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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title>Global Citizen</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/content/feed/</link><description>Global Citizen is the world's largest movement of action takers and impact makers dedicated to ending extreme poverty NOW. We post, tweet, message, vote, sign, and call to inspire those who can make things happen — government leaders, businesses, philanthropists, artists, and citizens — together improving lives. By downloading our app, Global Citizens learn about the systemic causes of extreme poverty, take action on those issues, and earn rewards, which can be redeemed for tickets to concerts, events, and experiences all over the world.</description><atom:link href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/feed/" rel="self"/><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:48:31 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>The Paris Agreement 10 Years Later: Progress, Gaps, and the Urgent Road Ahead</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-paris-agreement-10-years-later/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Ten years ago today, world leaders met in Paris and signed one of the most ambitious global pacts of our time: the &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement?utm_"&gt;Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt;, a legally binding pledge to confront the climate crisis together. Born out of the &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change"&gt;United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change&lt;/a&gt; and formally implemented a few months later on Earth Day 2016, the breakthrough agreement united nearly every nation in the world around a shared goal of limiting global warming well below 2°C, with efforts to keep it to 1.5°C, while strengthening adaptation and climate resiliency for communities on the frontlines. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;At its core, the Paris Agreement introduced a bottom-up framework. Each country must set its own climate targets in their &lt;a href="http://globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-heck-are-ndcs-the-climate-plans-that-coul/"&gt;Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)&lt;/a&gt;, or specific plans to cut emissions and invest in climate finance, updated every five years with increasing ambition over time. These plans are where the lofty goals of the Paris Agreement turn into action, creating space for every country to put in their fair share in tackling a crisis that knows no borders.&lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The last decade has seen an unprecedented level of international cooperation, spurring breakneck investments in clean energy and completely reshaping the global climate policy landscape. Yet emissions continue to rise and temperatures are careening well past safe thresholds, a stark reminder that progress to date leaves much more urgent work to be done. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen has long championed this hard work, turning citizen action into real-world climate impact. As the Agreement marks its 10th anniversary, it’s an opportunity to reflect and renew our commitment to help accelerate fair, just climate action everywhere for people and planet. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Paris Agreement’s Top Goal: Protecting Nature&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of the Paris Agreements’ most forward-looking elements was its recognition that nature is far more than just a scenery or backdrop — it is central to our planet’s survival. Critical ecosystems including forests, oceans, wetlands, and grasslands sustain biodiversity, absorb carbon, regulate temperature, nurture water cycles, and protect vulnerable communities from climate shocks. In &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/most-requested/key-aspects-of-the-paris-agreement#:~:text=Sinks%20and%20reservoirs%20(Art.,market%2Dbased%20approaches%20(Art."&gt;Article 5&lt;/a&gt;, countries specifically committed to protect natural carbon sinks — areas which absorb more carbon than they emit — and integrate &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-exactly-are-nature-based-solutions/"&gt;nature-based solutions&lt;/a&gt; into their climate plans.&lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/news/protecting-our-forests-collective-progress-and-innovation?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That vision picked up an unprecedented amount of traction over the last 10 years. From forest protection funds to payment mechanisms that tie climate finance directly to conservation efforts, there’s been a rising wave of new policy and financial tools to take the Paris Agreement’s nature-first strategy to heart. For example, Indonesia uses &lt;a href="https://www.undp.org/indonesia/press-releases/indonesia-demonstrates-global-leadership-redd-implementation-tangible-emission-reductions?utm_"&gt;REDD+ frameworks&lt;/a&gt; to reduce deforestation and land use emissions, rehabilitate millions of hectares of forest and peatland, and improve forest oversight in alignment with its climate goals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It’s not just governments, though. Civil society and everyday citizens are also fueling global momentum. And Global Citizen has sought to take citizen action further. Through our campaigning efforts, and long before nature took center stage at global climate conferences in recent years, Global Citizen focused on the crucial role of safeguarding forests and ecosystems on our stages. From &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/blue-marine-foundation-turtles-global-citizens/"&gt;supporting marine protected areas around Ascension Island&lt;/a&gt; to amplifying &lt;a href="https://delhigreens.com/2016/11/23/earth-day-network-announces-commitment-global-environmental-literacy/"&gt;environmental education&lt;/a&gt; initiatives to &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-india-sdgs-global-goals/"&gt;reach more than 18 million young people in India&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen has planted the seeds of public awareness when it comes to stepping up for nature. In 2021, Global Citizen also helped secure commitments from the governments of &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-coldplay-brazil-amazon-case-study/"&gt;six Brazilian Amazon states&lt;/a&gt; to expand protected areas, strengthen adaptation programs, and set ambitious emission reduction goals.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;That groundwork laid the foundation for our most ambitious initiative on behalf of nature to date: the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;Protect the Amazon campaign&lt;/a&gt;. First launched in 2024, this campaign built on the Paris Agreement’s core principle that safeguarding forests is inseparable from saving the planet. Over the course of this year-long campaign, Global Citizen mobilized action takers across the world to take  the campaign mobilized 4.4 million actions demanding bold new policies and investments in the Amazon and its people. This campaign culminated at the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-amazonia-2025-impact/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia&lt;/a&gt;, our first-ever music festival in Latin America. There, these millions of actions helped lead to on-stage announcements by world leaders to center Indigenous leadership and local stewardship, invest in nature-based solution funds, and commit more than $1 billion towards protecting and restoring 31 million hectares of the Amazon, one of the most vital carbon sinks on Earth.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ten Years On, Clean Energy Is Surging&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of the biggest lights sparked by the Paris Agreement has been in the development and investment in clean energy. Its core goal of &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/degrees-matter"&gt;limiting warming to 1.5°C &lt;/a&gt; makes it clear: the world must rapidly shift away from coal, oil, and gas toward cleaner power. To keep the goals of the Paris Agreement in reach requires not only cutting emissions, but fundamentally reshaping how the world produces and consumes energy, particularly wealthy nations that burn the most energy.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;That transformation has now begun in earnest. In the years since the Agreement was first signed, renewable energy sources have soared, upending markets and flipping the script on old assumptions. Solar power is now the &lt;a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/solar-is-now-cheapest-electricity-in-history-confirms-iea/"&gt;world’s cheapest energy source in history&lt;/a&gt;, with wind and other renewables competitive with conventional fossil fuels in many regions, signs pointing to a veritable global clean power boom that only promises to pick up speed. Renewables accounted for &lt;a href="https://www.irena.org/News/pressreleases/2025/Mar/Record-Breaking-Annual-Growth-in-Renewable-Power-Capacity"&gt;over 90%&lt;/a&gt; of new electricity capacity added in 2024. In fact, &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/global-renewable-power-output-overtakes-coal-first-time-report-says-2025-10-07/?utm_"&gt;renewables overtook coal for the first time ever in 2025&lt;/a&gt;, a turning point that was hard to imagine a decade ago.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The clean energy transition is inevitable. Now Global Citizen is working to step on the gas pedal of that shift, starting by turning awareness into action. Global Citizen has worked hand-in-hand with governments, policy experts, private sector partners, and global initiatives like the &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adVeB2LvL_w"&gt;Race to Zero campaign&lt;/a&gt; to help turn ambitious net-zero goals into real commitments. Spotlighting Race to Zero across festivals, digital campaigns, and in-person actions, Global Citizen has rallied both public pressure and high-level attention where it matters most, securing pledges from major corporations and dozens of sub-national governments — from the coasts of the United States all the way to Maharashtra and Asker Kommune in India. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of Global Citizen’s biggest efforts to date in pursuit of this goal has been the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-johannesburg/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa&lt;/a&gt; (SURA) campaign, launched in 2024 in partnership with the European Commission and the Republic of South Africa, with policy support from the International Energy Agency. SURA set out with blazingly ambitious goals: to triple renewable energy capacity across the continent by 2030 and help close the energy poverty gap for the &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/regions/africa"&gt;approximately 600 million people across Africa&lt;/a&gt; who live without reliable &lt;a href="http://power.is/"&gt;power.&lt;/a&gt; One year later, those ambitions bore fruit. Culminating at Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, SURA succeeded in putting the pressure on both public and private sector leaders to step up with a fleet of new, timebound financial and policy commitments to drive further momentum across the continent. In a moment defined by rapid population growth and intensifying climate impacts, leaders announced from the Global Citizen stage commitments that will provide electricity to over 17.5 million homes and deliver 26.8 gigawatts of renewable energy across the continent. Each megawatt represents much more than being able to flip a switch — it unlocks access to schools, powers up health clinics, and creates new economic opportunities for communities that have for too long now been left in the dark.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Complementing the Paris Agreement’s call-to-action for a clean energy future is the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/fossil-fuels-non-proliferation-treaty-explained/"&gt;Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty&lt;/a&gt;, a framework that lays out exactly how the world can move past coal, oil and gas for good and calls on nations to end the expansion of fossil fuels, ensure economic security for workers and communities, and rapidly scale renewables. Global Citizens around the world back this plan with over &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/fossil-fuel-treaty/"&gt;135,195 actions&lt;/a&gt; in support of the treaty — pressure that has been integral in getting world leaders’ attention. At the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2023-impact/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival in 2023&lt;/a&gt;, Antigua and Barbuda became the first country in the Caribbean to endorse the treaty, while Timor-Leste made history as the first oil-producing country to do so,  marking a significant moment in the treaty’s growing diplomatic momentum. The Treaty is now backed by a growing &lt;a href="https://fossilfueltreaty.org/endorsements"&gt;global coalition&lt;/a&gt; that includes 18 countries,  over 145 cities and subnational governments, institutions like the World Health Organization and the European Parliament, 101 Nobel Laureates, thousands of scientists and civil society organizations, Indigenous nations, faith leaders, and over one million individuals worldwide. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Unlocking Climate Finance: The Paris Agreement’s Greatest Promise&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Throughout these campaigning efforts, one truth remains clear: climate action cannot happen without the money to pay for it. The Paris Agreement was also a promise, one to protect people and ensure no one is left behind. But today’s wealthiest nations, those with the most industrialized economies and highest rates of energy consumption, have historically contributed the most to the current crisis. But paradoxically, countries that have contributed the least, from small island nations to those on the frontlines of today’s most extreme weather disasters, are suffering the most, with potentially &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/09/climate-crisis-could-displace-12bn-people-by-2050-report-warns"&gt;more than a billion people projected to be displaced&lt;/a&gt; by climate change by 2050. For these individuals, floods, droughts, extreme heat, and sea-level rise are existential threats to lives, livelihoods, and basic human dignity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Adaptation remains a critically underfunded piece of the puzzle to address this issue. These projects encompass storm-resistant housing, drought-tolerant crops, reliable water systems, and strong social safety nets that are needed across the board, but especially in low-income countries, &lt;a href="https://africaclimateinsights.org/a-growing-gap-investment-for-climate-adaptation-in-africa/"&gt;particularly in Africa&lt;/a&gt;, where governments struggle to pay for climate-proof infrastructure and invest in a clean energy future. In 2009, wealthy nations agreed to commit &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/climate-finance"&gt;$100 billion per year&lt;/a&gt; to support climate action in developing countries. That pledge however was only reached for the first time in 2022, 13 years later — and even then, most of this money was lent out as loans, meaning that many vulnerable nations have been forced to take on debt to protect their citizens. Of this, only &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/adaptation-finance-explained"&gt;$32.4 billion&lt;/a&gt; was earmarked for adaptation, far below the estimated &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/climate-finance"&gt;$387 billion per year needed by 2030&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;COP29 in 2024 sought to reset the agenda. Leaders agreed to a &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/a-beginners-guide-to-climate-finance-what-you-need/"&gt;New Collective Quantified Goal&lt;/a&gt; — or, in other words, a new global climate finance target for all countries to strive towards, as well as a plan for how, where, and when to allocate that money — &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/ncqg-climate-finance-goals-explained"&gt;of $300 billion annually by 2035&lt;/a&gt;, with a broader target of mobilizing $1.3 trillion per year from blending public and private money. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;With this goal in mind, Global Citizen has called on wealthy nations to put money where their rhetoric is and step up for adaptation. To do this, Global Citizen works to mobilize millions of engaged action takers around the world to create clear, loud momentum for climate finance. By spotlighting the need for funding adaptation, renewable energy, and forest protection, Global Citizen amplified calls for wealthy nations to honor, match, and go beyond their Paris Agreement commitments. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Specifically, calls for concrete adaptation finance have been a front-and-center pillar of the Protect the Amazon campaign, showing leaders that citizens care about fairness, justice, and accountability. And countries have begun to step up. &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/norway-invest-3-billion-tfff-forest-conservation-fund-2025-11-06/"&gt;Norway&lt;/a&gt; showed what climate leadership looks like by pledging up to $3 billion at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/protect-amazon-campaign-climate-action-launch/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro&lt;/a&gt; to the new Tropical Forest Forever Facility, demonstrating that protecting the world’s forests, and the communities who depend on them,  is not only a moral imperative, but also an investment in global stability and resilience for all. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen has also been a vocal proponent of innovative new approaches to climate finance. As a supporter of the &lt;a href="https://solidaritylevies.org/"&gt;Global Solidarity Levies Task Force&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen aims to encourage governments around the world to adopt new revenue streams by introducing new taxes on high-polluting industries, such as flying, and extremely wealthy individuals. That way, countries can find debt-free financing to directly invest in local mitigation and adaptation projects, rechanneling money away from polluters towards the public good instead. The concept of Solidarity Levies like these is directly rooted in the principle of “Common but Differentiated Responsibility,” enshrined in the Paris Agreement, which essentially means that while everyone is responsible for chipping in to the fight against climate change, how much depends on their ability to pay and historical polluting record. To date, Global Citizen has rallied over &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/open-letter-for-world-leaders-at-this-years-ffd4/"&gt;231 civil society organizations&lt;/a&gt; and over&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/act-now-fund-climate-action/"&gt; 100,000 Global Citizens&lt;/a&gt; to call on governments to join the effort. And these efforts are paying off. In the newly-launched &lt;a href="https://solidaritylevies.org/eight-countries-launch-solidarity-coalition-for-levies-on-premium-flyers/"&gt;Premium Flyers Solidarity Coalition&lt;/a&gt;, eight governments are putting together plans to implement a small tax on the wealthiest fliers, which could add up to a big payout for climate action. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Work Ahead&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2025’s monumental progress shows that meaningful climate action is possible when governments, citizens, civil society, and the private sector work together to make it happen. Still, the urgency of this crisis cannot be overstated. Extreme weather events are intensifying, sea levels are rising, and millions of people, particularly in low-income and climate-vulnerable countries, are suffering the consequences. Energy inequities persist, forests continue to fall, and fossil fuels continue to burn with little regard as the 1.5°C goal slips further out of reach. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And yet, moments of hope and leadership abound. Countries like Norway, Germany, and France demonstrated that climate finance and adaptation can scale when political will is matched with the right resources. But at Global Citizen, we’re working to ensure that that’s only the beginning. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meeting the Paris Agreement’s goals demands faster, bolder, and more coordinated action. Every year increases the toll of human and ecological devastation. The world must act now to close the gaps in climate finance, energy access, and forest protections Global Citizen, alongside our partners and powered by engaged citizens everywhere, will continue to drive this work forward, holding leaders accountable, amplifying calls to action, and ensuring that the Paris Agreement’s promises become a reality.