by Dr. Joseph Mercola
August 21, 2020
from
Mercola Website
Story at-a-glance
-
Bill Gates wields powerful influence over global food and
agriculture policy through his funding of a large number of
organizations involved in agricultural development and policy making
-
Eleven of just 12 people urging the UN to retain Agnes Kalibata, the
president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA),
as its special envoy to the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit,
were funded by Gates
-
This is in stark contrast to those who opposed Kalibata: 176 civil
society organizations and farmer groups, plus 500 additional
signatories, called for withdrawal of her appointment due to her
clear conflicts of interest with corporate actors
-
Gates' massive investments in global food production have failed to
solve any real problems. The solutions he backs are "Band-Aid
solutions" that only deepen the root problems
-
Examples include the funding of the development
of GMOs. These crops
end up replacing local diversity with just a few GE varieties that
don't take local conditions into account. By pushing GE crops,
malnutrition actually deepens, as biodiversity is reduced
-
Gates is a perfect example of a philanthrocapitalist. He has
"donated" tens of billions of dollars over the years, yet his net
worth hasn't dropped - it has doubled, and this is largely because
his donations are treated as tax deductible investments
Bill Gates has built a global empire around his technologies and
"philanthropic" endeavors, the magnitude of which is now becoming
increasingly clear.
His sheer wealth has allowed him to become a
veritable superpower in his own right. He's not only risen to become
the largest funder of the World Health Organization and the
unelected global COVID-19 health czar but he's also a secret
powerbroker of the global food system.
As revealed in the AGRA Watch report, 1 "The Man Behind the Curtain
- The Gates Foundation's Influence on the UN Food Systems Summit,"
published August 2020, Gates wields powerful influence over global
food and agriculture policy through his funding of a large number of
organizations involved in agricultural development and policy
making.
Gates-Funded Organizations Defend Gates-Funded UN Envoy
While Gates is just one man, his clout is significantly leveraged
and magnified by the fact that he funds such a large number of
companies and organizations that can then do his bidding on the sly.
When you see long lists of groups, you automatically think there are
many players in the game when, in fact, Gates is the singular thread
running through most or all of them.
The AGRA Watch report 2 makes a
perfect case in point with the story of
Agnes Kalibata.
Kalibata is the president of Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa (AGRA), an organization funded by,
the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation...
In December 2019, Kalibata was appointed special envoy
to the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit by the secretary
general of the UN, Antonio Guterres.
In response, 176 civil society organizations and farmer groups from
83 countries urged Guterres to withdraw the appointment of Kalibata
due to her clear conflicts of interest with corporate actors.
A
second statement, signed by more than 500 academics and
organizations, also opposed Kalibata's appointment to, and her
organization of, the Summit.
The Gates Foundation
seeks to exercise influence not only
through
its funding of projects and shaping of expertise,
but also in
funding the governance platforms
that determine food and
agricultural policy.
AGRA Watch
That's significant pushback, illustrating there's widespread concern
about Kalibata's appointment.
Coming forward in her defense were a
dozen individuals representing development banks, academic
institutions and the private sector.
They urged Guterres to retain Kalabata, citing her leadership
qualities and work ethic, among other things.
However, of those 12
defenders,
"11 had past or
current connections to the Gates Foundation," AGRA Watch says,
adding: 3
"In some instances, the organizations were directly funded by the
Gates Foundation, and in others, the Gates Foundation funded
specific programs in which the signers had played roles.
One
organization was funded by AGRA, which is funded by the Gates
Foundation."
Gates' Undue Influence Over UN Food Systems Summit
In other words, while it may look like Kalabata had support from a
dozen separate and independent individuals or groups, in reality,
there are really only two voices speaking in her defense.
It's just
that Gates' voice is magnified times. 11
What's more, his name is
never actually mentioned, so to the uninitiated, it would appear he
has nothing to do with it at all.
"These findings illustrate the influence of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation (BMGF) on global food and agricultural policy.
