Global Citizen Live Generates USD 1.1 Billion To Fight Poverty
Global Citizen Live, a 24-hour concert that featured performances from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, BTS and Elton John and dozens of other stars, raised more than USD1.1 billion
Global
Citizen
Live,
a
24-hour
concert
that
featured
performances
from
Stevie
Wonder,
Jennifer
Lopez,
BTS
and
Elton
John
and
dozens
of
other
stars,
raised
more
than
USD1.1
billion
in
commitments
and
pledges
over
the
weekend
to
fight
extreme
poverty.
Broadcasting
from
sites
on
six
continents,
including
New
York's
Central
Park
and
in
front
of
the
Eiffel
Tower
in
Paris,
Global
Citizen
also
secured
pledges
from
France
for
60
million
COVID-19
vaccine
doses
for
developing
countries
and
corporate
pledges
for
planting
157
million
trees
around
the
world.
Vaccine
pledges,
which
also
came
from
the
governments
of
Croatia
and
Ireland,
followed
numerous
pleas,
including
from
Prince
Harry
and
Meghan,
the
Duke
and
Duchess
of
Sussex,
onstage
at
Central
Park
on
Saturday
afternoon.
“This
year,
the
world
is
expected
to
produce
enough
doses
to
meet
the
target
of
vaccinating
70per
cent
of
people
in
every
single
country,”
Meghan,
the
Duchess
of
Sussex,
said
to
cheers
from
the
Central
Park
crowd.
“But
it
is
wrong
that
so
much
of
the
vaccine
supply
has
only
gone
to
just
10
wealthy
nations
so
far,
and
not
everyone
else.”
The
U.S.
government
pledged
USD295
million
for
humanitarian
needs
around
the
world
caused
by
the
COVID-19
pandemic.
Major
philanthropic
commitments
came
from
the
Lego
Foundation,
who
pledged
USD150
million
to
support
UNICEF
and
other
partners
working
with
children,
and
Rotary
International,
which
pledged
USD98
million
in
grant
funding
in
2022.
The
event
featured
numerous
music
collaborations,
including
Billie
Eilish
and
Finneas
joining
Coldplay
in
New
York
and
Charlie
Puth
joining
Elton
John
in
Paris,
but
joint
efforts
took
places
offstage
as
well.
The
Bill
and
Melinda
Gates
Foundation,
The
Children's
Investment
Fund
Foundation
(CIFF)
and
a
private
foundation
teamed
up
to
launch
a
USD50
million
fund
to
support
the
United
Nations
Population
Fund.
The
CIFF
also
committed
USD50
million
to
UNICEF
to
fund
child
nutrition
projects.
Namati,
The
Charles
Stewart
Mott
Foundation,
and
The
William
and
Flora
Hewlett
Foundation
collectively
committed
USD20
million
as
seed
funding
to
launch
the
Legal
Empowerment
Fund,
which
they
hope
will
help
raise
USD100
million
over
10
years
to
support
the
justice
movement.
Hugh
Evans,
CEO
of
Global
Citizen,
told
The
Associated
Press
that
the
24-hour
event
was
needed
because
COVID-19
has
erased
decades
of
gains,
resulting
in
150
million
more
people
in
extreme
poverty
this
year
and
41
million
people
in
Africa
facing
starvation.
Evans
says
climate
change
is
another
global
issue
that
threatens
to
push
more
people
into
extreme
poverty.
During
Global
Citizen
Live,
more
than
a
dozen
corporations,
including
Proctor
&
Gamble,
Starbucks,
Delta
Air
Lines,
American
Express
and
Citi,
joined
the
Race
to
Zero
Campaign,
which
seeks
to
reduce
net
carbon
emissions
around
the
world
to
zero
by
2050.
“Future
generations
will
hold
us
responsible,”
said
Alok
Sharma,
president-designate
for
COP26,
the
United
Nations'
climate
change
conference
in
November.
“Call
on
the
richest
countries
to
make
good
on
their
promise
of
money,
to
support
developing
countries
deal
with
the
impacts
of
climate
change.
And
call
on
world
leaders
to
deliver
an
outcome
at
Glasgow
we
can
all
be
proud
of.”