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Related Stories - 1173750 " id="1173750" title="Related Stories - 1173750"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Ananta Prasad and Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:48:31 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-paris-agreement-10-years-later/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/31/bd/31bd83fe-4747-49dc-a77f-d7fafbb339d6/climate_change_protest_paris.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Announcing This Year's Global Citizen PayPal Small Business Impact Awards Winners</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-paypal-small-business-impact-awards/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;PayPal and Global Citizen have joined together to celebrate small businesses that are transforming commerce and driving social and environmental impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/programs/small-business/"&gt;Global Citizen PayPal Small Business Impact Awards&lt;/a&gt; recognize entrepreneurs and small business owners who are driving tangible change in their communities by demonstrating a deep commitment to equity and sustainability in their business practices. The award highlights innovative leaders and social entrepreneurs who have developed products and services with a positive social or environmental impact. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We are thrilled to announce the five selected winners for the first year of this award. From sustainable design and clean mobility to food systems, menstrual equity, and wildfire prevention, these five founders are using business as a tool for transformation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The five winners each received a $25,000 USD cash prize, and were connected to marketing and brand activations to accelerate their work and impact. In addition, each winner received in-person &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/programs/small-business/"&gt;masterclass training&lt;/a&gt; with Global Citizen’s marketing and social media teams.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All five award winners were flown out to South Africa to take part in Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, on Friday, Nov. 21, at &lt;a href="https://www.southernsun.com/sandton-convention-centre-scc"&gt;The Sandton Convention Center&lt;/a&gt;. At the summit, they participated in a panel to discuss their businesses, how they made an impact in their community and officially received their awards. Now, let’s meet this year’s exceptional winners!&lt;br/&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;Filip Lundin, CEO and Founder of Sopköket, Sweden &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Globally, around &lt;a href="https://www.fao.org/platform-food-loss-waste/flw-events/international-day-food-loss-and-waste/en"&gt;13.2%&lt;/a&gt; of food we grow  is lost before it even reaches the retail shelves and an estimated &lt;a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/food-waste-index-report-2024"&gt;19%&lt;/a&gt; is wasted in our homes, supermarkets and restaurants all together. This food waste is also a major contributor to climate change, accounting for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Filip Lundin, the founder and CEO of &lt;a href="https://sopkoket.se/"&gt;Sopköket&lt;/a&gt;, an award-winning Swedish social enterprise, is on a mission to address this problem by transforming surplus food into delicious catering options and circular frozen meals. Sopköket employs a circular and financially sustainable model that aims to reduce food waste, donate meals, and create employment opportunities.&lt;br/&gt;
Half of the kitchen team comes from marginalized backgrounds and Sopköket collaborates with over 35 partner organizations while catering to clients such as Spotify, Marshall, and PayPal. A serial entrepreneur since the age of 16, Lundin lectures globally with Wharton University and the EU on food waste reduction and legislative change. Now preparing for international expansion with larger production kitchens and a SaaS solution for grocery kitchens, he also advocates for laws enabling &lt;a href="https://plana.earth/glossary/scope-4-emissions"&gt;Scope 4 CO₂ accounting&lt;/a&gt; — proving that sustainability and profitability can truly coexist.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Since 2015, Sopköket has rescued &lt;a href="https://sopkoket.se/om-oss/"&gt;150 tons of food waste and donated over 90,000 meals&lt;/a&gt;, and earned 4 of Sweden’s biggest sustainability awards within the food sector. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Franco Rodriguez Viau, CEO &amp;amp; Cofounder of  Satellites on Fire, Argentina&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Each year, wildfires cause serious damage to the &lt;a href="https://www.grida.no/publications/769"&gt;environment, wildlife, human lives, and infrastructure&lt;/a&gt; across regions from &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/wildfires-increase-integrated-strategies-forests-climate-and-sustainability-are-ever-0"&gt;Canada and the United States to the Amazon and the Arctic, as well as in Africa, Asia, and Europe&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.satellitesonfire.com/"&gt;Satellites on Fire&lt;/a&gt; is addressing this critical issue by developing an AI-powered early alert system designed to detect fires rapidly and efficiently. The technology uses real-time satellite data, tower cameras,  forecasts, and proprietary AI to detect wildfires up to 35 minutes faster than NASA, ultimately saving lives, livelihoods, and protecting ecosystems. The system is protecting 56 million hectares across 19 countries and preventing 400+ wildfires in recent months. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Backed by MIT, Techstars, the UN Green Climate Fund, and Reddit’s founder, Alexis Ohanian, Satellites on Fire are proving that innovation can stop wildfires before they spread and safeguard vulnerable communities and ecosystems around the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Franco Rodríguez Viau, an Argentinian entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Satellites on Fire, has dedicated his career to leveraging technology for global  environmental impact. After witnessing the devastating effects of wildfires in Argentina, at just 16 years old, Viau co-founded the organization to mitigate these disasters. His ongoing work continues to advance innovation at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and human resilience.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Kunjpreet Arora, CEO of Angirus, India &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The buildings and construction sector is a major contributor to global emissions, responsible for &lt;a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/building-materials-and-climate-constructing-new-future"&gt;37%&lt;/a&gt; of greenhouse gases. This is largely due to the production and use of traditional materials like cement, steel, and aluminum, all of which have a huge &lt;a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/report/building-materials-and-climate-constructing-new-future"&gt;carbon footprint&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Angirus, a climate-tech startup, is tackling this issue by creating sustainable alternatives to conventional construction materials. The company transforms plastic and construction waste into Wricks®, high-strength bricks made without cement, burning, or excessive water. This innovative solution not only produces durable, waterproof and thermally efficient building materials, but also reduces landfill waste and carbon emissions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Angirus is shaking up construction in India by using micro-manufacturing to put production in local hands. The result? More green jobs, lower costs, and a cleaner planet. With over 100,000 Wricks® already out there, they’re proving sustainability and impact can go hand in hand. Kunjpreet Arora, co-founder and CEO of &lt;a href="https://www.angirusind.com/about-us.php"&gt;Angirus&lt;/a&gt;, brings a passion for tackling systemic environmental issues through practical and scalable innovation. With a background in civil engineering and as an alumna of IIM Indore, her leadership and work has gained recognition from notable organizations such as Forbes Asia, TiE Global, Netflix, the Government of India, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the World Economic Forum. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Somnath Ray, CEO and Co-founder of CLIP, USA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The transport sector is responsible for &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/4-charts-explain-greenhouse-gas-emissions-countries-and-sectors"&gt;13.7%&lt;/a&gt; of global greenhouse gas emissions and remains heavily reliant on &lt;a href="https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/what-sustainable-transport-and-what-role-does-it-play-tackling-climate-change#:~:text=Summary,energy%20security%20and%20urban%20resilience."&gt;fossil fuels&lt;/a&gt;. Transitioning to &lt;a href="https://cities-today.com/industry/why-sustainable-transport-matters/"&gt;sustainable transportation solutions&lt;/a&gt; is urgently needed. However, barriers such as the &lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223001872"&gt;high cost &lt;/a&gt;of options like e-bikes can limit their &lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223001872"&gt;widespread adoption &lt;/a&gt;and &lt;a href="https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/52794-cost-convenience-and-access-top-barriers-to-e-bike-adoption-in-the-uk"&gt;accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That’s where &lt;a href="https://clip.bike/en-gb"&gt;CLIP&lt;/a&gt;, a Brooklyn-based clean mobility startup steps in. CLIP  is working to make e-bike technology more accessible as part of its mission to combat climate change. They have launched the world's first and only Plug &amp;amp; Play device that upgrades any bike into an e-bike — no tools or pre-installation required. CLIP is 4x less expensive than the average e-bike and is patented in 47 countries. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After the success of its plug-and-play device, CLIP, is piloting BOLT,  their newest and more affordable motor unit designed for emerging economies. BOLT retails for $100, is 20 times less expensive than the average e-bike, and can immediately motorize the 2 billion bikes already in circulation and eliminate up to 5% of carbon emissions globally. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Somnath Ray, the CEO and co-founder of CLIP, is making urban commuting more sustainable through affordable e-bike technology. With a background as a design technologist and entrepreneur, he has been recognized by MIT Tech Review as a top innovator. With over 20 years of experience, Ray has dedicated his career to the development of sustainable transportation solutions.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Zizipho Ntobongwana, CEO of Sheba Feminine, South Africa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Across the world, &lt;a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/period-poverty-why-millions-of-girls-and-women-cannot-afford-their-periods"&gt;millions&lt;/a&gt; of women and girls are still struggling to access affordable menstrual products necessary for their menstrual health. This issue of period poverty can lead to &lt;a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/period-poverty-why-millions-of-girls-and-women-cannot-afford-their-periods"&gt;missed school days and work days&lt;/a&gt; and ultimately, negatively affect their overall well-being. &lt;a href="https://shebafeminine.co.za/?srsltid=AfmBOorLceVjxMW7XN4BuyGGAlxqS0hvuUtga9uTj8StQ28W4Al9zvAW"&gt;Sheba Feminine&lt;/a&gt; is on a mission to enhance menstrual health by providing sustainable, eco-friendly solutions while advocating menstrual equity.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Sheba Feminine products include organic and biodegradable pads, tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, period underwear, and bamboo wipes, all designed to protect both people and the planet. They’re more than just a product provider, as they tackle period poverty through education, outreach, and partnerships with schools and NGOs. Soon they’ll be launching “Blud”, a youth-focused brand, and “Bluddy”, a data-light, multilingual period tracking app. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As the Founder and CEO, Zizipho Ntobongwana focuses her work on sustainable product innovation and menstrual equity, while leading community programs like “Pay for a Pal’s Pads,” which tackles period poverty through education and distribution. Shea Feminine is reshaping menstrual care in Africa through innovation, accessibility, and social change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year’s Global Citizen PayPal Small Business Impact Award winners show how powerful local leadership can be when innovation meets purpose. Each entrepreneur is demonstrating that small businesses can drive meaningful change from advancing sustainability and protecting the planet to expanding equity, strengthening communities, and reshaping entire industries for the better.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As we celebrate their achievements, we’re reminded that progress is a collective effort. By championing mission-driven small businesses, we are investing in a more inclusive and resilient future for everyone. To learn more about how PayPal and Global Citizen are empowering consumers and business owners to take meaningful steps in strengthening their communities, explore the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/programs/small-business/"&gt;initiatives&lt;/a&gt; driving this partnership forward. Together, we can help ensure small businesses everywhere receive the support they need to thrive and, in doing so, help end extreme poverty.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Fadeke Banjo</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:48:20 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-paypal-small-business-impact-awards/</guid><category>Finance &amp; Innovation</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/53/f5/53f5b916-f7c1-4676-a845-08b3e569132f/2247782609.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images for Global Citizen.</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Why the World Needs the International Labour Organization Now More Than Ever</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-we-need-international-labour-org/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Millions of people around the world participate in the global workforce, often without realizing where the rights and protections that keep them safe and treated fairly at their workplace came from. Fair pay, safe working conditions, and the freedom to unionize are all essential workplace rights — many won through the work of the International Labour Organization (ILO). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For over a century, the ILO has worked to establish fundamental &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/about-ilo/mission-and-impact-ilo"&gt;labour rights&lt;/a&gt; and protections globally and is committed to promoting fair work and &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/research-and-publications/state-social-justice-2025"&gt;social justice&lt;/a&gt;. Today, however, the organization’s mandate remains more vital than ever. Without most of us realizing it, the ILO has been behind the scenes impacting our everyday working lives.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;For instance, the ILO was a key driver in promoting the &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/convention-no-1-landmark-workers%E2%80%99-rights#:~:text=The%20eight%20hour%20workday%20also,Geneva%20on%2014%20November%2C%202019."&gt;8-hour workday&lt;/a&gt; and the inclusion of rest days to work schedules, setting global standards for decent working time. It has worked to ensure women’s &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Gender%20SC_brief_%20final.pdf"&gt;equal&lt;/a&gt; access to job opportunities and advocated for &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/gender-equality-opportunities-and-challenges-supply-chains"&gt;healthy and safe work conditions&lt;/a&gt; for all. The organization has also led global efforts to &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/projects-and-partnerships/projects/achieving-reduction-child-labour-support-education-arise#:~:text=Eliminating%20child%20labour%20especially%20through,growing%20areas%20mainly%20Tabora%20region.&amp;amp;text=ILO%27s%20International%20Programme%20for%20the,ARISE%20program%20will%20be%20implemented."&gt;eliminate child labour&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/publications/eradicating-forced-labour-ilo-approach#:~:text=Through%20partnerships%2C%20advocacy%2C%20and%20technical,labour%20and%20trafficking%20in%20persons.&amp;amp;text=Forced%20labour%20remains%20one%20of,estimated%2028%20million%20people%20globally."&gt;forced labour — including trafficking&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/projects-and-partnerships/projects/protocol-practice-bridge-global-action-forced-labour-bridge-project"&gt;debt bondage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Despite the progress in labour rights, and even as &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/statement/human-rights-are-labour-rights-it-our-duty-protect-and-support-them-if-we#:~:text=While%20global%20wealth%20has%20never%20been%20greater%2C,be%20multidimensionally%20poor%20due%20to%20the%20crisis."&gt;global wealth&lt;/a&gt; increases, the world of work faces urgent challenges as the foundations of decent work worsen for many and inequalities persist. For instance, &lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/despite-progress-child-labour-still-affects-138-million-children-globally-ilo-unicef"&gt;138 million&lt;/a&gt; children globally are trapped in child labour with &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/2024%20Global%20Estimates%20of%20Child%20Labour%20Report.pdf"&gt;54 million&lt;/a&gt; of these children participating in hazardous work and more than 2 billion people work within the informal economy, without &lt;a href="https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2020/12/what-is-the-informal-economy-basics"&gt;contracts&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/more-60-cent-world%E2%80%99s-employed-population-are-informal-economy"&gt;rights at work and no social protection&lt;/a&gt;. These challenges highlight that more must be done to ensure the future of the global workforce is equitable and accessible for all. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The International Labour Organization: What You Should Know &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The International Labour Organization is a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to ensuring that every person can work with &lt;a href="https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/sustainable-growth-and-jobs/employment-and-decent-work_en#:~:text=The%20International%20Labour%20Organization%20(ILO)%20defines%20decent,form%20of%20employment%20and%20safe%20working%20conditions."&gt;freedom, fairness, security, and dignity&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The organization has also helped advance social justice within the global workforce through its unique &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/about-ilo"&gt;tripartite model&lt;/a&gt; — uniting governments, employers, and workers around the same table to &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/about-ilo"&gt;set labour standards, create policies, and develop programmes&lt;/a&gt; that make &lt;a href="https://sustainableprocurement.unglobalcompact.org/learn-more/#:~:text=Decent%20work%20sums%20up%20the,the%20ILO%20and%20its%20constituents."&gt;decent work a reality for employees&lt;/a&gt; globally. This ensures that the solutions ILO creates are grounded, durable, and backed by those who shape the world of work. The ILO has played a quiet, yet major role in advancing some of the most significant labour reforms of the past two decades, from helping eradicate &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/uzbek-cotton-free-systemic-child-labour-and-forced-labour"&gt;forced labour in Uzbekistan&lt;/a&gt; to supporting the creation of the &lt;a href="https://bangladeshaccord.org/"&gt;Accord on Fire and Building Safety&lt;/a&gt; in Bangladesh following the Rana Plaza tragedy. In both cases, the ILO’s supervisory system and technical expertise proved effective.