By Anton Dedvukaj and Ben Hymowitz
On September, 25th 2021, The Global Citizen Live Festival kicked off in New York City on Central Park’s “Great Lawn”. The Festival started in New York City on the 25th and continued around the globe for 24 consecutive hours in Paris, Los Angeles, Lagos, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, and Sydney. Performances spanned from Cyndi Lauper to Meek Mill, Billie Eilish to Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes and more.
The goal of The Global Citizen organization is to “defeat poverty, defend the planet, and demand equity.” The attendees of this particular festival were primarily those who had done good work for the world and the environment.
Nikola Ivezaj, the vice president of the Global Citizen organization and co-producer of this event, in an exclusive interview with The Paw Print explained the goals of the organization and the festival.
“Global Citizens are a group of active citizens who are using their collective voices to create systemic changes in line with the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
“The event was a culmination of a year-long campaign focused on pandemic recovery, by advocating for vaccine equity, combating climate change, and addressing famine crises.”
Global Citizen has hosted virtual concerts a few times during this pandemic to raise awareness for some of these causes.
Ivezaj also shared that he felt that this festival was a success for the organization, and acknowledged that there is more we should do to continue to fight these issues.
“We are extremely happy with the organization of the event and the end result. However, more needs to be done to ensure that we meet our goals and eliminate extreme poverty,” he said.
“The voices and support of young people is what we need to create change. Youth engagement in establishing global unity and solidarity have no alternative, so make sure your voice is heard.”
