. His book is currently available in 8 languages. He currently writes on Substack (here) and can be reached by email at: timschwab2020@gmail.com.
We reached the Gates Foundation for comment. But received no response. See their public statement on this matter here.
[Geneva Health Files] Q1. What are the immediate implications from the Gates-Epstein saga for global health?
[Tim Schwab]:
We are already seeing significant damage to the reputation of the Gates Foundation. When Bill Gates appeared in Washington DC earlier this month to answer Congressional questions about Epstein, the scandal generated a fresh wave of punishing headlines. One member of Congress described Gates as having been “willing to do a deal with the devil if it meant funding for global health.” CNN went on to post a poll showing how significantly Gates’s popularity has plummeted.
In my reporting, I’ve talked to Gates Foundation insiders who are outraged by the scandal. One group posted an (anonymous) petition calling on the foundation—-which has ferociously marketed itself as a champion of women’s empowerment—to deal with the Epstein scandal. Meanwhile, the student newspaper at the University of Washington in Seattle has published an editorial calling for the Gates family name to be removed from the many buildings the family has sponsored across campus.
The sentiment being articulated, essentially, is that taking Gates Foundation donations means participating in reputation laundering, or legitimizing blood money.
