Global Citizen NOW summit yields commitments, big and small

Apr 28, 2023, 8:19 PM

Phoebe Gates participates in the Global Citizen NOW conference in New York, Friday, April 28, 2023....

Phoebe Gates participates in the Global Citizen NOW conference in New York, Friday, April 28, 2023. The summit in New York brings together politicians, business and philanthropic leaders and celebrities to try to channel the support of individuals from around the world toward change. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — Hugh Evans highlighted a staggering new statistic to explain why this year’s Global Citizen NOW conference was packed with calls to action and urgent requests for involvement.

The CEO of Global Citizen, who has been fighting against extreme poverty since he was 14, told The Associated Press that climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a global debt crisis have erased decades of progress in raising people’s quality of life.

“For the first time in my lifetime, we’re making reverse progress on this issue,” Evans said. “When I was born in 1983, 52% of the planet lived in extreme poverty. We got it down to 7%. That was about 690 million people. It’s now increased by hundreds of millions in the last three years.”

This reversal is why Evans turned the two-day Global Citizen NOW conference, which wrapped up Friday night in New York, into a collection of calls to action. Political, business, philanthropic and cultural leaders urged Global Citizen supporters, especially younger generations, to tackle the causes concerning them.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said young people have been responsible for every movement in the world.

“I know that all of you have the power and the compassion and the fire in your belly to make a difference,” she said. “I will be with you, cheering you on and leading the way.”

Some actions were big, such as supporting Global Citizen’s Power Our Planet initiative, which urges supporters to demand global financing reform from political and banking leaders to help speed investments to battle climate change.

French President Emmanuel Macron, addressing the conference virtually from France, offered support for the idea. “We all have to be a part of the reshaping and reinvention,” he said.

The nonprofit JUST Capital, which advises companies how to deploy their investments more equitably, announced the creation of the Corporate Care Network, which aims to improve health care benefits for workers.

Singer-songwriter John Legend challenged supporters to pledge to build systems to create record-breaking youth turnout in the 2024 election.

“We want a democracy that’s open to everybody, and one that encourages our leaders to do what’s right because they know that they answer to the people,” Legend said.

Other actions were more personal. A panel of advocates for a more plant-based diet – including Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuiness and restaurateur Pinky Cole, owner of the Slutty Vegan burger chain – sought promises from the conference’s worldwide audience to eat one plant-based meal a day.

“Food choice is the No. 1 weapon we have to combat climate change,” McGuiness said.

Global Citizen’s Evans said even though his organization remains focused on fighting extreme poverty, that battle cannot be won without addressing climate change and gender equity at the same time.

“We are all interconnected in some ways, whether you like it or not,” he said. “What happens on one side of the planet will affect you. And so we can’t just close our eyes and say, ‘OK, these issues don’t matter to me.’ No nation is an island unto itself.”

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

United States News

FILE - E. Jean Carroll arrives at Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in New York. Donal...

Associated Press

Trump’s lawyers say defamation claim by NY writer must fail because jury agreed he never raped her

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York writer who won a $5 million jury verdict against ex-President Donald Trump can’t win a pending defamation lawsuit against him because the jury agreed with Trump that he never raped her, his lawyers told a judge Monday. The lawyers urged Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to reject columnist E. […]

21 hours ago

Crowd members listen to a speaker during the "Unions Strike Back" rally, Friday, May 26, 2023, near...

Associated Press

Hollywood actors guild votes to authorize strike, as writers strike continues

Actors represented by the Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA voted Monday evening to authorize a strike if they don’t agree on a new contract with major studios, streamers and production companies by June 30. The guild, which represents over 160,000 screen actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers, begins its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion […]

21 hours ago

FILE - Police officers stand outside a Target store as a group of people protest across the street,...

Associated Press

Pride becomes a minefield for big companies, but many continue their support

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light's parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them.

21 hours ago

FILE - A man walks past a Microsoft sign set up for the Microsoft BUILD conference, April 28, 2015,...

Associated Press

Microsoft will pay $20M to settle U.S. charges of illegally collecting children’s data

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft will pay a fine of $20 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it illegally collected and retained the data of children who signed up to use its Xbox video game console. The agency charged that Microsoft gathered the data without notifying parents or obtaining their consent, and that […]

21 hours ago

FILE - Then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden plays music on a phone as he arrives to spe...

Associated Press

Biden, looking to shore up Hispanic support, faces pressure to get 2024 outreach details right

Joe Biden vowed in 2020 to work “like the devil” to energize Hispanic voters, and flew to Florida seven weeks before Election Day to do just that.

21 hours ago

Associated Press

Federal monitor: Too many people in NYC are stopped, searched and frisked illegally

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s reliance on the tactic known as “stop and frisk” as part of a new initiative to combat gun violence is harming communities of color and running afoul of the law, a court-appointed federal monitor reported Monday. Monitor Mylan Denerstein said the NYPD ‘s Neighborhood Safety Teams — special […]

21 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Global Citizen NOW summit yields commitments, big and small