Global Citizen Live generates $1.1 billion to fight poverty

NEW YORK – Global Citizen Live, a 24-hour performance that featured performances from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, BTS and Elton John and dozens of different stars, raised much than $1.1 cardinal successful commitments and pledges implicit the play to combat utmost poverty.

Broadcasting from sites connected six continents, including New York’s Central Park and successful beforehand of the Eiffel Tower successful Paris, Global Citizen besides secured pledges from France for 60 cardinal COVID-19 vaccine doses for processing countries and firm pledges for planting 157 cardinal trees astir the world.

Vaccine pledges, which besides came from the governments of Croatia and Ireland, followed galore pleas, including from Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, onstage astatine Central Park connected Saturday afternoon.

“This year, the satellite is expected to nutrient capable doses to conscionable the people of vaccinating 70% of radical successful each azygous country,” Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said to cheers from the Central Park crowd. “But it is incorrect that truthful overmuch of the vaccine proviso has lone gone to conscionable 10 affluent nations truthful far, and not everyone else.”

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The U.S. authorities pledged $295 cardinal for humanitarian needs astir the satellite caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major philanthropic commitments came from the Lego Foundation, who pledged $150 cardinal to enactment UNICEF and different partners moving with children, and Rotary International, which pledged $98 cardinal successful assistance backing successful 2022.

The lawsuit featured galore euphony collaborations, including Billie Eilish and Finneas joining Coldplay successful New York and Charlie Puth joining Elton John successful Paris, but associated efforts took places offstage arsenic well. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and a backstage instauration teamed up to motorboat a $50 cardinal money to enactment the United Nations Population Fund. The CIFF besides committed $50 cardinal to UNICEF to money kid nutrition projects.

Namati, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation collectively committed $20 cardinal arsenic effect backing to motorboat the Legal Empowerment Fund, which they anticipation volition assistance rise $100 cardinal implicit 10 years to enactment the justness movement.

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Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, told The Associated Press that the 24-hour lawsuit was needed due to the fact that COVID-19 has erased decades of gains, resulting successful 150 cardinal much radical successful utmost poorness this twelvemonth and 41 cardinal radical successful Africa facing starvation. Evans says clime alteration is different planetary contented that threatens to propulsion much radical into utmost poverty.

During Global Citizen Live, much than a twelve corporations, including Proctor & Gamble, Starbucks, Delta Air Lines, American Express and Citi, joined the Race to Zero Campaign, which seeks to trim nett c emissions astir the satellite to zero by 2050.

“Future generations volition clasp america responsible,” said Alok Sharma, president-designate for COP26, the United Nations’ clime alteration league successful November.

“Call connected the richest countries to marque bully connected their committedness of money, to enactment processing countries woody with the impacts of clime change. And telephone connected satellite leaders to present an result astatine Glasgow we tin each beryllium arrogant of.”

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