German Development Minister, Dirk Niebel, and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, met in Berlin and signed an agreement “for close cooperation between the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ*, and the Gates Foundation” in the areas of “global health policy, agriculture and rural development, water and sanitation, urban development, as well as microfinance.” The Partnership “will commence with a joint increase to the GAVI Alliance with the commitment of the BMZ to increase its contribution through innovative bilateral contributions. The ministry will increase its funding by €14m in 2011 for childhood immunization. In turn, the Gates Foundation will match this amount through multilateral contributions to GAVI; the foundation will also match any further increase in funds for 2012 and 2013 should Germany announce these contributions ahead of the June GAVI Pledging Conference.”

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/close-cooperation-bmz-110406.aspx