AGRA
Watch has continually documented the role of the BMGF in influencing
agricultural development, which has grown immensely in recent
years," AGRA Watch writes.
"The Gates Foundation seeks to exercise influence not only through
its funding of projects and shaping of expertise, but also in
funding the governance platforms that determine food and
agricultural policy.
This role of the BMGF
in driving policy decisions based on its proprietary and
technological model of agricultural development is often
overlooked...
In this report, we have demonstrated just some of the connections
between the Gates Foundation and those who have supported Kalibata's
appointment as head of the UN Food Systems Summit.
While hundreds of civil society organizations called for her
removal, only twelve signatories were willing to support her
appointment, almost all of whom were direct beneficiaries of the
Gates Foundation.
This raises critical questions about the role of
Bill Gates in shaping the agenda of the UN Food Systems Summit as
well as its outcomes."
The following graphic, included in the
AGRA Watch report,
illustrates the direct and indirect funding ties between the Gates
Foundation and the UN Food Systems Summit's special envoy, Kalibata.
Gates Foundation's Revolving Door to Monsanto
AGRA Watch has raised concerns about the Gates Foundation's
influence on the agribusiness for many years.
For example, among its many research reports 4 is the 2010 report
"The Revolving Door: Monsanto-Gates Links," 5 which details the
direct links between the Gates Foundation and
Monsanto
representatives,
-
Rob Horsch
-
Florence Wambugu
-
Don Doering
6
-
the late Sam Dryden
-
Lawrence Kent...
Another 2010 report,
"Gates Foundation Links to Monsanto and GE Crops Development in
Kenya," points out: 7
"AGRA Watch formed in 2008 to challenge the Gates Foundation's
participation in the problematic Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa (AGRA), and to support sustainable agro-ecological
alternatives already practiced in Africa.
We have witnessed acceleration in the push for genetic engineering
(GE) as a 'solution' to hunger in Africa, a criminalization of GE's
opponents as eco-imperialists unwilling to accept scientific
advancements, and a misplaced reverence for philanthropic support
for corporate solutions to global food issues.
Corporate interests
are clearly exhibited in the AGRA agenda, as seen below."
Gates Foundation Isn't in It to Solve Real-World Problems
In its 2014 report, 8 "Three Examples of Problems with Gates
Foundation Grants," AGRA Watch highlights why Gates' massive
investments in global food production have failed to solve any of
the very real problems we face.
First and foremost, many of the
solutions that he backs are "Band-Aid solutions" that in fact worsen
the root problems.
Examples include the funding of the development of
genetically
engineered (GE) foods designed to be higher in certain nutrients.
The problem is that these crops then end up replacing local
diversity with just a few GE varieties that don't even take local
conditions into account.
So, by pushing for "fortified" crop
varieties, malnutrition actually deepens, as biodiversity is
reduced.
Secondly, "a stubborn focus on yield" is at odds with research
showing that low yield or insufficient production is not causing
world hunger.
"There is ample
evidence today that the problem instead is poverty and lack of
access, which is deepened by destruction of local food systems
and commercialization of food," AGRA Watch notes.
AGRA adds,
"Grants by the Gates' Foundation and AGRA continue to focus on
yield, priming Africa for a system suited to the needs of the
profit-seeking, yield-oriented commercial farmer rather than the
peasant or small farmer producing diverse crops for a local
community."
A third problem highlighted in the report is Gates' funding of
European and American research organizations and scientists rather
than African ones, even though the programs are being implemented in
Africa.
According to AGRA Watch,
"This may not be a result of conscious
intentions but of a deeply embedded structural bias that casts
African scientists and scientific institutions as not qualified or
legitimate enough to receive grant funding."
Gates'
Specialty - Philanthrocapitalism
Additional observations can be found in the AGRA Watch article
9 "Philanthrocapitalism - The Gates Foundation's African Programs Are Not Charity," published
December 2017, in which philanthrocapitalism is described as,
"an
attempt to use market processes to do good," but which is inherently
problematic "as markets are ill-suited to producing socially
constructive ends."
