Global Citizen has just announced Global Citizen Live, an epic 24-hour global broadcast with events and performances filmed across seven continents to unite the world to defend the planet and defeat poverty.
With performances and live events in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, Global Citizen Live will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25, and will air on ABC, ABC News Live, BBC, FX, iHeartRadio, Hulu, YouTube, Twitter, and more.
The once-in-a-generation 24-hour global broadcast will include simultaneous live music events featuring the world's greatest artists, activists, and world leaders at iconic locations across the globe. Cities include Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Paris, London, Seoul, Los Angeles, and Sydney. And even more locations, as well as location-specific details, are yet to be announced.
Artists and entertainers participating in the global broadcast special include: Adam Lambert, Alessia Cara, Andrea Bocelli, Angélique Kidjo, Billie Eilish, BTS, Burna Boy, Camila Cabello, Christine and the Queens, Coldplay, Davido, Demi Lovato, DJ Snake, Doja Cat, Duran Duran, Ed Sheeran, Femi Kuti, Green Day, H.E.R., Hugh Jackman & Deborra-lee Furness, Keith Urban, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Lorde, Metallica, Rag’n’Bone Man, Ricky Martin, Shawn Mendes, The Lumineers, The Weeknd, Tiwa Savage, and Usher, with more to be announced in coming weeks.
“It is very important to me to be a part of this historic event to spread awareness and encourage action toward helping the people of Ethiopia during this devastating humanitarian crisis they are faced with,” said The Weeknd. “It’ll be an honor to perform and help bring support to these citizens who are suffering so severely.”
Geoffrey Onyeama, Foreign Minister of Nigeria, added: “As we humans spend billions of dollars in search of newer worlds in outer space, Global Citizen Live brings us back down to earth by reminding the global community that charity should begin at home and we must preserve our earth and be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We owe it to ourselves and generations yet unborn. Space can wait!”
Global Citizen Live is part of Global Citizen’s overarching Recovery Plan for the World, a year-long campaign to help end COVID-19 by calling on governments, philanthropists, and the private sector for financial commitments to kickstart a global recovery.
The campaign is powered by Global Citizens around the world taking action together with governments, corporations, and philanthropists to enact change to defeat poverty and defend the planet before it’s too late.
“COVID-19 has drastically reversed the progress toward achieving the United Nations’ Global Goals, pushing upwards of 160 million people back into extreme poverty,” said Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen. “There are now more than 40 million people on the brink of famine. Progress on climate change has halted, as the majority of the Fortune 500 fail to set science-based carbon reduction targets. We must rectify the damage done and hold world leaders and businesses accountable for ensuring that the entire world recovers from this pandemic together. ‘Equitable recovery’ is not an act of charity — it is the only way we can ensure a fighting chance at achieving a sustainable world free from extreme poverty.”
To help the world kickstart an equitable COVID-19 recovery and get back on track to achieve the Global Goals by 2030, Global Citizen launched the Recovery Plan for the World in February. As part of the campaign, Global Citizen hosted VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World in May, which mobilized more than 26 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and $302 million to the ACT-Accelerator for equitable health access to countries most in need.
Now, as part of the Recovery Plan for the World, Global Citizen Live aims to amplify that impact. Ahead of the G20 Summit in October and the major climate conference COP26 in November, Global Citizen is calling on world leaders, major corporations, and foundations to defend the planet and defeat poverty by making financial commitments to equitable and inclusive COVID-19 recovery efforts. These include:
Helping end the pandemic by donating at least 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to those most in need by September;
Reverting the hunger crisis affecting the 41 million people on the brink of famine by contributing at least $6 billion to famine relief efforts and the urgent provision of millions of meals;
Resuming education by getting 4.5 million kids most in need back to learning by contributing $400 million towards education;
Combating catastrophic climate change by getting the world’s largest companies to join the Race to Zero this year, contribute to saving and restoring billions of trees, commit to becoming climate neutral, and developing verified science-based targets to reach net zero emissions, in line with the Paris Agreement;
Driving an equitable recovery for all through mobilizing $250 million to support COVID-19 response efforts, focused on people-centered justice, gender equality, racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and people with disabilities.
The Global Citizen Live campaign is supported by more than 30 governments and world leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister of Italy and G20 Chair Mario Draghi, President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Chile Sebastián Piñera, President of Argentina Alberto Fernández, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama, Foreign Minister of Nigeria Geoffrey Onyeama, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, UK COP President Designate Alok Sharma, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, and the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon.
Governments also supporting Global Citizen's year long Recovery Plan for the World campaign are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Ireland, Mexico, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The campaign is also supported by a bipartisan Honorary Congressional Committee in the United States, chaired by former Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA) and consisting of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Appropriations Chair Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Representative Young Kim (R-CA).
“The European Commission and Global Citizen have accomplished so much for universal access to COVID-19 vaccines. We will continue working hand in hand to end the pandemic everywhere. Rally behind the global goal of climate neutrality. Stop the hunger crisis and fight rising inequalities,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. “The Global Citizen Live event comes at the right time: I hope that governments, businesses and philanthropists will all hear the call of Global Citizens for action!”
“I am happy, once again, to join forces with Global Citizen for this important event — both as Italy and as this year’s G20 Presidency,” said Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy and G20 Chair. “The challenges ahead of us call for concerted efforts by governments, civil society, and the private sector. We need to act together to overcome the pandemic, recover better, and address the key issues of our time, including climate change, enduring inequalities, and the need for sustainable and inclusive growth.”
Global Citizen Live and the overarching Recovery Plan for the World campaign are supported by a coalition of many of the world's leading corporations, including global partners: Accenture, Cisco, Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, Google, Live Nation, P&G, Verizon, and campaign partners WW International and World Wide Technology, who will work together to engage support from the private sector in driving new commitments toward the campaign's policy objectives. Access Bank will also support the Global Citizen Live campaign as a partner in Nigeria.
To get the latest updates and information about Global Citizen Live, visit www.globalcitizen.org, and follow @GlblCtzn on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
You can join the Global Citizen Live campaign to defeat poverty and defend the planet by taking action here, and become part of a movement powered by citizens around the world who are taking action together with governments, corporations, and philanthropists to make change.