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now that we have a brief history on the important work the ILO does,  here are 6 reasons why the world needs the ILO: &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Provides Training and Financial Support for Entrepreneurs, Smallholder Farmers, and Small businesses &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through training and funding initiatives, the ILO aims to ensure that small businesses and entrepreneurs have the tools they need to succeed, and to create productive, yet fair, work environments. Recently, an estimated &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_911917.pdf"&gt;2.8 million&lt;/a&gt; emerging and existing entrepreneurs benefited from the ILO &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/start-and-improve-your-business-siyb"&gt;Start and Improve Your Business &lt;/a&gt;(SIYB) entrepreneurship training programme, which offers a series of training packages focused on different stages of &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/start-and-improve-your-business-siyb"&gt;business development, from business creation to growth and expansion&lt;/a&gt;. This programme has also helped support &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_911917.pdf"&gt;1.6 million people&lt;/a&gt; in low-income households, small-holder farms and micro and small enterprises to access financial services, allowing them to improve their entrepreneurship capacities and their overall enterprise performance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Reduced Child Labour Globally &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Children have the right to a childhood that prioritises education and social protection — they should not be subjected to the workplace or harsh working conditions. Since 2000 the ILO has played a crucial role in reducing child labour, helping to decrease the number of children exposed to labour from &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/projects-and-partnerships/projects/child-labour"&gt;246 million to 138 million&lt;/a&gt; in 2024. One key initiative introduced by the ILO, called &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/projects-and-partnerships/projects/accelerating-action-elimination-child-labour-supply-chains-africa-accel"&gt;Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in supply chains in Africa&lt;/a&gt; project (ACCEL Africa), has successfully established systems to eliminate child labour in countries like &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/accel-africa-fights-against-child-labour-malis-gold-mine"&gt;Mali&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/cocoa-fields-brighter-future-divine%E2%80%99s-journey"&gt;Nigeria&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/protecting-children-mines-nkatieso-story-eric-nkrumah"&gt;Ghana&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/empowering-youth-eradicating-child-labour-accel-africas-impact-malawi"&gt;Malawi&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/accel-africa-paves-way-change-cote-divoires-cocoa-and-gold-mining-value"&gt;Côte d’Ivoire&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The ILO also colloborates with governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, civil society, and international partners to develop and support policies and programmes that &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/topics/child-labour/campaign-and-advocacy-child-labour/world-day-against-child-labour"&gt;address the root causes&lt;/a&gt; of child labour by strengthening social protection, education systems, and decent work opportunities for adults and youth.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Supported Informal Workers Transition into Formal Employment &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2024/04/unen_policy_brief_march_2024.pdf"&gt;More than half&lt;/a&gt; of the global workforce is engaged in the informal economy, which is often linked to poor &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2024/04/unen_policy_brief_march_2024.pdf"&gt;working conditions and a lack of employment rights&lt;/a&gt;. To address these challenges, in 2015,  the ILO introduced &lt;a href="https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:R204"&gt;Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation No.204&lt;/a&gt;. The recommendation serves as a roadmap for helping workers make the shift from the &lt;a href="https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:R204"&gt;informal to the formal economy&lt;/a&gt;. It outlines &lt;a href="https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/Media.action?id=16399"&gt;12 key principles&lt;/a&gt; focused on protecting &lt;a href="https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/Media.action?id=16399#:~:text=Page%201,and%20increase%20fiscal%20space"&gt;workers’ rights&lt;/a&gt;, ensuring &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/%40ed_protect/%40soc_sec/documents/publication/wcms_749431.pdf"&gt;social protections&lt;/a&gt; and creating &lt;a href="https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:R204"&gt;decent job&lt;/a&gt; opportunities for informal workers. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Across Asia, there has been a wealth of innovative approaches to tackle informality with the region, all while aligning with the ILO's Recommendation No. 204. These initiatives include &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/Innovative-approaches-formalization-roap-2025.pdf"&gt;increasing worker representation, enhancing productivity, promoting decent work through targeted sector programs, and improving the living and working conditions&lt;/a&gt; of the most vulnerable populations. Thanks to these efforts, the region has made notable strides with the rate of informality decreasing by &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/Innovative-approaches-formalization-roap-2025.pdf"&gt;7% over the last two decades&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Keeping Our Work Environments Safe and Free From Exploitation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The ILO considers a &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/conference-paper/ilo-1998-declaration-fundamental-principles-and-rights-work-and-its-follow"&gt;safe work environment&lt;/a&gt; to be a fundamental human right, aligning with its core principles that improve worker protection globally.  As the global body that sets and monitors international labour standards, the ILO provides the baseline rules for how the global economy should operate for working people. These standards help to prevent countries from gaining competitive advantage by violating core rights like safe workplaces or protection against &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/conference-paper/ilo-1998-declaration-fundamental-principles-and-rights-work-and-its-follow"&gt;forced labour and child labour&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Adapting to Technological and Demographic Changes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_911917.pdf"&gt;Technological advancements&lt;/a&gt; and demographic shifts are transforming the future of the global workforce. Generative artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into workplaces, while countries with growing populations are seeing more young people enter the labor market.&lt;br/&gt;
In response to these changes, the ILO’s &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@cabinet/documents/publication/wcms_662410.pdf"&gt;Global Commission on the Future of Work&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; report outlines the steps needed to achieve a future of work that &lt;a href="https://webapps.ilo.org/infostories/en-gb/campaigns/future-work/global-commission#intro"&gt;provides decent and sustainable work opportunities&lt;/a&gt; for everyone. For instance, the key recommendations from the report include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Promoting lifelong learning and skills development to ensure workers are able to adapt to new roles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Guaranteed universal social protection from birth to old age. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Increasing investments in institutions and policies to support future work transitions — including assistance for young people transitioning from school to work transition, while older workers should have more options to stay economically active.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adopting a “human-in-command" approach to AI , ensuring  that the final decisions remain in human hands.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Improving Youth Employment &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Despite recent improvements in global youth employment, &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/topics-and-sectors/youth-employment"&gt;65 million&lt;/a&gt; young people worldwide remain unemployed. The ILO’s Youth-to-Youth Fund is a competitive grant program focused on supporting youth-led organizations through &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/prospectsethiopia/meaningful-youth-engagement"&gt;funding, capacity building, and direct technical assistance&lt;/a&gt; to implement creative, small-scale projects focused on &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/prospectsethiopia/meaningful-youth-engagement"&gt;youth entrepreneurship&lt;/a&gt; and creating job opportunities for young people.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The fund, in collaboration with the Edukans Foundation, has provided funding for 10 youth-led organizations in Ethiopia. These organizations were chosen through a competitive selection process to carry out innovative entrepreneurship programs aimed at fostering decent employment opportunities for young people.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These organizations received funding from the Youth-to-Youth Fund to implement innovative entrepreneurship projects that support &lt;a href="https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilo-supported-kulehe-project-boost-youth-entrepreneurship-and-financial-0"&gt;over 1,000&lt;/a&gt; young people to kick-start and grow their business. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The importance of having access to decent jobs can not be understated; it allows people to support themselves and their families, lets people live with dignity, and drives global economies forward. However, as we navigate a rapidly changing world, it becomes increasingly clear that not everyone enjoys these fundamental labour rights. The International Labour Organization plays a key role in advocating for social justice, labour rights, and decent work globally. Its unique approach, proven results, and commitment to a &lt;a href="https://www.visionfactory.org/post/how-the-ilo-is-shaping-the-future-of-work-key-policies-for-a-changing-global-workforce"&gt;fair and equitable &lt;/a&gt;workforce make it an essential resource for the future of the global workforce.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Fadeke Banjo</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:35:57 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-we-need-international-labour-org/</guid><category>Citizenship</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/83/f5/83f50963-4c37-40ca-9036-e453b10465ee/54341913275_af2001b7f3_c.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Image: ILO/© Dan Lukoye</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>The Day Beirut Exploded, My Purpose Found Me — Now I Advocate For Fairer Healthcare System</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/beirut-medonations-access-healthcare-yas/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Marina El Khawand is a Lebanese youth health activist, trainee lawyer, pharmacy student, and social entrepreneur. In the wake of the Beirut emergency in 2020, she founded &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://medonations.org/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Medonations&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;, a medical advocacy organisation which she remains the president of today. The initiative, has supported more than 25,000 patients and families with access to essential medications. For her work in building a community aimed at advocating for accessible quality healthcare, she has been recognised by the &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youngactivistssummit.org/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Young Activists Summit&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;, and here, in her own words, she shares what that recognition means to her. She further details how she uses technology to improve access to healthcare in Lebanon where civic space is&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://monitor.civicus.org/country/lebanon/"&gt;&lt;i&gt; obstructed&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I became a health activist at 18, in the aftermath of the devastating &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/08/03/lebanon-3-years-no-justice-beirut-blast"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2020 Beirut port explosion&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;a second-year law student when that day changed my life. I walked through the ruins, surrounded by destruction and loss, and I felt deeply powerless. I saw dead bodies, I felt the weight of trauma, and I couldn’t just turn away. One of the most searing memories is entering an affected building in Karantina, to check on an elderly woman who had refused to evacuate. I found her pale and motionless, and in her hand was a ripped box of medication — an inhaler. The same kind my mother uses for her asthma. I rushed to pharmacies, desperate to find a replacement, but every pharmacy I went to was out. Our shattered health system meant that even basic medications had become a luxury. I then turned to social media, Instagram to be specific. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;I posted a plea, tagged the economist Danielle Hatem (@ddoesbusiness), and within two hours she responded. She helped me secure 12 boxes of that same inhaler. As I was driving to deliver them, I realised something that still shapes my work today: in healthcare, we don’t have the privilege of seconds, minutes, or hours. We are fighting with milliseconds. When I reached the woman’s doorstep, I watched her chest rise and fall, confirming that she was still breathing — and thank God she was. The moment I took the first box of medication from the twelve I was carrying, she started crying. It was truly the happiest and saddest moment all at once. It was then that I understood, painfully and clearly, that in our country our lives often don’t matter. Whether we live or die, suffer or survive. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She took her first puffs of the inhaler, and I stayed with her for an hour and fifteen minutes. No talking. No interaction. Just presence. When I finally had to leave, I hugged her and it was the most heartfelt hug a human being could ever experience. I felt her heartbeat. And every time I recall this story, I can still feel what I felt in that exact moment. She whispered a sentence that ignited everything that came after: “Thank you for saving my life.” It was intense, almost surreal. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In that hug, her voice, that sentence, and the breath in her gratitude, I recognized my purpose. This was not just my reaction to trauma, this was how I could turn trauma into healing.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;That moment sparked Medonations.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What started as me helping one person became a movement, community, global family that collects and delivers free, equal, and fair medical assistance across Lebanon — reaching more than 25,000 individuals. Building infrastructure, and creating a bridge between people in need and the care they deserve. It has been challenging, emotionally draining, politically complicated, and often chaotic; but it was also deeply meaningful and rewarding. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The pain of that day still lives with me, but it fuels everything I do. What started with a few collected boxes of medication quickly grew into something much bigger than I could have imagined. As more people reached out and more volunteers joined, Medonations naturally evolved into a structured initiative, and eventually into an international NGO based in both Lebanon and France. Today, our community spans 65 countries through a global family of supporters and volunteers. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Over the last 5 years, we have supported more than 25,000 patients and families with access to essential medications. We have delivered over 600 medical supplies across Lebanon, and mobilised more than 2,000 volunteers from around the world. We have also covered hundreds of surgeries and treatments for individuals who had no other means. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Medonations is built on one simple belief: access to healthcare should be free, equal, and fair. Our work is driven by compassion, community, and a commitment to bringing dignity back into healthcare. What began as one act of care has grown into a movement dedicated to ensuring that no one is left behind when it comes to their health. Recently, we expanded into healthtech by launching the free smart clinic to reach everyone, even those in the vulnerable areas, and give them the chance to get the highest medical assistance they deserve. For me, Medonations is not just an organisation, it is a  movement of hope built by thousands of people who believe no human being should be denied the right to health.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Being recognised by the Young Activist Summit is more than an award, it is a lifetime honor.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I see it as a hand holding ours, a way of saying: “we are here, we know your struggle, we see your dedication and efforts, and we are going to support this mission and work.” This recognition is for my people, for every patient whose struggle, voice, and suffering drives the work of Medonations. It strengthens our ability to reach more communities, scale solutions, innovate, and amplify the voices of those who often go unheard. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It is a reminder that youth-led activism can make a real tangible difference, even in the most challenging contexts. Most importantly, it is a call to action to governments, communities, and individuals everywhere, to stand with patients, to support initiatives that make healthcare accessible for all, to use technology for good, and to join us in turning hope into tangible care. Personally, I invite anyone who can to support Medonations so we can continue helping those who need us most. Every donation, every volunteer hour, every message of solidarity allows us to reach more patients and give them the care, dignity, and hope they deserve.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Working in health activism in Lebanon comes with enormous responsibility and complexity.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The demand for basic healthcare and medications far exceeds what the system and local organisations can provide, and often people expect NGOs like Medonations to step in where government resources are limited. Because we are committed to helping everyone, everywhere, this can also create additional pressure. Sometimes it generates tension or misunderstandings, as resources are limited but the needs are universal, and people naturally look to us to fill gaps beyond what is sustainable. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the same time, systemic issues — such as inefficiencies, gaps in resource allocation, and aid that does not always reach the most urgent needs nor the people in need — add layers of challenge. Not all organisations are able to target assistance in the most effective way, which puts extra responsibility on us to be transparent, accountable, and strategic in how we operate. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These realities push us to innovate. They encourage us to design efficient distribution paths, leverage technology, and focus on data-driven solutions that reach the most vulnerable. They also reinforce the importance of building strong partnerships. The work is demanding, but it is deeply rewarding when we see lives improved, hope restored, and communities strengthened. But what keeps me going is the community we serve. Every story, every patient, every family reminds me why we must continue, even when the space gets more difficult to navigate. Our resilience is our form of resistance.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I envision a Lebanon where healthcare is a guaranteed right for every patient&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Where no one has to skip treatment, interrupt their medication, or risk worsening illness or even die simply because care is inaccessible. Every patient deserves dignity, continuity of care, and protection. Lebanon can aspire to a system modelled on the best practices of countries with ideal universal healthcare coverage, transparent governance, and integrated patient care. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In practice, this would mean universal access to medications and treatment and patients receiving their medications free of charge, no matter the cost, just as in European systems. Everyone contributes through taxes or insurance, but the medicines they need are always available when they need them. It would also entail a unified medical ID system that securely links patient histories, medications, and treatments across all hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, ensuring no one falls through the cracks. It also involves strengthened public hospitals and clinics that provide high-quality, timely care for every patient, from rural areas to urban centres. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To further this I envision policies that guarantee continuity of treatment so patients with chronic illnesses or in need of life-saving therapies never miss a dose. Data-driven, targeted healthcare programs that prioritise the most vulnerable and ensure transparency in resource allocation. And finally, collaboration between government, civil society, and international partners to build sustainable and equitable solutions, rather than temporary fixes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These reforms are not abstract ideals; they reflect the reality of every patient I meet through Medonations. Their struggles, voices, and suffering are the reason this work exists. Every person deserves to live, heal, and hope.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I dream of a healthcare in Lebanon that moves toward the standard of quality, equity, and dignity that every person deserves.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;This article, as narrated to Gugulethu Mhlungu, has been slightly edited for clarity.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;The 2025-2026 In My Own Words series is part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Marina El Khawand</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:01:08 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/beirut-medonations-access-healthcare-yas/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/9c/4c/9c4c7a53-567f-461a-a1c3-889f2c433184/imow-marina_el_khawand-header.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Young Activists Summit/Antoine Tardy</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Human Rights Defenders Pay a High Price for Change. Here’s How You Can Help</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/oped-rights-defenders-pay-high-price-for-change/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Across the globe people are standing up for justice, dignity, and basic rights. But far too often, they are paying for these basic necessities with their freedom, their safety, even their lives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Why, in 2025, does speaking out for justice still cost an arm and a leg?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As human rights defenders ourselves, we ask this not as a rhetorical flourish, but from the depths of personal experience. The world is witnessing a sharp rise in protest repression, even in so-called democratic states. And the silence — or worse, complicity — of the international community is deafening.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The CIVICUS Monitor paints a worrying picture: &lt;a href="https://www.democracywithoutborders.org/34525/only-40-out-of-198-countries-have-an-open-civic-space-civicus-monitor/"&gt;only 40 out of 198 countries&lt;/a&gt; maintain an open civic space, while just over 72% of the world’s population lives under repressive or closed conditions — a rise from the previous year. Freedom of expression violations &lt;a href="https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/2024-civicus-monitor-finds-over-70-percent-of-worlds-population-lives-in-highly-restricted-countries-nearly-10-percent-of-civic-space-violations-related-to-Palestine/"&gt;appeared in 49 countries (45% of all cases)&lt;/a&gt;, while peaceful assembly and association violations made up 29% and 26%, respectively. Alarmingly, detention of human rights defenders was recorded in at least 58 countries. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Such repression can take place anywhere, from authoritarian countries to what are considered to be mature democracies. With nations previously known for their civil liberties being added to the &lt;a href="https://monitor.civicus.org/watchlist-march-2025/"&gt;CIVICUS Watchlist&lt;/a&gt; for rapid decline in said civic freedoms. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When democracies tighten civic space, authoritarian actors feel empowered to escalate their own crackdowns. This is a dangerous global trend.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Both of us have personal experience facing down authoritarianism.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Takaedza comes from Zimbabwe, where his journey as a protest organizer taught him what state repression looks like up close. Today, he coordinates global efforts to protect the right to peaceful protest at CIVICUS, working with brave activists who’ve been beaten, jailed, and silenced — simply for demanding a better future. From his own experience, he’s lived their fears and their hopes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Asma was arrested in Bahrain for organizing protests. She’s now exiled in France because she dared to demand rights that should never be negotiable. In Bahrain, she was told she could live a comfortable life so long as she didn’t open her mouth. If you talk about women’s rights, prisoners’ rights, peaceful assembly, or freedom of expression suddenly, you’re a criminal.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Today, Asma leads the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/stand-as-my-witness"&gt;Stand As My Witness campaign at CIVICUS&lt;/a&gt;, which advocates for the release of imprisoned human rights defenders around the world. Since its launch in 2020 on Nelson Mandela Day, Stand As My Witness has helped contribute to the release of 31 jailed human rights defenders around the world, from Burundi to Saudi Arabia, Algeria to Zimbabwe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;When defenders are imprisoned, they often feel abandoned, but just knowing their names are being spoken and stories shared gives them strength.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We do this work professionally, but we also know what it means to be persecuted and to feel abandoned, unseen. To the contrary, we know how life-changing it can be when the world stands in solidarity with you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Across the globe voices calling for what is just are considered to be going against the grain, including Georgia’s anti-foreign agent law demonstrations, Kenya’s #RejectFinanceBill movement, Mozambique’s electoral justice protests, and Iran’s Women, Life, Freedom uprising. Across these calls there is a clear, singular pattern: the price of peaceful protest is becoming unbearable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Civic space is shrinking at an alarming rate, and when countries that are supposed to model democracy begin restricting their own civic spaces, it sends a dangerous signal. It emboldens authoritarian regimes to crack down even harder, knowing there will be little consequence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;More than a threat to human rights, this global assault on protest rights is an attempt to smother change before it even begins.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;To be persecuted for speaking out is not just a legal issue — it’s emotional, mental, deeply personal. The results are isolation and  fear, and not to mention the constant threat that your activism might cost your freedom — or worse, your life.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But it’s also resilience. It’s the strength of knowing you are not alone. And that’s where you, the reader, come in.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This fight is yours too. Here’s you, and the rest of the world, can stand with those risking everything for justice.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;First, always call out  repressive policies.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Some regimes are incredibly sensitive to international perception. Public exposure through social media, op-eds, open letters, and campaigns like Stand As MyWitness can be a powerful deterrent. In Asma’s case, sustained international pressure contributed to her release from detention and that of some family members. Naming and shaming works. Use your voice.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Second, practice global solidarity so human rights defenders feel seen and not forgotten.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When defenders are imprisoned, they often feel abandoned, but just knowing their names are being spoken and stories shared gives them strength. Personal letters, solidarity statements, and international acknowledgment matter. Solidarity isn’t symbolic — it’s strategic. It reminds governments that the world is watching, and assures imprisoned activists that they are not alone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Third, if you can, provide real support such as legal, logistical, and mental health aid.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many human rights defenders operate under immense strain with limited resources. Donating to or supporting trusted groups who provide legal assistance, emergency relocation, digital security or trauma care can help ease the burden and provide material benefits for whatever activists under threat might need in the moment. Likewise, attending trials (even virtually)  can deter abuse and spotlight injustice. Advocating for mental health care, including for activists seeking asylum, is both necessary and long overdue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;Help shift the narrative from passive sympathy to active solidarity.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Along those same lines, before you look abroad, fight for your rights at home and call on your local government to respond. That means pushing your elected officials to speak out on local and global abuses, provide asylum for persecuted human rights defenders, and safeguard civic space as a whole. Democracy isn’t static. When we lose it in one place, we all feel the effects. If you lose your ability to protest peacefully in your own country, it will be even harder to stand up for the rights of others across borders.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Next, use your platform, whatever it is. Whether you’re an artist, educator, influencer, student, or professional — use your space of expression to amplify human rights defenders’ voices. Bring their stories into classrooms, to the media, and to workplaces. Advocate for them publicly. Help shift the narrative from passive sympathy to active solidarity.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Last of all, don’t forget to celebrate human rights defenders. Too often, we hear about human rights defenders only at negative times such as when they’re imprisoned or killed. But their courage deserves celebration. Nominating them for awards, fellowships, and storytelling projects honors their resistance and affirms their dignity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Despite the crackdowns, we are not without hope because we’ve seen throughout the Stand As My Witness campaign how solidarity and activism works. Change is possible as long as across the globe, people organize, resist, and imagine a more just and free world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If we want a world where justice is not punished, where peaceful protest is not criminalized, where human rights defenders do not pay with their lives — then we must act now. Not later. Not when it’s convenient. But now. Solidarity is our only currency for survival.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Takaedza Tafirei&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt; is Programme Coordinator for Freedom of Peaceful Assembly at CIVICUS and a former protest organiser.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Asma Darwish&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt; is a Bahraini human rights defender and Lead for Stand As My Witness Campaign &amp;amp; MENA Advocacy at CIVICUS.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Asma Darwish and Takaedza Tafirei</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:00:29 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/oped-rights-defenders-pay-high-price-for-change/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/4f/43/4f432ae7-e0e4-402f-924e-3ecb4cfdc72c/ap_kenyaprotest_2025.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">AP Photo/Brian Inganga</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>From the Ground Up: The Film Spotlighting People Facing the Future of Climate Finance</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/from-the-ground-up-the-film-spotlighting-people-fa/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;When Alisha Logue inherited her grandmother’s rural farmland in Georgia, she thought she was carrying on stewardship of her family’s legacy. But rising costs quickly made holding onto the land nearly impossible, saddling her with mounting debt. That is, until a forest-restoration program gave her a lifeline, paying her to restore the forests on her property. Now, as she puts it, “we’re just watching the trees grow.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Logue’s story is just one of several featured in  &lt;a href="https://beyond-alliance.org/from-the-ground-up/"&gt;From the Ground Up: Voices of the Carbon Market&lt;/a&gt;, a short mini-documentary from the group &lt;a href="https://beyond-alliance.org/"&gt;the Beyond Alliance.&lt;/a&gt; The film premiered earlier this year during &lt;a href="https://www.climateweeknyc.org/"&gt;Climate Week NYC&lt;/a&gt; and follows families across the US who have repurposed  their land for a range of climate-focused projects — from planting pine trees to plugging methane wells and restoring native forests. The film highlights projects intended to reduce or remove carbon while also supporting livelihoods and local resilience. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These individual stories unfold amidst a stark broader context as the world faces a staggering financing gap between what’s needed to address climate change, and what’s available. About &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/news/from-billions-to-trillions-setting-a-new-goal-on-climate-finance"&gt;$6 trillion is needed annually&lt;/a&gt; to stay on track with the &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement"&gt;Paris Agreement’s goals&lt;/a&gt;. Voluntary carbon markets are one way to help fill a part of that gap — but only when they’re used with integrity and as a complement, not a loophole or substitute, alongside substantial emissions cuts.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;If you need a refresher on what exactly carbon markets are, we’ve got you covered with our &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-do-carbon-offsets-work-voluntary-carbon-market/"&gt;explainer here&lt;/a&gt;. But in short, it comes down to this: When done right, they direct private finance toward climate solutions that can strengthen ecosystems and communities, all while helping accelerate climate action.  ‘From the Ground Up’ shows the human impact they can have through families who are finding ways to sustain themselves by protecting what matters most. It’s a powerful reminder that every ton of carbon removed or avoided can reshape individual and collective futures all at once. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s much to debate about when it comes to carbon markets, but the film brings the conversation back to the people at its center. We sat down with the filmmakers to talk about why these stories matter now, what they learned from the communities they met along the way, and what they hope to see shift in the future. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;For many people, the voluntary carbon market can feel abstract, and for policymakers, it can be a difficult concept to explain. How did From the Ground Up aim to help make the concept more tangible and human?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We wanted to talk to people directly about their experience engaging in the carbon market as that seems innately interesting. Technical explainers are readily available while understanding exactly how and why people are engaging in this work, and what they are getting out of it, has not been obvious.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;The film highlights a range of voices from places such as Georgia, Illinois, and Louisiana. What was the guiding idea behind choosing these particular stories and regions to represent the voluntary carbon market?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We looked for stories with an element of the unexpected. I know that I was personally surprised when I learned, for instance, that livestock farmers in Georgia were planting trees in their former pasture fields and that this effort to reach out to and engage small farmers in the carbon market was being overseen by a nonprofit organization (&lt;a href="https://www.forestfoundation.org/"&gt;American Forest Foundation&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It was also surprising to me that people who drill and maintain oil and gas wells were being engaged (by the Chicago-based company &lt;a href="https://tradewater.co/"&gt;Tradewater&lt;/a&gt;) in work to plug and cap leaky wells. This is because the expertise needed to drill is some of the same expertise that’s needed to safely do the plugging and capping, and with hundreds of thousands of leaky wells out there, it shows the potential for job opportunities. In Arkansas and Louisiana, I was surprised that the native trees being planted by &lt;a href="https://chestnutcarbon.com/"&gt;Chestnut Carbon&lt;/a&gt; came with a commitment of keeping those forests growing for 100 years or more — that’s a significant commitment.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;The stories in the film primarily focus on rural communities and landowners in the US. What do you think their experiences reveal about the role of everyday Americans in advancing climate action? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Most Americans are busy going to work, raising kids, getting the bills paid. The specter of climate change might worry them, or they might someday be affected by a fire or flood, but in terms of what to do about climate change individually, that’s often hard to figure out and maybe not the top priority. So, having some kind of financial benefit that comes along with getting involved — as is the case with the American Forest Foundation program in Georgia, which can help alleviate financial pressure by paying people to grow trees on their land — that really helps. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Putting a monetary value on the things that nature does for us — some people find it offensive to think of nature that way, but if we accept that we live in a highly capitalistic society, it’s an effective way of getting busy people to pay attention to something like the role of trees in pulling carbon out of the air and storing it. It’s something that was previously taken for granted and invisible. This program is also a way of creating consensual changes to how privately-owned land is managed. All of that to say, the way the carbon market has shifted the idea of what is valuable could be a model for how to engage more everyday people into solving some of America’s biggest environmental problems.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;From your perspective, what’s the biggest misconception about voluntary carbon markets — and what would you like audiences to understand better after viewing the film?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A combination of factors like regulations that were ad-hoc, and a poor understanding of this market led to early, bad press before the market could get to a point of maturity. The take-away should be — let’s work to make carbon market projects more accountable and more verifiable, because we need every tool in the toolbox for combatting climate change, and carbon markets fund a lot of important regenerative work that otherwise would not be happening.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;As a filmmaker, why did you feel it was important to highlight these climate issues through individual stories rather than data or policy explainers?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Climate experts and politicians have all had plenty of chances to say what they want to say. Farmers and others who work out in the field, we don’t have a chance to hear directly from them very often, and my hope was that their stories and point-of-view would be refreshing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Carbon markets have faced scrutiny about their effectiveness. How does Beyond ensure that the projects it supports, like those in the film, maintain credibility and real-world benefits?