Devex Pro Insider: A tough week for Gates, a better week for French Gates

As the world continues to pore through the millions of files on Jeffrey Epstein released by the U.S. government, the fallout has hit an increasingly large number of people and institutions, and this week the spotlight fell on the Gates Foundation. It’s been widely reported that Gates admits to first meeting Epstein in 2011 — three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor — and attended dinners with him over a three-year period. Epstein’s emails contain some fairly lurid allegations, which Gates has denied. Gates has apologized for “every minute” spent with Epstein. Now, as first reported by Reuters, it appears that Gates Foundation staff were also involved in correspondence with Epstein. The files contain multiple emails in which Bill Gates and employees of his foundation seem to have become wrapped up in plans to set up a donor-advised fund to pull in funds from rich individuals known to Epstein. DAFs are vehicles for tax-efficient giving, where donors put money in and claim immediate tax benefits, and are then able to give their cash away over time. Gates appears to have hoped that if Epstein set one up, he could use it to pull in cash from the many rich individuals Epstein was closely connected to. “On the basis of Epstein’s claims that he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health and development, a small number of foundation employees interacted with Epstein to try to secure this potential funding,” the foundation said in a statement. “Ultimately, the foundation did not pursue any collaboration with Epstein and no fund was ever created. At no time were financial payments made by the foundation to Epstein, nor was he employed by the foundation at any time.” It’s not a great look for either founder or foundation. The latter has said it will “continue to review materials released in connection with this matter.” Full transparency: Devex receives Gates Foundation funding for the The Aid Report project; however, we retain full editorial independence. Bits and pieces French facts. It’s been a rather better week for Melinda French Gates, who was the subject of a glowing profile in Forbes magazine. French Gates was named by Forbes as #13 on its World’s Most Powerful Women list in December last year, two places below another female mega-donor, Mackenzie Scott. “We’re at the cusp of what some have called the Great Wealth Transfer,” she told the magazine. “Women are poised to inherit trillions of dollars by 2030, which means they’ll soon control more wealth than they ever have before. From a philanthropic perspective, I can’t wait to see what they do with it.” How AU doin’? This weekend, my colleague Ayenat Mersie is in Addis Ababa for the African Union Summit, and it seems like they’ve put in the hours to make it feel like a big deal. Ayenat reports repaved roads, ornate street lights, and glittering fountains — all installed over the last few months. The fountains, in particular, feel fitting, since water is the official theme of the conference. Leaders are discussing water management, water security, and above all, financing. There are other big themes, though, including conflict resolution in hotspots such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia. But perhaps the biggest item on the agenda is the nascent African Continental Free Trade Area, which is getting closer to reality and has the potential to transform commerce on the continent. Security briefing. The summit isn’t the only big deal this weekend, though. Another of our reporters, Jesse Chase-Lubitz, is at the Munich Security Conference. Jesse tells me that, unsurprisingly, given this year’s theme — “under destruction,” — security is tight, with big-name figures everywhere and military officers in full uniform thronging the halls. In recent years, aid has become a more and more central theme at this event, but there are question marks over whether that trend may reverse this year as European nations push spending from development to defense. Still, Jesse has already caught up with Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration, and spotted Tirana Hassan, who recently took the helm at Doctors Without Borders USA. So the sector’s leaders are still there in some force. One question, though, is whether the global south has a foot in the door. Munich has historically been a European conference, but there is a push for more representation from the rest of the world. X-ing out. The U.S. government has, in recent months, shown a bit of a tendency to want to remove any evidence of previous administrations and their policies, and the State Department looks to be the latest to get in on the act. According to NPR, the State Department plans to delete its X posts from before Trump returned to office. Those posts might indicate positions antithetical to the current administration, such as the need to address climate change or the importance of gender equality. You can see why an administration might want to remove evidence of a previous government with different views, but it seems likely to create quite a strange, timeless environment. Presumably, if and when a Democratic president comes to power, they will want to remove any evidence of the fact that Donald Trump once held office. Mottley crew. One nation, at least, has appointed a leader who believes in global warming. Mia Mottley, the eloquent advocate for the Bridgetown Agenda, a plan to tackle