Put another way,
Gates' brand of philanthropy creates several new
problems for each one it solves...
As noted in the article, advocates
of philanthrocapitalism:
"...often expect financial returns or secondary benefits over the
long term from their investments in social programs.
Philanthropy
becomes another part of the engine of profit and corporate control.
The Gates Foundation's strategy for 'development' actually promotes
neoliberal economic policies and corporate globalization:
'It is... likely that Bill Gates, who has regular access to world
leaders and is in effect personally bankrolling hundreds of
universities, international organizations, NGOs and media outlets,
has become the single most influential voice in international
development.
Closer examination of the BMGF is critical given that its influence
is vast, indeed greater than most donor governments.
The BMGF
provides more aid to global health than any country donor and is the
fifth largest donor to agriculture in developing countries.
In 2013, only 11 countries spent more on aid than the BMGF, making
it the world's 12th largest donor.
The Gates Foundation has become a
bigger donor than countries such as Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Ireland and Italy.'" 10
Gates' Medical Plan
- Global Immunization and Surveillance
One of the reasons many are now becoming aware of just how powerful
Gates has become is because of his frequent appearances as the
COVID-19 expert du jour.
It's an odd choice, considering his
complete and total lack of formal medical training...
It's
particularly perplexing in light of how the opinions of actual
medical doctors, award-winning scientists and researchers who
conflict with his views are being scrubbed off the internet.
Gates has repeatedly stated that,
life cannot go back to normal until
and unless we vaccinate the entire global population against
COVID-19...
This, despite the fact that scientists and medical
researchers have discovered a variety of safe, simple and
inexpensive strategies to prevent and treat COVID-19.
The fact that Gates' irrational and scientifically unsound opinions
are shaping pandemic responses around the globe while real medical
professionals are being censored
by mainstream media and social
media platforms is proof positive that,
we're no longer operating
from a base of science and medical truth...
Instead, the whole world is expected to fall into line with the
self-serving agenda created by Gates and his many allies in
technology and medicine.
In an April 30, 2020, GatesNotes post,
11,12
Gates even states he,
"suspect[s] the COVID-19 vaccine will become
part of the routine newborn immunization schedule",
...a nice little
piece of predictive programming, if you ask me.
Mind you, the mRNA vaccines being developed against COVID-19 will
alter your genetic expression, turning your body into a viral
protein factory.
Is it really wise to consider using such a novel
vaccine on newborns...?
In a sane and rational world, the answer would
be a resounding no.
Unfortunately, we now live in
a world run by
Gates' goons, and thus reason and logic have largely vanished from
the equation.
In predictable Hegelian dialectic problem-reaction-solution fashion,
the problem of COVID-19 led to illogical and ill-conceived pandemic
responses such as mask mandates and house arrest of healthy people,
followed by the "ultimate solution" of a hastily thrown together
vaccine using novel mRNA technology.
Radical as all of that may seem, Gates' plans for the world do not
stop here.
He's also pushing for the implementation of a vast,
global surveillance system to track and trace everyone's infection
and vaccination status.
He's even funding the contact tracing group
Partners in Health, along with
George Soros.
The
William J. Clinton
Foundation has also funded Partners in Health in the past.
13
Not surprisingly, Gates' recommendations end up benefiting himself
most of all.
As discussed in "Bill Gates
- Most Dangerous
Philanthropist in Modern History?" the
Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation donates billions to the very same companies and
industries that the Foundation owns stocks and bonds in...
Using nonprofit money to advance research for companies you're
invested in is illegal, yet he's been getting away with this for
many years.
At the same time, his Foundation gets tax breaks for the
charitable donations it makes money from.
Remember, he has "donated" tens of billions of dollars over the
years, yet his net worth hasn't dropped - it has doubled, and this
is largely because his donations are treated as tax deductible
investments.
It's philanthrocapitalism at its finest...
Gates Is Major Benefactor of Pandemic Fear-Mongering
The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly Gates' biggest
philanthrocapitalist project to date, and he stands to cash in big,
as he's funding/investing in both therapeutics and COVID-19
vaccines.