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Beyond members are using their collective influence to drive higher integrity and greater impact across the carbon market. They apply rigorous internal and external due diligence to ensure their investments deliver tangible benefits for people, planet, and climate. &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-do-carbon-offsets-work-voluntary-carbon-market/"&gt;Projects are evaluated against key integrity criteria&lt;/a&gt; — including additionality, permanence, durability, leakage, double counting, community impact, and robust monitoring and verification — to ensure real and lasting outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Beyond also works to strengthen market integrity more broadly by supporting initiatives such as the &lt;a href="https://icvcm.org/core-carbon-principles/"&gt;IC-VCM’s Core Carbon Principles&lt;/a&gt;, which set a global benchmark for high-quality credits, and the&lt;a href="https://coalitiontogrowcarbonmarkets.org/"&gt; Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets&lt;/a&gt;, which advocates for stronger government oversight and alignment with the Paris Agreement. Through these efforts, Beyond helps ensure that carbon finance delivers measurable, credible, and durable climate solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;What do you see as the next step for Beyond’s storytelling and educational efforts around the voluntary carbon market and its role to play in scaling-up climate finance? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re still taking stock of the lessons-learned from this foray into climate storytelling, yet it’s clear that there is plenty of opportunity and need for more hopeful stories that showcase the creative ideas being tried out in carbon market projects. We also need more stories that spotlight all of our shared humanity, that no matter where we live, we all have our feet on the same shared ground, we are all breathing the same air, and we all want to pass on to the next generations a lively, healthy, thriving, vibrant planet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Looking ahead, what gives you optimism about the future impact of voluntary carbon markets in the US or abroad?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Carbon markets are a pragmatic way of approaching a problem, because rather than telling people what they should be doing or should not be doing, carbon markets create incentives for doing things that are good for planetary health. It’s the carbon market that’s paying people to go out and find leaky gas wells and stop them from leaking, and it’s the carbon market that’s paying people — both individuals and companies — to plant trees on their land. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is not the only tool we should be using to solve climate issues, but it has the potential to be a very powerful way of funding and building allies for the work that needs to be done to clean up our human messes and to regenerate the natural systems that regulate all of our homes.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:22:10 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/from-the-ground-up-the-film-spotlighting-people-fa/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/22/39/2239d89c-5ad1-42a4-ae9d-9b1191f7a172/from_the_ground_up_hero_image.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Inside Canada’s Push to Finish the Fight Against Polio</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/inside-canadas-push-to-end-polio/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Most Canadians have never seen a child with polio. Canada has been &lt;a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/poliomyelitis-polio/health-professionals.html"&gt;officially polio-free&lt;/a&gt; since the early 1990s, and vaccination is routine. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The world has reached this stage because of decades of coordinated action. In 1988, the &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/donors-financing/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;Global Polio Eradication Initiative&lt;/a&gt; (GPEI) was &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/history-of-polio/"&gt;created to eliminate polio&lt;/a&gt;. The partnership includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rotary International, the Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. When GPEI began, polio paralyzed about 1,000 children every day across more than 125 countries. Since then, cases &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GPEI-general-factsheet-20250918.pdf"&gt;have fallen&lt;/a&gt; by more than 99% and two wild poliovirus strains have been certified eradicated, and millions of cases of paralysis &lt;a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358765805_Polio_health_economics_assessing_the_benefits_and_costs_of_polio_non-polio_and_integrated_activities_of_the_Global_Polio_Eradication_Initiative"&gt;have been prevented&lt;/a&gt; because of this program.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Yet wild poliovirus &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GPEI-general-factsheet-20250918.pdf"&gt;remains endemic in two countries&lt;/a&gt;. In 2024, Afghanistan and Pakistan &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/28-07-2025-statement-of-the-forty-second-meeting-of-the-polio-ihr-emergency-committee"&gt;reported 99 cases &lt;/a&gt;of wild poliovirus type 1. New cases &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/28-07-2025-statement-of-the-forty-second-meeting-of-the-polio-ihr-emergency-committee"&gt;continued into 2025&lt;/a&gt;, concentrated in a handful of high-risk areas that are difficult for health workers to reach because of conflict, displacement, or limited confidence in the health system. The challenge is no longer global spread, but reaching the final pockets of transmission.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finishing the job now requires sustained momentum. GPEI &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/donors-financing/"&gt;originally budgeted&lt;/a&gt; US$4.8 billion through 2026 to interrupt remaining transmission and reinforce surveillance across 50 countries. In 2024, the strategy was extended through 2029 &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/news/gpei-announces-strategy-extension-and-revised-budget-to-protect-all-children-from-polio/"&gt;with an updated budget&lt;/a&gt; of US$6.9 billion. The timeline now aims to interrupt wild poliovirus by 2027 and end variant outbreaks by 2029. The shift reflects the scale of access challenges and the time needed to work through them with trained health workers and consistent financing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Canada participates as one of several long-standing contributors. In September 2024, the federal government announced a new&lt;a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2024/09/canada-announces-new-support-for-global-polio-eradication-efforts.html"&gt; CA$151 million&lt;/a&gt; contribution over four years to GPEI. The pledge drew attention because &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-confirms-500-million-commitment-polio-eradication-effort-who-says-2025-02-24/"&gt;GPEI projects a US$1.7 billion shortfall&lt;/a&gt; through 2029 based on reduced development assistance from several major donors. Mid-sized contributors that sustain their commitments help determine whether field operations proceed without interruption.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These themes shaped a reception on Parliament Hill on Nov. 5 ahead of World Polio Day. Co-hosted with Rotary International, the event brought together MPs, senators, and representatives from global health organizations for a closed-door briefing on how Canada’s pledge is being rolled out.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The reception also acknowledged Canada’s long history within the eradication movement. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“For decades in Canada, Conservative and Liberal governments alike have been steadfast leaders in the global fight to end polio,” said Mike Lake, MP for Edmonton–Wetaskiwin. “Today, we are closer than ever to ending polio once and for all. Working together, with consistent and meaningful action, we will win, and along the way, every one of us will be individually better for having taken part in the fight.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jennifer Jones, past president of Rotary International, similarly highlighted the role of cooperation. “Ending polio is a nonpartisan priority that benefits from unity across all federal parties. Last week’s reception is a powerful reminder that when leaders come together, we move closer to a polio-free world,” she said.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The effort Canada supports &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/news/routine-vaccines-extraordinary-impact-polio/"&gt;extends far&lt;/a&gt; beyond vaccine supply. GPEI budgets fund logistics, surveillance, and staffing necessary to locate and eradicate every last poliovirus. &lt;a href="https://www.emro.who.int/polio-eradication/about-eradication/surveillance.html"&gt;Acute flaccid paralysis surveillance&lt;/a&gt; identifies children with sudden paralysis, while laboratory networks test stool samples to confirm or rule out poliovirus. Environmental surveillance monitors wastewater for traces of the virus, which often appear before clinical cases. These early-warning systems guide vaccination campaigns and outbreak response.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The infrastructure built for polio also assists wider public health functions. In many lower-resourced countries, laboratories and surveillance networks originally built for poliovirus testing also monitor measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, &lt;a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10081736/"&gt;polio-funded staff&lt;/a&gt; and equipment helped countries detect and manage outbreaks in real time. In parallel, thousands of vaccinators and social mobilizers supported by GPEI provide essential services in informal settlements, remote communities, and conflict-affected areas, helping sustain vaccination uptake during childhood.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Economic modeling reflects the scale of the system. According to the CDC, financing the US$4.8 billion 2022–2026 strategy &lt;a href="https://www.cdc.gov/global-polio-vaccination/why/index.html"&gt;could generate US$33.1 billion in savings by 2100&lt;/a&gt; by preventing paralysis, reducing long-term treatment costs, and avoiding future outbreaks that would require expensive emergency responses. The updated plan positions current investments as a cornerstone of health security, since the same infrastructure reinforces protection against multiple infectious threats.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The global picture shows both progress and risk. GPEI depends on coordinated work across governments, multilateral partners, volunteers, and community health workers who continue vaccination rounds in communities affected by conflict, displacement, or where confidence in health services is limited. The systems funded today shape whether vaccination and surveillance reach every remaining child.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Eradication remains technically achievable. What determines the outcome now is whether the operational network built over three decades stays fully resourced through the final years of the strategy. Canada’s contribution helps close the financing gap that decides if frontline work continues without interruption, and whether the world completes eradication during this period or faces delays after decades of progress.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sarah El Gharib</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2025 08:51:40 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/inside-canadas-push-to-end-polio/</guid><category>Health</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/a6/9a/a69a4720-d8a1-4715-b596-18738d03c05c/rotary_polio_hero_image.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg Concludes Year-Long Scaling Up Renewables in Africa Campaign, Powering Up More Than 17.5 Million Homes and 26.8 Gigawatts of Renewables by 2030</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-johannesburg/</link><description>&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/johannesburg/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen’s first-ever summit on the African continent, marked the culmination of the year-long &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa (SURA)&lt;/a&gt; campaign, closing with breakthrough pledges that will help unlock electricity access for over 17.5 million homes and deliver 26.8 gigawatts of clean energy across the continent by 2030. Held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Nov. 21, the summit made one thing clear: with the right investments, resources, and political will, Africa has what it takes to lead the world in delivering a clean energy future, transforming its unparalleled renewable potential into life-changing power for millions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Co-organized with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, with support from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the 12-month SURA campaign secured pledges that will help with efforts to quadruple Africa’s renewable energy capacity by 2030. In one of the evening's most noteworthy moments, President von der Leyen confirmed that the European Union alone had mobilized a historic combined €15.1 billion to kickstart renewable energy across Africa. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; The timing was significant. Convened on the historic eve of the first &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/topics/g20-summit/"&gt;G20 Summit&lt;/a&gt; ever led by an African nation, the event convened Heads of State, major development finance institutions, private sector leaders, and engaged Global Citizens all laser-focused on one goal: closing Africa’s massive energy access gap. Through a series of new, timebound financial and policy commitments, leaders demonstrated they were ready to kickstart momentum, underscoring the urgent need to act at a moment when the continent’s rapid population growth, unmet energy needs, and escalating climate impacts are intensifying.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Serving as the official pledging moment for the SURA campaign, Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg united governments, investors, and citizens together to ignite momentum and build up a more resilient energy future for the continent. Here’s exactly how.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;What Brought Global Citizen NOW to South Africa? &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW&lt;/a&gt; is Global Citizen’s premier thought-leadership platform, bringing together world leaders, innovators, advocates, and cultural figures to drive urgent action to end extreme poverty. The sessions explore what solutions are working, where progress is falling short, and what must happen now to build a prosperous and sustainable future. With democratized access through online streaming, the summit extends its influence well beyond the room, offering panels that blend insights from government, business, and the arts to spark new ideas and partnerships around energy, equity, and development.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;More than a series of conversations, Global Citizen NOW is designed to translate dialogue into impact. Participants contribute to major advocacy moments, help shape commitments, and drive real-world change. Past editions have catalyzed cross-sector solutions and meaningful pledges that advance the global fight against extreme poverty.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The first-ever Global Citizen NOW summit in Africa in Johannesburg marked a major milestone in the series’ global expansion following previous events in &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/nyc/2025/"&gt;New York City&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/melbourne/"&gt;Melbourne&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/rio/"&gt;Rio de Janeiro&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/detroit/"&gt;Detroit&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/amazonia/"&gt;Belém&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/sevilla/"&gt;Sevilla&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This edition focused not only on energy access, but also global health security, building climate resilience, and promoting themes of solidarity, equality, and sustainability ahead of this year’s G20 meetings. To help, the summit enlisted a robust lineup of speakers, including co-organizers &lt;strong&gt;H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the Republic of South Africa; &lt;strong&gt;Ursula von der Leyen&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the European Commission; &lt;strong&gt;Hakainde Hichilema&lt;/strong&gt;, President of Zambia; &lt;strong&gt;Taoiseach Micheál Martin&lt;/strong&gt;, Prime Minister of Ireland; &lt;strong&gt;Jonas Gahr Støre&lt;/strong&gt;, Prime Minister of Norway; &lt;strong&gt;Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka&lt;/strong&gt;, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Deputy President of South Africa; and &lt;strong&gt;Sipho Makhubela&lt;/strong&gt;, Chief Executive Officer, Harith General Partners, along with other notable participants. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This landmark event was made possible by a network of cross-sector partners, including presenting partner Harith General Partners, who helped highlight the essential role the private sector can play in accelerating the build-up of Africa’s clean energy future. Other major partners included Octopus Energy, Pele Energy Group, and TransEnergy Global, along with support from Genesis Energy and PayPal. The event’s mission and programming were also amplified to audiences across Africa and beyond thanks to media partners including EIB Network, TimesLIVE, and Vanguard Media. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;The Lowdown on SURA: What Is It and Why Does It Matter? &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa/"&gt;Officially launched&lt;/a&gt; in November 2024 by Global Citizen alongside European Commission President von der Leyen and South African President Ramaphosa, and developed with policy support from the International Energy Agency (IEA), &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;SURA&lt;/a&gt; set out with a bold mission to confront Africa’s deep energy inequities head-on and help jumpstart the continent’s clean energy transformation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The need to change course is undeniable. Today, &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/regions/africa"&gt;over 600 million people&lt;/a&gt; in Africa live without reliable electricity, otherwise known as &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/topics/energy-poverty_1/"&gt;energy poverty&lt;/a&gt;, while &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/a-vision-for-clean-cooking-access-for-all/executive-summary"&gt;one billion on the continent&lt;/a&gt; are forced to rely on unsafe cooking fuels such as charcoal, that harm both their health and the environment. With Africa’s population &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/20/by-2050-a-quarter-of-the-worlds-people-will-be-african-this-will-shape-our-future"&gt;projected to reach two billion by 2050&lt;/a&gt; — and with &lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/china/en/press-releases/africa-will-be-home-2-5-children-2050-unicef-report"&gt;two out of every five&lt;/a&gt; children born in the world expected to be African — energy demand will only intensify, stretching continental energy grids and resources to their potential breaking point. Without decisive action, millions will remain without reliable power, locked out of economic opportunity, quality education, digital inclusion, and dependable health care. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Compounding the issue even more, many countries still depend heavily on outdated fossil fuels. For example, in South Africa — Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg’s host country — &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/countries/south-africa/electricity"&gt;82% of electricity still comes from coal&lt;/a&gt;, a sector that supports thousands of livelihoods country-wide, complicating a path towards fully embracing renewables. Public efforts to finance a clean transition have &lt;a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250306-south-africa-says-us-withdrawing-from-climate-finance-deal"&gt;repeatedly fallen short&lt;/a&gt;, leaving communities vulnerable to regular power outages, rising costs, and escalating climate impacts. