ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday conferred the Award of \u2018Hilal-e-Pakistan\u2019 on Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates in recognition of his support for poverty alleviation and health care.<\/p>\n
A special investiture ceremony to this effect was held in Islamabad which was attended by federal ministers, senior officials and members of diplomatic corps.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Bill Gates called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.<\/p>\n
Born in 1955 in Seattle Washington, Bill Gates is a co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, the world\u2019s largest personal-computer software company.<\/p>\n
Currently, he co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with Melinda French Gates, supporting a wide range of public health projects, granting aid to fight transmissible diseases such AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as widespread vaccine programs to eradicate polio.<\/p>\n
The Foundation is playing a critical role for the elimination of polio in Pakistan as well as supporting the financial system through various interventions.<\/p>\n
It focuses on eliminating global inequities and increasing opportunities for those in need through programs addressing global agricultural and economic development, medical research and public health initiatives in developing countries.<\/p>\n
In 1975, Bill Gates started Microsoft with a vision of \u201ca computer on every desktop and in every home\u201d which has now been realized in many parts of the world.<\/p>\n
In 2010, Bill and Melinda challenged the global health community to declare this the Decade of Vaccines. They pledged $10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop, and deliver vaccines for the world\u2019s poorest countries.<\/p>\n
In 2017, the Foundation committed $300 million to helping farmers in Africa and Asia cope with climate change.<\/p>\n
In 2020, the Foundation committed about $1.75 billion to support the global response to COVID-19.<\/p>\n