India is an example of philanthropy working closely with government

Bill Gates on Thursday, pledged to donate almost all his wealth over the next two decades, including around $200 billion through his foundation, the Bill Gates Foundation, which he plans to close by December 31, 2045.

- R Sukumar

NEW DELHI: That commitment to the foundation is around twice what he ploughed into it in its first 25 years of existence. The foundation has been very active in India and in the context of the announcement, Mark Suzman, its CEO, spoke to HT. Edited excerpts:

Apart from the fact that this is 25 years of the Gates Foundation, you were also an early entrant into India. India was probably the first overseas operation for the Gates Foundation, 2003. And back then, the Indian philanthropy sector was pretty much in its infancy. Can you tell us a bit about how you see the space having changed in this period, and also the role that the Gates Foundation has played as a catalyst in facilitating this change?

Yes. India was the first country where we established an office outside the United States in the early 2000s, initially working on HIV/AIDS, and then broadening into the full range of work we do across health and agricultural development, financial inclusion, sanitation, a wide range of priorities, all very aligned with the government's priorities. Also, India was one of the earliest places where Bill and Melinda focused on building a stronger domestic philanthropic sector.

There were long traditions of philanthropy—the Tatas, in particular—but I think the Gates Foundation helped catalyse more dialogue among the wealthy in India about their philanthropic opportunities.

And that's certainly been one of the signature things that we've observed in India over the last 20 years now, a significant expansion in the philanthropic sector, and an energy and attention and great leadership, a number of people joining the Giving Pledge, including Nandan Nilekani, Azim Premji.

We're working on new philanthropic partnerships and have developed strong relationships with groups like the Piramal Foundation. We work extensively in Bihar and in many poorer districts directed by NITI Aayog.