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;SURA was designed as a direct call-to-action for leaders to address these challenges head-on. Meaningful, time-bound financial and policy commitments can help shift Africa’s current trajectory and make genuine progress towards meeting the &lt;a href="https://www.cop28.com/en/global-renewables-and-energy-efficiency-pledge"&gt;COP28’s goal set in 2023 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The push for clean energy aligns with &lt;a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal7"&gt;broader social and economic development needs&lt;/a&gt;. Electricity is the foundation for agricultural productivity, public services, economic growth, and stronger social welfare. Today, Africa faces some of the steepest challenges globally: it’s home to &lt;a href="https://unctad.org/press-material/what-are-least-developed-countries-9"&gt;33 of the world’s 47&lt;/a&gt; least-developed countries, and &lt;a href="https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/decoding-africa%E2%80%99s-energy-journey-three-key-numbers#:~:text=access%20to%20electricity-,Around%20600%20million%20Africans%20still%20lack%20reliable%20access%20to%20electricity,the%20global%20electricity%20access%20gap."&gt;less than half its population has regular electricity access&lt;/a&gt;. Energy poverty limits everything from a child’s ability to study after the sun goes down to hospitals’ ability to operate essential equipment or refrigerate &lt;a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/gavi-vaccine-alliance-has-saved-billions-heres-how-global-citizen-helping"&gt;life-saving vaccines&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg was designed to be the campaign’s defining culmination moment — the stage where momentum built up over the year turned into action with concrete pledges to deliver on SURA’s promises.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;Not Just Good Economics, But a Moral and Climate Imperative&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Economic and climate data tell a powerful story: expanding access to electricity is directly linked to economic growth, especially when that power is renewable. &lt;a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/renewable-energy-offers-africas-best-opportunity-achieve-sustainable-development-goals-experts-say-63909"&gt;For every dollar invested in renewable energy, an additional $0.93 is generated.&lt;/a&gt; That math means investing in clean energy is one of the smartest economic investments a country can make. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For Africa, this transition is more essential than ever. Climate change is already costing the continent &lt;a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/africa-loses-15-its-gdp-capita-annually-because-climate-change-african-development-bank-acting-chief-economist-kevin-urama-54660"&gt;5-15% of its GDP per capita growth&lt;/a&gt; due to extreme weather, droughts, food insecurity, and increasingly fragile, unreliable energy systems that come from it. As climate impacts intensify, scaling renewables is both an economic necessity and a climate imperative. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Globally, the stakes are sky high. To stay on track to reach net zero emissions by 2050, emerging markets and developing economies need to increase their clean energy investment from &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/scaling-up-private-finance-for-clean-energy-in-emerging-and-developing-economies/key-findings"&gt;less than $150 billion today to over $1 trillion by 2030&lt;/a&gt; — a seven-fold increase. A staggering challenge to say the least. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That’s where SURA came in. By amplifying youth leadership, local entrepreneurship, and innovative homegrown solutions, the campaign positioned Africa not as a passive recipient of aid, but as a global engine of clean energy growth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;What’s the State of Africa’s Renewable Energy Mix Now?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;We know that Africa is home to some of the world’s richest renewable energy resources, yet much of this potential remains vastly untapped. Today, the continent generates &lt;a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/9143/renewable-energy-in-africa/"&gt;roughly 18%&lt;/a&gt; of its energy from renewables — far behind regions like the European Union, where &lt;a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250319-1#:~:text=In%202024%2C%2046.9%25%20of%20net,%25)%20and%20Czechia%20(15.9%25).&amp;amp;text=Wind%20and%20hydro%20power%20accounted,around%200.5%25%20from%20geothermal%20energy."&gt;nearly half&lt;/a&gt; of the energy mix is clean. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The disconnect is striking. Imagine Africa’s solar potential as a gigantic water tap. Right now, only a trickle is being used, but its potential is overflowing. Africa’s countries experience &lt;a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/africa/africa-solar-power-potential-off-grid-hnk-spc"&gt;more sunshine&lt;/a&gt; than anywhere else on Earth and hold &lt;a href="https://commission.europa.eu/topics/international-partnerships/global-gateway/energy-africa_en"&gt;60% of the world’s best solar resources&lt;/a&gt;, but it accounts for only about &lt;a href="https://commission.europa.eu/topics/international-partnerships/global-gateway/energy-africa_en"&gt;1% of installed global solar PV capacity&lt;/a&gt;. With an estimated &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/09/renewables-energy-transition-africa-jobs/"&gt;7,900 GW of potential energy&lt;/a&gt; — for context, just 1 GW is enough to power about &lt;a href="https://www.cnet.com/home/solar/gigawatt-the-solar-energy-term-you-should-know-about/"&gt;750,000 homes&lt;/a&gt; — solar represents Africa’s most significant clean energy opportunity. As the African Development Bank put it, the continent’s solar potential is “&lt;a href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/african-development-banks-desert-power-initiative-71072"&gt;almost unlimited&lt;/a&gt;.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hydropower meanwhile already supplies around &lt;a href="https://www.hydropower.org/news/africa-adds-2gw-hydropower-capacity-in-2023-but-stark-gap-remains#:~:text=Africa%20has%2042GW%20total%20installed,project%20financing%20and%20causing%20delays."&gt;40% of sub-Saharan Africa’s electricity&lt;/a&gt;, making it one of the region’s most established renewable technologies. But aging infrastructure, climate variability, and shifting rainfall patterns pose growing risks to hydropower’s long-term reliability and dominance. Wind power offers another major frontier to explore, with incredible onshore and offshore wind corridors spanning North, East, and West Africa. Meanwhile, geothermal resources along the East African Rift, spanning Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Tanzania, offer dependable clean power, and bioenergy (where projects convert agricultural waste and landfill gas into electricity) is rapidly expanding in markets such as South Africa and Kenya. Collectively, these resources position Africa to build a diverse, resilient, and increasingly homegrown clean energy mix.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But progress is accelerating unevenly. &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/04/renewable-energy-africa-capabilities/#:~:text=In%202020%2C%209%25%20of%20all,Tunisia%2C%20Morocco%20and%20Ethiopia%22."&gt;North Africa leads&lt;/a&gt; in installed renewable capacity, driven by large-scale solar and wind developments. Southern Africa meanwhile is &lt;a href="https://aiimafrica.com/media/media-centre/from-crisis-to-opportunity-how-renewables-are-rewiring-south-africa-s-energy-future/#:~:text=South%20Africa%20is%20uniquely%20positioned,future%20of%20the%20SADC%20region."&gt;beginning to emerge&lt;/a&gt; as a hub of dynamic policy reform and project development. This is particularly true in South Africa, where newly introduced regulations aim to unlock private-sector investment. Initiatives like its &lt;a href="https://justenergytransition.co.za/"&gt;Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP)&lt;/a&gt; show how coordinated financing can help manage the social impacts of moving away from coal, ensuring workers and communities are not left behind. And although Central Africa — and smaller states such as Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo — remain underrepresented when it comes to global investment in renewable projects, the region is &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/04/renewable-energy-africa-capabilities/#:~:text=In%202020%2C%209%25%20of%20all,Tunisia%2C%20Morocco%20and%20Ethiopia%22."&gt;poised to more than double its renewable capacity&lt;/a&gt; once major hydropower and solar projects advance. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Altogether, this paints a clear picture: Africa has every ingredient needed to build a comprehensive, resilient clean-energy system — what’s missing is the investment to really kick it into high gear.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;The Finance Gap&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The problem? The money needed to pay for Africa’s energy transition far outpaces what’s currently available.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Over the past two decades, &lt;a href="https://energynews.pro/en/africa-captures-only-2-of-global-clean-energy-investment-in-2025/"&gt;only about 2% of global renewable energy investment has flowed to Africa&lt;/a&gt; — and most of that &lt;a href="https://wolajosephcondotti.com/africa-and-the-global-energy-investment-shift-lessons-from-the-international-energy-agencys-2025-world-energy-investment-report/#:~:text=The%20IEA%202025%20World%20Energy,both%20public%20and%20private%20finance."&gt;has been concentrated in just a few countries&lt;/a&gt;. Capital also continues to favor fossil fuels, particularly gas and mixed fossil projects, while many low-income and fragile states facing acute energy poverty receive only minimal support. This imbalance threatens to widen an already deep energy equity divide across the continent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Africa’s energy transition will require a comprehensive financing and policy strategy that goes beyond building new power plants. This includes modernizing outdated grids and strengthening transmission and distribution networks, while improving energy efficiency across homes, businesses, and industries — replacing inefficient appliances, systems, and equipment that drive up energy demand.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stronger regulatory frameworks and expanded local technical expertise are also essential to disproving perceived political and financial risks and encouraging long-term investment from all sectors. At the same time, countries need clear plans for developing new clean generation, particularly renewables, alongside modern grid infrastructure.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;Empowering Africa’s Next Generation: Global Citizen Fellows &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Africa’s clean energy future will be shaped by its young people, and the Reverse Power Panel — a youth-led initiative facilitated by Global Citizen ahead of the main summit — placed their leadership at the center of the conversation. With the continent home to the &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/ohrlls/news/young-people%E2%80%99s-potential-key-africa%E2%80%99s-sustainable-development"&gt;world’s youngest population&lt;/a&gt; — but also rising unemployment and limited economic opportunities — incorporating youth voices can’t just be an afterthought, it’s essential. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Investing in renewable energy can help close this gap: clean energy sectors create &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy#:~:text=Clean%20energy%20sector%20jobs%20already,as%20the%20fossil%20fuel%20industry."&gt;up to three times more jobs per dollar spent compared to fossil fuels&lt;/a&gt;. Building strong local expertise in modern energy systems is therefore critical for moving away from outdated and inefficient technologies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;A people-centered energy transition requires training programs, capacity-building initiatives, and opportunities for communities to design, manage, and maintain their own energy systems. These efforts reduce reliance on foreign specialists and strengthen local ownership. Initiatives such as the &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/news/iea-s-africa-energy-efficiency-policy-training-week-in-accra-highlights-pivotal-role-of-the-first-fuel-in-solving-development-challenges"&gt;IEA’s energy-efficiency training for African professionals&lt;/a&gt; support this shift, preparing a new generation of workers for modern energy jobs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Global Citizen is contributing to this momentum through its cohort of &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-2025-global-citizen-fellows/"&gt;African Global Citizen Fellows&lt;/a&gt;, who bring expertise in renewable energy, advocacy, policy, and community organizing as well as helping drive youth engagement in the SURA campaign. Among them are young leaders such as Fèmi Tankpinou of Benin, founder of ECOZEM, a solar-powered urban transport service; Hope Dlamini from South Africa, a policy strategist and youth advocate; Lungile Magagula, a rising voice in climate and energy justice; and Manar Benessaidi of Morocco, a strategist working at the intersection of diplomacy, development, and local activism.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;To elevate these voices even further, Global Citizen hosted the youth-led Reverse Power Panel on November 17 in Johannesburg. The event showcased Africa’s young clean-energy innovators alongside government and civil society leaders, including Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy Samantha Graham-Maré and Africa Change Lab Director Bhekumuzi Dean Bhebhe. The session’s goal was clear: transform youth-driven ideas into actionable commitments, place young Africans at the center of decision-making, and demonstrate what truly youth-powered climate and energy leadership looks like.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;Past SURA Commitments: Turning Momentum Into Real Power&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;To catch you up to speed: Commitments announced earlier in the SURA campaign included major commitments made at this year’s &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-impact/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival in New York City in September&lt;/a&gt;, including Globeleq’s pledge to deliver 1.3 gigawatts of new, clean power across key markets, spanning solar, wind, and other renewable technologies, reaching an estimated 6 million residents. Additionally, Energea announced it would invest $250 million toward expanding renewables on the continent. Pele Energy Group also announced plans to expand capacity from 10 gigawatts over the next decade to provide renewable energy to 3.1 million homes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;At this year’s Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-impact/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival in September&lt;/a&gt;, calls for action delivered. Major new pledges for renewable energy projects across Africa were unveiled, together amounting to enough electricity to connect more than 4.6 million households by 2030.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;One of the first big commitments came from South African energy company Globeleq, which announced plans to build 1.3 gigawatts of new renewable power generation across Africa — enough to light up around 1.5 million homes. In a video message played at the Festival, CEO Jonathan Hoffman captured the importance of the moment: “Power generation is like building the foundation of a house. You can build more when you have more power.” In other words, more electricity means more opportunity for entire economies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Then came one of the most ambitious pledges ever made from a Global Citizen stage. Pele Energy Group committed to roll out 10 gigawatts of renewable energy over the next decade — a massive expansion that will electrify 3.1 million households within five years, scaling up to 6.25 million households across 11 African countries within 10 years. CEO Gqi Raoleka described the pledge as part of a shared mission: “Meeting an organization such as Global Citizen is a perfect alignment of entities preoccupied with a social imperative, [it is] the change we all want to see in eradicating global poverty.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Momentum continued with Energea, an impact-focused energy investment platform, announcing a $250 million commitment to expand renewable energy projects across Africa over the next five years. Most of the investment will go toward new solar infrastructure, bringing clean, reliable power directly to communities that need it most. Meanwhile, the European Commission detailed how its massive clean-energy financing package for Africa — part of a €3.4 billion pledge made at COP28 — will be rolled out in support of the SURA campaign. At Global Citizen: Impact Sessions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, President von der Leyen detailed how this package will be allocated to fund clean energy projects across Africa, from expanding rural electrification efforts in Camerood, to scaling solar power in Ghana, to building high-voltage transmission lines to connect more people to power in Côte d'Ivoire, among others. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Earlier in the year, TransEnergy Global set the tone for breakthroughs at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/in-sevilla-global-citizen-now-envisions-a-new-era/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Sevilla in June&lt;/a&gt;, at which they announced a groundbreaking move: &lt;a href="https://carbonherald.com/a-carbon-bridge-linking-singapore-south-africa-and-the-global-carbon-market/"&gt;Project Mzansi&lt;/a&gt;. This initiative will see the purchase of a major coal reserve in Limpopo, not to extract the coal, but to rather keep it in the ground for at least 100 years. This historic first will keep 118 million tons of coal in the ground, preventing 236 million tons of CO₂ from ever entering the atmosphere. To finance the project, TransEnergy will release energy transition credits, a new type of carbon credit that helps companies meet their decarbonization goals. The company will then reinvest these proceeds into local communities and renewable energy projects across South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Series of Electrifying Panels&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Throughout the day, Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg convened an extraordinary lineup of leaders from across government, business, civil society, philanthropic, and creative sectors to shape a vision for meaningful leadership at the G20 and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Across every discussion, one message rang clear: African nations are the drivers of bold, scalable solutions to some of the world’s most urgent challenges. From accelerating renewable energy and economic transformation to sparking discussions about how to strengthen health security, job creation, and global governance reform, the panels demonstrated how African leadership, powered by an engaged civic society and citizen engagement, can unlock a brighter future for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The day opened with welcoming remarks from actress, humanitarian, and Global Citizen Ambassador Nomzamo Mbatha, who also served as host throughout the summit, setting the stage for a series of panels that brought these themes to life:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Johannesburg 2025: A Defining Moment for Global Progress&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;In this opening conversation, an all-star lineup — including actress and Global Citizen Ambassador Nomzamo Mbatha, global health champion Sibulele Sibaca-Nomnganga, Pele Energy CEO Gqi Raoleka, former South African Deputy President Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and legendary artist and humanitarian Yvonne Chaka Chaka — dove into what it means for the continent and the world for an African nation to host the G20 summit for the first time. Speakers shared how African leaders, innovators, and communities are reshaping the trajectory of global priorities, painting a picture of a continent leading the way — and inviting the world to follow.