Global Citizen Festival raises $240m in commitments

Global Citizen Festival has garnered $240 million in commitments from France and Norway to address the global hunger crisis.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Jung Kook of BTS headlined the festival on the Great Lawn of Central Park, in New York City, on Saturday (23 September).

The 2023 edition saw major progress in addressing the world’s worsening food insecurity crisis. Emmanuel Macron, president of France, announced via video message a $150m commitment to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – which marked the largest commitment to the fund by any government this year.

While, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Norway’s minister of international development, also pledged $90m to the fund.

Global Citizen is continuing to call on world leaders to increase their contributions to IFAD by at least 50% to ensure the agency reaches its funding target of $2 bn by the end of 2023.

“Climate change can’t hit pause while world leaders get their act together’

Tickets to Global Citizen Festival were free but attendees were required to join the organisation’s campaign to raise awareness about hunger, poverty, climate change and inequities facing women around the world, among other related concerns.

The event generated 3.3 million actions taken by global citizens around the world.

“At a time when some leaders are walking back their promises, your actions deliver impact,” says Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO, Global Citizen. “So don’t stop taking action. Climate change can’t hit pause while world leaders get their act together. So don’t stop. The poorest people on Earth don’t have decades to spare. So don’t stop. We can’t wait for someone else to take action. We have to take action now.”

Global Citizen Festival also included a tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip hop which featured surprise performances from Busta Rhymes, Common, Big Daddy Kane and Rapsody alongside D-Nice.

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