News outlets highlight the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual letter, released on Wednesday, as well as comments made by Bill and Melinda Gates in a related interview.

Agence France-Presse: World’s poor headed for better lives in 2030: Gates
“The lives of the poor will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any time in history, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda say…” (Landry, 1/21).

Bloomberg News: Bill Gates Expects Historic Improvement in Lives of Poor
“…Advancements in medical care and illness prevention for children, efforts to eradicate polio and other diseases and new farming techniques in Africa will drive ‘major breakthroughs’ for most people in poor countries, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation annual letter published Wednesday night in Seattle…” (Cao, 1/21).

Devex: Bill and Melinda Gates launch ‘Global Citizen’ advocacy effort
“…The Gates Foundation’s 2015 annual letter, released Jan. 21, concludes with the launch of an online advocacy effort called ‘Global Citizen.’ The campaign aims to connect ideas and people so that, collectively, they can persuade governments, companies, and nonprofits to prioritize efforts to improve the lives of the poorest people…” (Igoe, 1/22).

Financial Times: ‘A bit of luck’ halted Ebola, says Bill Gates
“…Now that the number of new Ebola infections is falling, countries and aid agencies must learn how to ‘respond faster’ next time by ensuring that lists of volunteers are available more quickly and by using experimental new drugs at an earlier stage, he said…” (Crow, 1/22).

Reuters: Gates foundation sees huge gains against disease, poverty by 2030
“…Established in 2000, the foundation distributed $3.6 billion in grants in 2013, in particular for global health and development, and had $42.3 billion in assets as of late 2014…” (Begley, 1/22).

USA TODAY: Gates Foundation targets a better world for poor in 2030
“…While the Gates Foundation’s biggest achievement to date ‘is getting the cost of vaccines down 37 percent and developing a market for such companies, which have grown from five to 12,’ Gates says progress on a large scale is only capable through strategic and significant First World government funding…” (della Cava, 1/21).

Wall Street Journal: Gates Foundation Sees a Better Future Driven by Technology
“…The letter, once written by Mr. Gates and now assembled with Mrs. Gates, is widely read in the global health and development communities and beyond for its prognoses and the agenda it proposes for action…” The newspaper features a video interview with the Gateses (McKay/Blumenstein, 1/21).

Washington Post: Gates priorities: Improvements in African agriculture, health, education, and banking
“…This year’s letter is broader in scope than previous letters that were often focused on a single idea or area of interest. In it, the Gateses reaffirmed their focus on child and maternal health and communicable diseases such as malaria and HIV, but they also signaled that two other areas — agriculture in Africa and technology in banking and education — would become major priorities in the coming years…” (Cha, 1/22).