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Health Security for Shared Prosperity&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Dr. Sivuyile Madikana&lt;/b&gt; of &lt;b&gt;Discovery Health&lt;/b&gt; moderated a conversation between together &lt;b&gt;Lady Roslyn Morauta&lt;/b&gt;, Chair of &lt;b&gt;The Global Fund Board&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Robbie Brozin&lt;/b&gt;, co-founder of &lt;b&gt;Nando’s&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Goodbye Malaria&lt;/b&gt;, to tackle one of Africa’s biggest questions: how do we keep people healthy in a world full of overlapping crises? From climate change to pandemic threats to fragile health systems, the panel unpacked how smart investments, stronger public-private partnerships, and community-led solutions can build resilience from the ground up. Their message was clear: when we protect people’s health, we can unlock long-term prosperity across the continent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/topics/the-global-fund/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Global Fund&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — the largest grant funder of health programs in low- and middle-income countries — has proven an essential resource for nations building up health infrastructure and community health networks. But the number that speaks above all else? They’ve saved an astounding &lt;a href="https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/2025/2025-09-10-global-fund-reports-70-million-lives-saved-but-warns-progress-is-at-risk/"&gt;70 million lives since 2002&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With the &lt;a href="https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/replenishment/eighth-replenishment/"&gt;Global Fund’s 8th replenishment&lt;/a&gt; taking place at the same time as the summit, ultimately mobilizing &lt;a href="https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/2025/2025-11-21-global-fund-partners-demonstrate-unity-resolve-sustain-progress-strengthen-global-health-security/"&gt;$11.34 billion&lt;/a&gt;, the conversation turned to how crucial investments in public health care are to defeat virulent diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and why they are among the most cost-effective ways to protect people, economies, and global systems. Leaders underscored the importance of public–private partnerships, community leadership, and steady financing to build stronger, more resilient safeguards capable of stopping future pandemics before they start. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That point is brought to life through the work of &lt;a href="http://red.org/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;(RED)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which for nearly two decades now has partnered with leading global brands and organizations to raise awareness of the fight against AIDS and the injustices that allow it to persist. (RED) has supported the Global Fund’s work specifically through grants that help the Fund deliver essential HIV testing, treatment, and care, in addition to supporting healthcare workers and strengthening health systems. Founded by &lt;b&gt;Bono&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Bobby Shriver&lt;/b&gt;, (RED) has generated more than $800 million for the Global Fund and recently pledged $75 million towards its latest replenishment, made possible through partnerships with companies including Apple, Bank of America, Fiat, Gilead, Merck/MSD, Roche, Salesforce, Santander, and Vespa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;Energy Access: The Engine of Development&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;This dynamic session led by Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation, brought together Jito Kayumba, Special Assistant to the President of Zambia, and Akinwole Omoboriowo II, CEO of Genesis Energy, for a conversation that cut straight to the heart of progress: power. Speakers explored how reliable energy is the spark that ignites development. With more renewable power, countries can light up hospitals, boost education, grow businesses, and create jobs, setting off a “development dividend” that lifts entire communities. In other words, when a nation gets its energy mix right, it sets the stage for true economic growth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Jito Kayumba " id="1171897" title="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Jito Kayumba"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;PayPal Small Business Impact Awards&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;During this inspiring session, co-moderated by PayPal’s Middle East &amp;amp; Africa Senior Vice President &amp;amp; Regional Head Otto Williams and actress-entrepreneur Pearl Thusi, the evening celebrated the recently announced winners of &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/programs/small-business/"&gt;PayPal’s Small Business Impact Awards&lt;/a&gt; — an initiative by PayPal and Global Citizen to celebrate small businesses advancing social and environmental impact. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Recipients of this year’s awards included Somnath Ray, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the US-based CLIP company, which is committed to democratizing public transport through e-bike access; Kunjpreet Arora, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the India-based Angirus, which develops alternative, sustainable construction materials; Franco Rodriguez Viau, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Argentinian firm Satellites on Fire, which has leveraged AI to improve wildfire alert systems; Zizipho Ntobongwana, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sheba Feminine, based in South Africa, which creates sustainable and inclusive period products for all; and Filip Lundin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sopköket AB, a Swedish organization that tackles food waste, hunger, and social exclusion. These inspiring entrepreneurs took the stage to showcase exactly how small businesses can be at the forefront of everything from advancing climate solutions to empowering women and uplifting communities, and how entrepreneurship can spark social innovation for the public good.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa Pledging Event&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans sat down together to discuss the goals of the SURA campaign in-depth. This high-level dialogue dug into how Africa and its global partners can work together to rapidly scale renewables, unlock investment, and boost energy security across the continent. The leaders stressed that tripling renewables by 2030 is an ambitious goal, but also immensely achievable as long as collaboration and financing flows where it’s most needed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Cyril Ramaphosa " id="1171898" title="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Cyril Ramaphosa"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;Global Ireland and Africa’s Renewable Future&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Sabrina Dhowre Elba, CEO, Activist, and Global Citizen European Board Chair, sat down with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, to discuss how Ireland and Africa can work together to shape a more equitable renewable-energy future. Ireland’s own rapid energy transition has reshaped its national trajectory, and the commitments announced at the summit signal the possibility of similar change for millions across the African continent. A central theme of the conversation was the importance of a just, locally owned energy transition, as Martin underscored that true collaboration means ensuring communities benefit directly from renewable-energy investments.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;Leadership in Crisis: A Conversation with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre joined Global Citizen’s Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact, and Government Relations Officer Michael Sheldrick and Dr. Sidi Ould Tah of the African Development Bank Group to dig into what real leadership looks like in a turbulent world. From climate to economic shocks, Prime Minister Støre reflected on how challenges test governments and demand smart, steady, compassionate leadership. He highlighted the importance of global cooperation and highlighted &lt;a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/initiatives/mission-300/"&gt;Mission 300&lt;/a&gt;, a joint initiative between the African Development Bank and the World Bank, with partners including the Rockefeller Foundation, working to help provide electricity to 300 million people across Africa by 2030 through policy reform, infrastructure investment, and private sector collaboration. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Leadership in Crisis " id="1171902" title="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Leadership in Crisis"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;Catalyzing Africa: Harith, AfDB, and the Power of Homegrown Finance&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Led by Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Global Citizen European Board Chair, this conversation turned the spotlight to the power of African-led finance. Joined by Sipho Makhubela, CEO of Harith General Partners, and Hon. Maropene Ramokgopa, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring &amp;amp; Evaluation, the panel made one thing clear: when African institutions, investors, and governments take the lead, backed by strong public–private partnerships, the continent can shape its own economic future. With homegrown capital fueling development, people across the continent can drive growth that’s both resilient and truly homegrown.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-37dc6959-7fff-0638-d85e-eaa4b8aefe6d"&gt;Commitment to Capital: Financing Africa’s Future&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Moderated by CNBC’s Fifi Peters, this discussion brought together Matsi Modise of the World Climate Foundation, Alexio Musindo from the International Labour Organization, and Josh Wilson from TIME Africa &amp;amp; Global Venture Partners to explore how clever financial tools and blended public-private investments can create good jobs, strengthen communities, and build lasting prosperity. The conversation made it clear that unlocking capital isn’t just about money; it’s about investing in people and systems that can carry Africa’s growth forward for generations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Financing Africa's Future " id="1171901" title="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Financing Africa's Future"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-1ab775ce-7fff-b515-7c32-8e175a423b4d"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: More Than Conversations, Real Commitments&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg saw several monumental pledges announced on its stage, adding up to a historic evening marking some of the largest investments dedicated exclusively to jumpstarting Africa’s clean energy future to date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Across governments, development banks, and private companies, leaders unveiled a decisive shift in support of the continent’s energy systems and will help drive progress towards quadrupling Africa’s renewable energy capacity by 2030.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;Europe’s €15 Billion Investment in African Renewables&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: 15 billion " id="1171899" title="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: 15 billion"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;In one of the biggest moments of the entire night, the European Union (EU) confirmed a combined €15.1 billion in support for renewable energy development across Africa. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement on stage, detailing a package that includes €13 billion in grants, loans, guarantees, and equity through European financial institutions and EU Member States, along with €2.1 billion anticipated to be leveraged from private sector partners. €3.1 billion of this pledge had been announced previously over the course of 2025, including during the &lt;a href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2025/03/13/"&gt;EU-South Africa summit&lt;/a&gt; in March, the &lt;a href="https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/document/download/6e297e7e-4879-4d92-b318-f5f6ebfa6bda_en?filename=mattei-plan-africa-global-gateway-factsheet_en.pdf"&gt;Mattei Plan for Africa and Global Gateway&lt;/a&gt; event in June, the Africa Climate Summit and the&lt;a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2193"&gt; United Nations General Assembly&lt;/a&gt; in September and the &lt;a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2335"&gt;Global Gateway Forum&lt;/a&gt; in October. The last €7 billion was announced during Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The package announced by President von der Leyen includes new &lt;a href="https://commission.europa.eu/topics/international-partnerships/global-gateway_en"&gt;Global Gateway&lt;/a&gt; projects that count contributions from Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain as well as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Several impactful projects across the continent will benefit from this funding, including: building up mini-grid electricity systems to light up rural areas in Madagascar; a major new hydropower plant in Malawi; the development of renewables from solar in Zambia to help upgrade water supply systems in urban and rural areas; a new photovoltaic solar power plant in Côte d’Ivoire; support for early-stage renewable energy projects and companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo; two major projects to help provide access to sustainable cooking fuels and solutions across Central, Southern, and East Africa, as well as Indian Ocean regions. A full list of projects can be &lt;a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2782"&gt;found here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;EU leaders such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz, the Netherlands’ Huib-Jan de Ruijter, Chief Investment Officer of FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, and President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso and Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank, all appeared via video to highlight the investments made to date through the SURA campaign. Denmark and Austria also announced new commitments to SURA, as did Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin announcing a €5 million contribution to the International Energy Agency’s Clean Energy Transitions Programme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Given the diverse nature of European financing tools and reporting cycles, the consolidated figure includes projects and instruments that may have been public, under negotiation, or previously announced in other contexts, but which directly contribute to expanding renewable energy generation, transmission, and energy access across Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;Development Banks &amp;amp; Regional Partners Strengthen Continental Commitments&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In addition to Europe’s support, several major development institutions announced new commitments. The African Development Bank pledged to allocate at least 20 percent of all African Development Fund resources to renewable energy, marking a significant shift toward clean-power priorities. Norwegian Prime Minister Støre committed NOK 3.1 billion (about $300 million), including about $61 million specifically for renewable-energy projects, over three years to the African Development Fund starting in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;More regional efforts were announced as well. The Development Bank of Southern Africa shared its ambition to provide an additional 3 GW of clean energy capacity.,  Meanwhile, Zambia unveiled significant new targets towards their Green City and Urban Solar initiatives, which together will deliver 211 MW of renewable energy, create nearly 4,000 new jobs, and impact around 2.4 million people total.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;The Private Sector Steps Up: Multi-Billion Dollar Action Across the Continent&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;One of the most significant commitments came from CrossBoundary Energy, who announced they had secured $200 million towards their goal of a $1 billion pipeline of renewable projects by 2030, spanning solar, wind, and battery storage. Meanwhile, Genesis Energy Group stepped forward with one of the largest private-sector commitments of the summit, announcing plans to deliver 10 GW of clean energy across Africa over the next 5 to 10 years. This expansion has the potential to provide power to an estimated 11.2 million households, reaching more than 33 million people while creating between 184,000 and 252,000 construction jobs and 13,700 to 20,500 long-term jobs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg presenting partner Harith announced they would scale up their energy investment to the tune of delivering 3.5 GW of renewable energy, reaching around 850,000 people over the next five years. Enertrag announced its plan to deliver 1.2 GW of grid-secure renewable power in South Africa from 2026, enough to supply over 800,000 homes and benefit up to 2.8 million people while offsetting 3.5 million tons of CO₂ each year — equivalent to taking 800,000 cars off the road.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Scatec announced a major expansion of its global renewable energy portfolio, pledging to expand its clean energy project portfolio globally by $500 million, with a particular focus on the African continent. With 5.4 GW of power already secured, including 4.7 GW across Africa, these projects are expected to help avoid 6 million tons of CO₂ annually once operational.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Household access and consumer energy solutions also saw major momentum. Sun King, a leader in off-grid solar products, announced a $1.3 billion commitment by 2030 to deploy 3.8 GW of solar energy. Their goal: bring clean power to 50 million homes, schools, health centers, and small businesses, bringing clean electricity to 200 million people while creating 45,000 jobs and opening 1,200 new stores across Africa. Octopus Energy meanwhile expanded its Power Africa Fund with an additional $200 million in funding, bringing its total value to $450 million dedicated to accelerating clean energy across the continent. This expanded fund is projected to help deploy 180 MW of new renewable generation and deliver reliable electricity to 1.1 million people, supporting households, businesses, and essential services connect to essential power.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Zoisa North-Bond " id="1171900" title="Image - Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg: Zoisa North-Bond"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, these commitments reflect a powerful shift: the private sector is not just talking about Africa’s renewable potential — it’s investing in it. From billion-dollar portfolios to millions of new households electrified, the announcements from Johannesburg show that Africa’s clean energy transition is accelerating, and the world is finally starting to match its ambition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;Total SURA Commitments Rundown&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Throughout the year, SURA showcased what bold, collective action can achieve, all backed by major commitments from member states of the European Union, other national governments, leading private sector energy companies, and multilateral development banks. Through this campaign, partners pledged 26.8 gigawatts of renewable energy, enough to power 17.5 million homes,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen has a strict due diligence and accountability process to ensure that all commitments announced are brand new and come complete with a clear, detailed plan for delivery. Each pledge is vetted, monitored, and evaluated from beginning to final implementation for its measurable impact and alignment with Global Citizen’s campaign objectives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/13-years-in-13-global-citizen-moments/"&gt;Over the last 13 years&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen has helped deploy more than $50 billion in commitments made through its platform and events, impacting 1.3 billion lives worldwide. These milestones prove that while Global Citizen’s mission to defeat poverty and defend the planet is ambitious, progress can be tangibly achieved when people campaign collectively, act strategically, and demand bold action from our leaders. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Read on for a comprehensive rundown of every pledge made over the course of the year-long SURA campaign:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table&gt;
&lt;colgroup&gt;
&lt;col/&gt;