In March 2020, the Gates Foundation announced 14 a new partnership,
dubbed,
"The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator," with Wellcome and
Mastercard to "coordinate R&D efforts and remove barriers to drug
development."
According to the press
release: 15
"The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will play a catalytic role by
accelerating and evaluating new and repurposed drugs and biologics
to treat patients with COVID-19 in the immediate term, and other
viral pathogens in the longer-term."
The Gates Foundation has also teamed up with
Serum Institute of
India (SII) to manufacture 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines
developed by AstraZeneca and Novavax.
The vaccines, which will
cost less than $3 per dose, are slated for delivery to low-income
countries. 16,17
The funding is being funneled as an interest-free forgivable loan to
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, founded by the Gates Foundation in 2000,
which will then provide the needed capital to SII.
Over the next
five years, the Foundation has also pledged to provide Gavi with a
total of $1.6 billion in additional funds. 18
Gates' Attempt to Improve Education Was a Massive Failure
Having an overarching influence over technology, food and medicine
(vaccines in particular) still doesn't adequately describe Gates'
influence on our daily lives.
He's also had a profound influence
over education.
The much-criticized
Common Core curriculum was the
Gates Foundation's attempt at remaking American education, 19
and most parents can tell you how dumb that was. 20
Despite that abysmal failure, May 6, 2020, New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo announced the state is partnering with the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation to develop "a smarter education system" for the
post-COVID world that will focus on online learning and permanently
integrate technology into every aspect of civic life. 21
The state is also partnering with
Google, and Cuomo has asked former
Google CEO Eric Schmidt to head a new panel to plan the state's
technological infrastructure. 22
As noted by The Intercept,
23 the
surveillance apparatus that consumers have been railing against is
now being rebranded as the answer to everyone's health concerns...
Gates Is the Most Visible Figurehead of Modern Technocracy
Whether preplanned or not, the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly being
used to usher in highly controversial changes that are unmistakably
totalitarian-building, including,
the private take-over of government
through public-private partnerships...
Surveillance has become the biggest for-profit industry on the
planet, and your entire existence is now being targeted for profit.
Among those who stand to profit the most is Gates himself.
For a better understanding of what you're giving up by going along
with the mainstream narrative that we need Big Tech to save us,
see
my article about social psychologist and Harvard professor
Shoshana
Zuboff and her extraordinary book, "The Age of Surveillance
Capitalism."
You also won't want to miss my recent interview with Patrick Wood,
featured in "The Pressing Dangers of Technocracy"
below:
He paints a picture that can be hard to swallow, especially if
you're just coming around to hearing about all of this for the first
time, but it's really crucial that everyone begin to understand what
we're facing.
Time is running out. To have any chance of stopping
it, we must understand our trajectory, and unite to change the
course Gates and others like him have set for us.
Sources and
References
1, 2, 3
- The
Man Behind the Curtain: The Gates Foundation's Influence on the
UN Food Systems Summit (PDF)
4
- CAGI.org
AGRA Watch Media
5
- CAGI.org
The Revolving Door: Monsanto and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation (PDF)
6
- The
Gray Zone July 8, 2020
7
- CAGI.org
Gates Foundation Links to Monsanto and GE Crop Development in
Kenya (PDF)
8
- CAGI.org
Three Examples of Problems with Gates Foundation Grants July 21,
2014
9
- Third
World Network, Philanthrocapitalism: The Gates Foundation's
African Programs Are Not Charity
10 - Global
Justice Now January 2016
11 - GatesNotes
April 30, 2020
12 - BGR
May 1, 2020
13 - National
File May 12, 2020
14, 15
- Gates
Foundation March 10, 2020
16 - Wall
Street Journal August 7, 2020
17, 18
- Barrons
August 10, 2020
19 - Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation Common Core Inc
20 - Philanthropy
Daily November 1, 2017
21, 23
- The
Intercept May 8, 2020
22 - The
Guardian May 14, 2020
|