climate change and make more funds available to global south nations, has won a third term in office after securing all 30 seats in the Parliament of Barbados. Mottley promised action to strengthen her island country, with a focus on health care, transport, and public safety. Delhi counter. Next week, Devex will have reporting from the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The event will focus on — you guessed it — the impact of artificial intelligence in India, which is fast becoming one of the global south’s leaders on digital infrastructure. Happily, though, we didn’t have to book a hotel room for reporters, because tech leaders from all over the world have flown in for the conference, and prices are apparently at 15 times the regular level, with one room going for $33,000 a night, according to Bloomberg. In memoriam Leaders from across the LGBTQIA+ sector have paid tribute to Joan Amek, executive director of Rella Women’s Foundation in Uganda, a leading campaigner against the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, who died in a road traffic accident on Feb. 8. “The Uganda Feminist Forum holds with deep love and unspeakable grief the memory of our dear comrade and friend,” one tribute read. “Joan lived with courage and conviction, standing for justice and dignity even in difficult times,” read another from the Talented Youth Community Fellowship Uganda. Moving on Annē Linn will take up a permanent position as head of new partnerships at Muso, having joined the team in April, covering for maternity leave. Linn had previously worked at USAID. Dr. Farida Al Hosani has taken on the role of CEO of GLIDE, the Global Institute for Disease Elimination, replacing Simon Bland, who has led the organization since it was founded in 2019. Hosani was previously deputy CEO, and before that was a professor at the United Arab Emirates University. Ellen Bevier has started as deputy director of government relations and humanitarian advocacy at CARE. She was previously a senior humanitarian policy advocate at the same organization, and before that, worked in advocacy at the Syrian American Medical Society. Lina Jalouqa has started a new role as chief of emerging partnerships at UNICEF. She has been with the organization for 27 years, most recently as senior adviser for Africa and the Middle East. Gurveena Ghataure has joined Conservation International as director of conservation strategy for Africa. She was previously country director for Kenya at the Zoological Society of London, which runs London Zoo, for four years, and before that worked for 10 years at Flora and Fauna International. Dagmawit Tessema has taken on a new role as lead of national engagement in humanitarian and resilience investing at the World Economic Forum. “At a time when funding is increasingly constrained and challenges in frontier and fragile markets persist, there is a growing need for bold, collaborative approaches—partnering with the private sector, centering local actors, and advancing innovative market-based solutions that build long-term resilience and unlock capital,” she wrote about the new role. She previously worked at USAID for more than four years. Professor Cecile Aptel has been appointed as the new executive director of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. The African NGO mothers2mothers has appointed Chad Rathner as president and CEO. The move follows more than a decade of service to the organization, including as interim CEO since May 2025. Yara Alzinati has started a new role as programmes officer for Gaza at Medical Aid for Palestinians. Alzinati has worked in Gaza for several years, most recently for UNICEF. Sona Shrestha has been appointed as the new director-general for South Asia at the Asian Development Bank. A national of Nepal, Shrestha brings over 27 years of development experience, including 23 years with ADB. Michelle Parker has started a new role as director of AI at NetHope, an organization that describes itself as helping international organizations bring digital technologies to more people, in more places, more effectively. “AI is increasingly embedded in humanitarian and development work,” she wrote. “The question is not whether it will be used, but how—and who gets to shape that answer.” Anne Musuva-Njoroge has been appointed acting CEO at the Kenya Healthcare Federation. She was previously regional director for East and southern Africa at ThinkWell. Maura Weaver has taken on joint roles with the Malnutrition Advocacy Fund as associate director of advocacy and the Eleanor Crook Foundation as associate director of North American advocacy. She was previously legislative director for Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat from New Mexico. The Global Health Security Network has appointed Dr. Saskia Popescu as its new chief executive officer. Popescu is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, described as a recognized leader in global health security and preparedness. The Rights and Resources Initiative has announced a new board chair and five new board members from Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities, “strengthening representation, diversity, and leadership across its governance.” Gustavo Sánchez Valle, a local community leader who leads the RED MOCAF, the Mexican Network of Forest Peoples’ Organizations, will be board chair. Board members include: Barbara Reynolds, Cindy Yohana, Jason Rasevych, Beverly Litdog Longid, and Kyle Whyte.