By Martin Banks - 24th January 2012
Those of us who have done well have a unique responsibility but every country has a role to play
Bill Gates
The EU has an important role to play in "shaping" global action on poverty reduction, according to American billionaire Bill Gates.
Addressing a packed meeting in parliament on Tuesday, the Microsoft co-founder also urged the EU and its member states to resist "pressure" to cut budgets and continue funding poor countries.
Praising the EU for its efforts in addressing the "poverty problem", Gates said there was "concrete proof" that EU aid was having an impact.
Such funding, he said, had ensured that five million children had been vaccinated against measles, five million health centres had been built and four million additional births had been attended.
"I hope the EU will continue to show global leadership on this issue," he said.
Gates was in parliament to take part in a special debate organised by the development committee on the "impact of effective aid".
The philanthropist, who is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said the EU can be a "catalyst" for countries in other parts of the world to do more to tackle global poverty.
"The EU is the most influential aid donor in the world. Its contribution is very impressive. It is also very good on transparency in terms of publishing on the internet how the money is spent and on which projects," he said.
In light of cuts to public budgets in many member states, Gates forecast that 2012 would be a "critical year" for overseas aid, adding, "I hope that despite the pressure to cut spending, the EU and member states' commitment will remain. This is a big deal."
In a wide-ranging, hour-long address, the entrepreneur focused specifically on the importance of vaccines and agriculture in helping to address world poverty.
He said the impact of vaccines can be "miraculous" while there were many "great success stories" on the role agriculture can play.
"For example, there were 13 million people who faced starvation in the Horn of Africa last year," he said. "This would have been far less if there had been more investment in farming."
Gates also attempted to rubbish claims that most of the money spent on foreign aid was lost to corruption.
He added, "I am generally optimistic that we can solve the poverty problem although I must admit I am impatient about this. We must continue to make this a priority."
He also praised MEPs' contribution, saying, "I applaud parliament's focus on protecting funding even if some tough trade offs have to be made.
"There is a lot you can do and parliament should feel proud of its achievements in this area. Generally, the EU should feel great about its generosity."
He added, "Those of us who have done well have a unique responsibility but every country has a role to play."
