The ASEAN Foundation is moving closer to the realization of partnering with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the area of health.
Following up the visit of representatives from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last February 2012, the ASEAN Foundation has indicated its interest to partner with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the holding of the Asia – Pacific Development Summit: Public – Private Partnerships to Close Regional Health MDG Gaps scheduled for on 3 – 5 September 2012 in Jakarta. As the first step, the ASEAN Foundation has agreed to host for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation the partners' meeting on 29 June 2012 as a kick-off to the Summit initiative. The partners' meeting was attended by representatives from WHO, AusAID, UNICEF, and the World Bank Institute, among others.
The partners' meeting mainly discussed about the preparation for the Asia – Pacific Development Summit, a brainstorming on the many issues related to the holding of the Summit and finally how the forum could be tied in with other regional efforts, e. g. ASEAN, APEC, and other regional organisations.
As its collaborating partner, the ASEAN Foundation is entrusted by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation a grant, the value of which is currently under consideration. For the success of the event, close consultation by both Foundations will be made. As many as 150 – 200 participants are expected to take part in this forum.
Headquartered in Seattle, the United States, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was established in 1994 with primary focus, in developing countries, on improving people's health and alleviating poverty, in the United States, on ensuring that people have access to the opportunities in education and life.
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