Global Citizen Festival focuses on ending extreme poverty in return to Central Park

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Sunday, September 29, 2024
Global Citizen Festival returns to Central Park
The 12th installment of the annual festival urged world leaders to take urgent action to end extreme poverty.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Global Citizen Festival was back, returning to New York City's Central Park's Great Lawn on Saturday.

The 12th installment of the Global Citizen Festival featured some of the most influential figures from the entertainment industry, leading policymakers, and passionate activists.

They urged world leaders to take urgent action to End Extreme Poverty NOW.

This year's musical line-up was headlined by Post Malone, Doja Cat, LISA, Jelly Roll, Rauw Alejandro, Benson Boone, and RAYE.

"For the first time ever, the Global Citizen Festival is entirely powered by battery. This is pioneer in the music industry," said Michael Sheldrick, one of the event's co-founders. "We know it's not enough just to talk about taking action on climate change and being more sustainable. We know that through the power of our example, we can also make a difference."

Longtime host Hugh Jackman is passionate about the mission behind the music , ending extreme poverty, demanding equality and defending the plant.

"It doesn't matter how much money you have. Even if you are time poor, there is a way to be part of the movement,: he said.

UN Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall (founder of the Jane Goodall Institute) and Chris Martin of Coldplay, who is also the Global Citizen Festival Curator, will also make special appearances as speakers.

The inaugural Global Citizen Festival took place on September 29, 2012, with 60,000 people in attendance on the Great Lawn in New York's iconic Central Park. The festival featured live performances by Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, K'Naan and more. Since then, artists like Rihanna, Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, Billie Eilish, and many more have performed on Global Citizen Festival stages around the world.

Global Citizen Festival is timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly to leverage opportunities to get policy and financial commitments from government, corporate, and philanthropic leaders to defeat poverty, demand equity, and defend the planet.

Global Citizen was established in 2008. In the last decade alone, the organization has raised more than $43 billion, used to better the lives of nearly 1.3 billion people.

"Our vision in the next 15 years is to get to 50 million global citizens around the world and impact the lives of 640 million people living in extreme poverty," said Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans.

You can learn more at www.globalcitizen.org/en/impact

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