Global Citizen Festival Raised More Than $2.4 Billion in Commitments, Usher, Mariah Carey, Tems & More Took the Stage

On Saturday evening, Global Citizen celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Global Citizen Festival on twin stages in New York City’s Grand Lawn in Central Park and Black Star Square in Accra, Ghana. 

This year’s milestone campaign culminated in over $2.4 billion in commitments in line with the organization’s urgent calls to action to end extreme poverty.

In addition, thanks to world leaders, performers, and global citizens everywhere, the event saw 2 million actions taken for girls and for the planet – more than doubling the record previously set by the international advocacy organization. 

Featured artists in NYC and Accra included Mariah Carey, Usher, Metallica, Jonas Brothers, Rosalía, SZA, and Stormzy with participating global leaders across stages including Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, among many others.

The six-week campaign concluded with a nine-hour festival across two stages, beginning in Black Star Square in Accra, Ghana, presented by Harith General Partners, and ending in New York City’s Central Park, presented by Citi and Cisco.

The 2022 campaign saw 2 million actions taken by global citizens as part of Global Citizen’s mission to End Extreme Poverty NOW, more than doubling the record previously set by the international advocacy organization. 

On the Global Citizen Festival: Accra stage, the governments of Ghana and South Africa announced the African Prosperity Fund,a joint initiative by the governments of Ghana and South Africa, which aims to deploy $1 billion to fund projects for economic inclusion and financial participation across the continent.

The fund will focus on projects in the African Continental Free Trade Area, including infrastructure development, financial access for the participation of women and youth, education, healthcare, technology, and sustainability, all for the benefit of Africa’s 1.3 billion people.

Meanwhile, at Global Citizen Festival: NYC, U.S. members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle stood alongside world leaders, philanthropists, and trailblazers from the private sector to make announcements worthy of the 10-year history of the Global Citizen Festival.

Over a video message, President Macron announced France will reallocate 30 percent of its Special Drawing Rights to the world’s poorest countries, specifically in Africa, to fight extreme poverty, pandemics, inequalities, and climate change.

The days leading into the 10th anniversary Global Citizen Festival saw major commitments from world leaders, including Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada and President von der Leyen of the European Commission, who respectively committed CAD $1.209 billion and €715 million at the seventh replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. During the Festival, Prime Minister Trudeau and President von der Leyen thanked global citizens for taking action.

The following commitments were pledged at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival in Accra, Ghana and New York City: 

FOR GIRLS
Investments committed for the future of women and girls include: 

Governments 

• Belgium committed €2.6 million to the ILO’s Global Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All for its second phase in Senegal and Burkina Faso, extending until 2025.
• Denmark committed $17 million to UNFPA Supplies and $30 million to UNFPA over the next year as part of their broader newly announced three year partnership.
• The European Commission committed €45 million to UNFPA.
• Germany,as a champion for global education, committed €10 million to Education Cannot Wait’s efforts to respond to the education needs in Ukraine.
• Luxembourg committed to renew its partnership with the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Program to End Female Genital Mutilation, with a 70 percent increase of its funding based on previous contributions over the next three years, underlining its support for girls and women around the world.

Philanthropic foundations and the private sector 

• Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and Girl Effect announced a $8 million partnership to fight against the gender barriers that limit uptake of HPV and other routine vaccines in Tanzania and Ethiopia.
• The Global Menstrual Equity Accelerator was launched with the ambition to advance gender equality for girls and women through a partnership ranging from combating stigmas, increasing the availability of period products, raising public awareness and education around menstrual health and safe disposal, and beyond.
• LEGO Foundation committed $25 million to Education Cannot Wait in support of its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, including a commitment to playful learning opportunities for children affected by emergencies and protracted crises, that are gender-transformative and reach children in all their diversity.
• The United Nation Population Fund announced a $10.5 million contribution from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to drive improved quality service provision for the advancement of women and girls’ health and well-being.
• Procter & Gamble committed to advance the Care Agenda by producing and creating advertisements, digital content, and communications messaging that portrays a more equitable division of care work and challenges the gender stereotypes and societal norms that perpetuate the inequity of unpaid care work in the home and societies around the globe.

FOR THE PLANET 

Commitments made to defend the planet include: 

Governments 

• The Peace Corps committed to launch a new climate initiative to support over 2 million hours of volunteer service in around 50 countries, including up to 1000 volunteers who will work with host country partners to identify and implement actions that contribute to host country climate priorities and national plans.

The private sector 

• Five major corporations signed the United Nations-led Race to Zero campaign to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, including American Eagle Outfitters, Betterfly, Harith General Partners, Juan Valdez Café, and Global Citizen Festival: NYC campaign partner World Wide Technology.

FOR THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS 

Pledges made to improve food and nutrition security in response to the global food crisis include:

Governments 

• The Netherlands committed €25 million towards food and nutrition security in 2023, topping up the €425 million budget announced earlier this year for the next five years.
• Norway committed NOK 100 million towards the African Development Bank’s Africa Emergency Food Production Facility.
• Slovenia committed €1.23 million to civil society organizations fighting against hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The private sector 

• Citi announced its continued support to No Kid Hungry for the next three years, estimated to be equivalent to the provision of 60 million meals.

FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

Commitments made to eradicate communicable diseases include: 

Governments 

• Canada highlighted their CAD $1.209 billion commitment made at the Global Fund replenishment
• The European Commission highlighted their €715 million contribution to the Global Fund
• Malta committed €30,000 to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Philanthropic foundations  

• Rotary International committed $150 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative across the next three years.

TO DEFEAT POVERTY

Additional pledges to act in the interests of the world’s most marginalized populations include:

Governments 

• The United Nations inGhana committed $257 million in funding towards the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework by 2025. This convenes more than 24 United Nations agencies, funds, and programmes with the ambition of reaching all regions in Ghana, responding to the needs of the most vulnerable and seeking to leave no one behind.
• The United States committed $138 million to support human capital development in the areas of health, education, climate, and peacebuilding and $32.5 million committed to deepening partnerships across West Africa in Ghana, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Togo.
• Lithuania announced they would be committing €11 million in funding towards rebuilding infrastructure including schools, homes and a bridge in Ukraine.

Philanthropic foundations and the private sector 

• Dutch Postcode Lottery announced a €1 million contribution to the Legal Empowerment Fund, an initiative of the Fund for Global Human Rights.
• Ford Foundation announced $30 million towards organizations protecting civic space in the coming year.
• Google.org committed $1 million to OutRight Action International in support of its work for LGBTIQ communities around the world.

Click here for more details about the 2022 Global Citizen Festival campaign impact and outcomes.