加拿大总理哈珀、比尔·盖茨就MNCH项目答问

Interview with PM Harper and Bill Gates on MNCH (Maternal, Newborn and Child Health)

 

26 February 2015

 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER:  Mr. Gates, the first question is for you. Why are partnerships such as the one between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Canadian government so important to improving maternal, newborn and child health?

 

BILL GATES: Well, we started in 2010 the goals of the Gates Foundation and the goals of the Canadian government in helping out poor countries really got very much into alignment this idea of helping mothers and children, improving nutrition. We’ve seen how dramatic the benefits of those things are. And so we’ve ended up working together on a lot of programs: buying vaccines, on nutrition, the Global Fund, which goes after malaria, which is a huge killer of children and causes lots of problems during pregnancy.

 

And so we’ve been learning from each other. Canada’s gotten out in front on things like the Graham Challenges that includes saving minds, understanding how mental development is held back, you know, have the right type of diet.

 

And it’s been exciting to see that the number of kids who die, the number who don’t get enough to eat, all of these things there’s been pretty rapid improvement. So it’s a very positive story.

 

We’re committed to keep learning, take the countries where things have gone well and spread those practices to the other countries. So it’s been a very strong partnership. We’ve been as aligned with Canada as any partner and very enthused about what we’re able to achieve.

 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER:  Why is maternal, newborn and child health one of Canada’s top development priorities?

 

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE STEPHEN HARPER (Prime Minister of Canada): Well, I think Canadians have heard me say this many times.  This is an area where with surprisingly little investment, we can make an enormous difference. You know, I’ve given the example of giving a few vitamins that can, you know, reduce child mortality by some 25 per cent. This is a case where we can go into the developing world and literally take cases where people will die and make them live and make them have hope to be productive citizens.

 

And when you’re dealing with mothers and children, you are dealing with the most fundamental building block of society. And if anything else good is going to happen in the world, it starts there. And so as I say it’s something we can do, we should do and we’re able to make a difference. And that is what is so exciting about it because we see that difference happening.

 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER:  Mr. Gates, what are your top priorities in this area and why?

 

BILL GATES: My wife and I wrote our annual letter for the Foundation, talking about where we think the world can get to in the next 15 years, and the aspiration is that in the same way in the last 25 years we cut these childhood deaths in half from 12 million a year down to six million, we think now in 15 years it can be cut in half again. So from six million down to three million.

 

And there are several elements to that. We’ve got to get all the vaccines that U.S. and Canadian children take for granted that they get and get those out to all the children of the world, who are actually more vulnerable to these diarrheal and pneumonia diseases. And the recent extremely successful fundraising for the Global Alliance for Vaccines, that Canada was a very large and generous participant in, that lays the foundation that actually in the next five years will get those vaccines out to all those children.

 

We need to make progress on malaria. In Africa that’s a significant part of the children’s deaths. And so we had discussions today, meeting with the experts and talking about what should… what goals should be set and how are we going to achieve that.

 

Overall health is an enabling factor and the goal here is to have these countries be self-sufficient. And we’ve seen Brazil, Mexico, many countries…India in the reasonably near future will be self-sufficient.  And so even the countries in Africa that are still in a tough situation if we lend them a hand and help out with these really central issues, starting with health but then education, agriculture, then they will get to the point where they’re completely self-sufficient.

 

So in 15 years I think there’ll be very few countries left that are in need of aid. At least a half of the ones that we’re helping today will be graduating and that’s great success. A lot of healthy children contributing to the world.

 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER:  Prime Minister, what are you announcing today and why is it significant?

 

RT HON STEPHEN HARPER:  Well, look, we’re just reiterating today what we’ve been doing, which is contributing to a range of causes on child, newborn and maternal health. Obviously including some of the things that Bill has talked about: vaccine support, many things I’ve been announcing around the world.

 

We just want to keep pushing this forward at every opportunity. You know, we’re in the process of developing something internationally called the New Millennium Development Goals, and I think we’re both a bit worried there’s a bit of a lack of focus creeping in and we just want to keep our country which has supported this so strongly, and the world, focused on the really big things where we can make transformational changes to the planet.

 

And so that’s really what we’re doing today.

 

And I just want to spend a moment, if I could, just talking about the Gates Foundation while Bill is here. Look, it’s been just, the Gates Foundation has been a fantastic partner. I don’t think most people really appreciate the effect the Gates Foundation itself has had in the international development area. It’s brought a kind of a business-oriented rigour, focus on results, achievements. It has a range of capacities all the way from scientific research through to delivery and of course a scale of funding that is really unique.

 

So it’s been a great partner for Canada but it’s a great organization that’s really helping the world and we’re really honoured that Bill could join us, just as Melinda joined us for the conference back in Toronto in May.