Gateses Named Time Persons of the Year
Bill and Melinda Gates have been bestowed Time Magazine's annual "Persons of the Year" award, along with U2 rocker Bono. Time said it chose the three for their relentless efforts in helping to fight diseases such as Malaria and AIDS, as well as eliminate poverty in Africa.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates holds a personal fortune of over $46.5 billion, which has enabled him to become the most philanthropic person in history. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest charity in the world with a $29 billion endowment.
In January, the foundation pledged $750 million to improve child immunizations, accelerate availability of new vaccines and strengthen vaccine delivery systems. Microsoft Research has recently endeavored to improve vaccines through machine-learning techniques.
"For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are Time's Persons of the Year," Time said in the December 19 issue.
Bono is a co-founder of the DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) organization, which aims to fight poverty and HIV in developing countries. DATA spun off the ONE campaign to fight poverty in Africa, and was a major backer of the Live 8 concert and debt reduction campaign this summer with the help of Bob Geldof.
Referring to the Live 8, Time said, "Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world's richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest."
"We realize that we've been extremely fortunate in business, and we want to give back in ways that can do the most good for the most people. But we also believe that everyone has something to offer—time, money, or energy—that can help others," Bill and Melinda Gates said in a statement.
"Together we've all made important progress, but there's still a lot of work to do. Too many children in the developing world face lives without health, hope, or opportunity. Too many children in the United States are not getting an education that prepares them for success in life. Working together, we can solve these problems. These children are our children, and their futures depend on all of us."
Jupiter Research vice president Michael Gartenberg agreed with Time's assessment, even recommending Gates before the magazine had made its official announcement.
"There's simply no other private citizen on this planet who has saved as many lives as they have over the past year and likely years to come as well. There's a saying in the Talmud that a person who saves another life is likened to someone who has saved an entire world. That's the Gates family and the effort of their foundation," said Gartenberg.
"No $100 computers, but quietly and in a self effacing way, they make a difference as individuals and help people in the way they really need to be helped."