&lt;/colgroup&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CROSSBOUNDARY ENERGY &lt;/strong&gt;announced they had secured $200 million towards their goal of a $1 billion pipeline of renewable projects by 2030, spanning solar, wind, and battery storage.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;By scaling renewable power for African businesses and communities, CrossBoundary Energy aims to expand an affordable source of electricity access while cutting emissions and driving local economic growth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA &lt;/b&gt;pledged to finance 3 GW of new clean power over the next five years, enough alone to power up a large city. This new pledge will fast-track grid-connected and distributed renewable projects across South Africa, strengthening energy security, expanding access, and advancing the country’s Just Transition agenda.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;ENERGEA, &lt;/b&gt;an impact-focused investment platform, committed $250 million over five years to the SURA campaign at Global Citizen Festival in September. This pledge will primarily finance new solar energy assets across multiple countries with emerging economies in Africa, powering homes, schools, and clinics. “You won’t find many organizations that believe in the power of global community more than Energea,” explained Mike Silvestrini, CEO and co-founder, “and we certainly resonate with the Global Citizen mandate.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;ENERTRAG &lt;/b&gt;committed to move forward with grid-secure renewable energy projects totaling 1.2 GW of power in South Africa beginning in 2026. This investment will help power more than 800,000 homes in regions where reliable energy access remains limited, reaching up to 2.8 million people. Once operational, the portfolio is expected to help avoid over 3.5 million tons of CO₂ annually — equivalent to taking 800,000 cars off the road — while supporting jobs and providing community benefits such as career skills development and local infrastructure investments.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;GENESIS ENERGY GROUP &lt;/b&gt;announced plans to deliver 10 GW of clean energy across Africa over the next 5 to 10 years. This expansion has the potential to provide power to an estimated 11.2 million households, reaching more than 33 million people while creating between 184,000 and 252,000 construction jobs and 13,700 to 20,500 long-term jobs as new projects come online.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;GLOBELEQ &lt;/b&gt;announced at the New York City Global Citizen Festival in September a new commitment to deliver 1.3 GW of new renewable power generation across Africa over the next five years, enough to power 1.5 million households through new investments in solar, wind, hydro, and storage. Via a video pledge, Globeleq CEO, Jonathan Hoffman, explained the transformative impact of delivering new, reliable power at this scale, encouraging others to step up with similar ambition: “Globeleq is taking bold steps. And we hope this inspires others — governments, businesses, and individuals — to join us in powering a cleaner, brighter, more inclusive future.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;HARITH, &lt;/b&gt;the presenting partner of Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, announced a major expansion of its clean energy footprint across the continent. The organization will scale its energy investments from 1.5 GW to 5 GW over the next five years — a more than threefold increase — with at least 25% of this new capacity meeting IEA’s renewable energy standards. This expanded pipeline has the potential to deliver reliable power to approximately 850,000 households, supporting economic growth, improving energy security, and helping accelerate Africa’s clean energy transition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;NORWAY &lt;/b&gt;reaffirmed its climate and development leadership after Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced a pledge of 3.1 billion NOK (approximately $300 million) over three years to the African Development Fund, starting in 2026. This commitment will bolster economic growth across the continent, expand access to renewable energy, and strengthen climate adaptation measures for communities most vulnerable to climate impacts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;OCTOPUS ENERGY &lt;/b&gt;expanded its Power Africa Fund with an additional $200 million in funding, bringing its total value to $450 million dedicated to accelerating clean energy across the continent. This expanded fund is projected to help deploy 180 MW of new renewable generation and deliver reliable electricity to 1.1 million people, supporting households, businesses, and essential services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;PELE ENERGY GROUP &lt;/b&gt;announced at Global Citizen Festival in New York City in September its new plans to expand its clean energy portfolio by building up 10 gigawatts of renewable power capacity across Africa, electrifying 3.1 million homes in five years’ time and ultimately impacting 6.2 million lives over the next 10 years. “We are literally bringing light to individuals with no access to electricity as we speak,” said CEO Gqi Raoleka in a passionate video address to the announcement. “Meeting an organization such as Global Citizen is a continuation of our purpose, of our ethos.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;SCATEC &lt;/b&gt;announced a major expansion of its global renewable energy portfolio, pledging $500 million toward new clean energy projects globally by 2030, with a particular focus on the African continent. CEO Terje Pilskog shared that with 5.4 GW of power already secured, including 4.7 GW across Africa, these projects are expected to help avoid 6 million tons of CO₂ annually once operational. In South Africa alone, Scatec will invest $55 million to deliver enough power for nearly 1 million households, cutting 3.5 million tons of CO₂ each year and creating at least 10,000 jobs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;SUN KING &lt;/b&gt;announced a pledge to deploy 50 million off-grid solar systems by 2030, delivering clean electricity to 200 million people across Africa, including 200,000 additional South African households and businesses. This effort will expand energy access for homes, schools, health centers, and small businesses, supported by 3.8 GW of new solar capacity and 45,000 newly created jobs to reach underserved communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;TEAM EUROPE, &lt;/b&gt;including member states the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), collectively pledged over the course of the SURA campaign €13 billion in grants, loans, guarantees and equity. An additional €2.1 billion is expected through private-sector mobilization, marking one of the most significant investments ever made in Africa’s clean energy transition.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;b&gt;European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen &lt;/b&gt;delivered the closing announcement onstage at Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg. Leaders including Giorgia Meloni (Italy), Friedrich Merz (Germany), Nadia Calviño (EIB), Odile Renaud-Basso (EBRD), Luis Montenegro (Portugal), Jessica Rosencrantz (Sweden), and Huib-Jan de Ruijter (FMO) also appeared via video to highlight their countries’ commitments over the year-long SURA campaign, while Ireland's Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced a €5 million contribution to the International Energy Agency’s Clean Energy Transitions Programme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;TRANSENERGY GROUP &lt;/b&gt; announced at Global Citizen NOW: Sevilla in June 2025 a groundbreaking move with Project Mzansi, the purchase of a major coal reserve in Limpopo to preserve its coal intact and unextracted for at least 100 years. This historic first will keep 118 million tons of coal in the ground, preventing 236 million tons of CO₂ from ever entering the atmosphere. To finance the project, TransEnergy will release energy transition credits, a new type of carbon credit that helps companies meet their decarbonization goals. The company will then reinvest these proceeds into local communities and renewable energy projects across South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Additionally, at Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, TransEnergy Global pledged 20 million verified Energy Transition Carbon Credits to support South Africa’s national climate goals through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). TransEnergy Global also signaled its intention to replicate this model across all countries where it operates, putting energy transition credits in place to become a transformative new tool for global decarbonization.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;ZAMBIA &lt;/b&gt;announced two major commitments under the SURA campaign to diversify its energy mix and reduce reliance on climate-vulnerable hydropower. Through the new Rural Green City Initiative (2025–2030), Zambia will deploy 145 MW of solar mini-grids and grid-connected plants in 14 districts across the country, bringing reliable electricity to 1.8 million people and creating 2,400 jobs over the next five years. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Complementing this effort, the Urban Solar Load Centres Initiative will add 66 MW of solar generation and battery storage in high-demand cities, improving grid stability while reducing diesel reliance and benefiting 600,000 residents — all while supporting the creation of 1,100 jobs through 2030.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4 dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-8ed29af1-7fff-1971-553a-ab9993ca1fdc"&gt;Looking Ahead: This Is Just Beginning&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Though the pledging event is over, the conversations sparked in Johannesburg are just getting started. Africa’s energy future is already taking shape, led by the young people, communities, and local innovators who feel the pressing need to address the realities of unreliable electricity every single day. They understand what energy poverty really looks like, what climate risks mean for daily life, and what kinds of solutions truly work on the ground. Their efforts are proof that Africa’s clean energy transition is happening right now — and that with the right support, it can scale even faster.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;To keep this momentum growing, public engagement is essential. When people everywhere raise their voices, governments, companies, and financial institutions pay attention. That’s why we need citizens across the continent — and around the world — to keep pushing for major investment in Africa’s renewable energy future. Every call, every message, and every action helps build the political will to unlock more funding for clean, affordable power.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Policymakers and development agencies have a crucial role to play. It’s time to update outdated energy and financing strategies, embrace solutions fit for Africa’s realities, and strike the right balance between urgent development needs and long-term sustainability. When that happens, Africa can tap into its incredible renewable potential, drive inclusive and equitable growth, and build an energy system designed for the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;The challenges ahead are clear. But so are the opportunities. This moment could be one of our greatest chances to help shape a more sustainable, prosperous future for Africa and for the world could well be one of the biggest of our time. Now is the time to light the way forward to a brighter future.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon and Tess Lowery</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:22:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-johannesburg/</guid><category>Finance &amp; Innovation</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/ab/25/ab2588f1-839d-4efe-93e6-55d5b2b7faaa/2247799726.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Inside a Youth-Led Dialogue on Africa’s Clean Energy Landscape</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/inside-a-youth-led-dialogue-on-africas-clean-energ/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;We didn’t just host an event, we created a space for fresh thinking and youth-led ideas. The Reverse Power Panel, part of Global Citizen’s &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa&lt;/a&gt; campaign, brought together students, young leaders, innovators and energy practitioners to explore what Africa’s renewable energy future could look like. One message came through clearly: young people are not waiting to be invited into the conversation; they are already helping to shape it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From the first moment, the atmosphere was warm and engaging. Host Slu Molamodi, radio personality and journalist, opened the programme in song, inviting the room to join in. Students from Wits University and the University of Johannesburg responded with enthusiastic singing and ululation, creating a sense of shared purpose and connection.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;An opening contribution from Lipalesa Morake, Director of Africa Youth Development at Global Citizen, grounded the day in a simple idea: young Africans should participate actively in decisions about the energy systems they will live with for decades to come.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Youth Voices Leading the Way&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Two representatives from the African Youth Energy Network (AYEN) — Hlolelo Rampete and Mpho Nyamathe — provided thoughtful insights backed by youth-led work and community experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rampete highlighted clean cooking as “one of Africa’s most underestimated focus areas”, drawing attention to the health, environmental and social benefits it can unlock. He underscored that communities are often open to change when they are meaningfully included in planning and implementation, and when solutions reflect their daily realities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nyamathe invited the audience to rethink how young people access knowledge and skills related to energy. Drawing on Brazilian philosopher Paulo Freire’s ideas about learning, she emphasised Youth Energy Literacy as a foundation for effective participation in policy and programme design. She noted that skills development should start well before young people enter the job market, and stressed that communities appreciate being included in conversations that affect their futures.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Leadership Shift&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Samantha Graham-Maré, brought a perspective from government that recognised the importance of listening to younger generations. She observed that decision-makers are increasingly expected to create room for new voices and new expertise, remarking that &lt;em&gt;“&lt;/em&gt;politicians are asked to step back and listen first. Young leaders are not waiting.” She added a note that resonated strongly with the audience: “You deserve to see your fingerprints on the energy system we are building.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The panel brought together the Deputy Minister, Director at Africa Change Lab, Bhekumuzi Dean Bhebhe and Director of Southern Transitions Gaylor Montmasson-Clair. Together, they reflected on how policy, finance, local enterprise and community participation can support a cleaner and more reliable energy landscape across Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bhebhe emphasised that approaches should be responsive to these varied experiences and guided by clear principles that make progress timely, fair, adequately supported and inclusive. As he put it, “We need solutions that recognise where people are coming from, and that help them move forward in a meaningful way.” He also referred to distributive approaches that acknowledge past and present circumstances while equipping people with long-term capabilities. Rather than focusing only on short-term fixes, Bhebhe encouraged efforts that enable communities to sustain improvements over time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He further highlighted the importance of considering broader resources such as water, noting that “different energy technologies use completely different amounts of water, and that matters in regions where agriculture is central to livelihoods.” Bhebhe also pointed to Africa’s significant raw material endowments and encouraged efforts to build local manufacturing and value addition, saying, “We have the resources — we should also have the ability to benefit from them.” This, he explained, would help ensure that more of the advantages of new technologies can be realised within the continent.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Systems for the Future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Montmasson-Clair observed that effective approaches to clean energy start with people and communities, noting that “energy is ultimately about people, and the choices we make should reflect that.” Responding to a question about how to design beneficial partnerships, he stressed the value of a clear and grounded vision, explaining that “real progress is visible in everyday life — in reliable electricity, clean water, proper roads and safe sanitation.” He added that showing improvement in areas that have historically had limited services is central to building trust and momentum.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He highlighted the importance of partnerships that connect government, financial institutions and local entrepreneurs, saying, “No one can move forward alone, partnerships are how we unlock practical solutions.” Montmasson-Clair pointed out that many emerging innovators require relatively modest levels of support to establish workshops, enterprises or factories, yet face challenges when seeking smaller amounts of finance. “If you ask for a large loan, doors open,” he remarked, “but the moment you need a smaller amount to get started, that’s where the hurdles appear.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He encouraged institutions to explore financial tools that can support both large-scale projects and smaller, locally driven initiatives, adding that “backing early-stage innovators can strengthen entire communities.” In his view, this kind of practical, multi-level support can help local actors play a stronger role in delivering clean energy solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Shared Vision&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Despite approaching the issue from different angles — policy, community experience and research — the panellists converged on several shared points: progress needs to be people-centred, informed by local contexts and transparent in how decisions are made. They also agreed that young people have an important role to play across all stages, from idea generation to implementation.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Themes and Calls to Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The discussions highlighted several interconnected insights: youth leadership is already contributing to the energy conversation; communities benefit when inclusion informs planning; and energy-related knowledge helps people participate more confidently in decision-making. The need for early skills development and pathways into green jobs was emphasised, along with the value of practical, Africa-informed approaches.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Speakers encouraged creating opportunities for young people to contribute meaningfully, investing in early training and apprenticeships, supporting energy-related learning in schools and communities, considering affordability in all programme design, and ensuring that policies and initiatives are developed in close dialogue with the people they are intended to serve.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Reverse Power Panel served as a constructive, youth-focused space for sharing ideas on how Africa can expand the use of renewable energy in ways that are practical and community-informed. From the musical opening to the closing reflections, every segment reinforced that moving towards cleaner energy is not only about technology; it also involves planning, participation and collaboration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The event was coordinated by the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-2025-global-citizen-fellows/"&gt;Global Citizen Fellows&lt;/a&gt;, whose work shaped an engaging and well-structured afternoon. The programme concluded with Hope Dlamini, one of the Fellows, who thanked participants and encouraged continued youth involvement, innovation and collaboration in advancing clean energy and scaling up renewables in Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Taken together, the conversations in the room suggested a positive outlook: with supportive policies, appropriate finance, strong partnerships and active youth participation, Africa’s renewable energy future can be both practical and inclusive.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Global Citizen Staff</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:19:55 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/inside-a-youth-led-dialogue-on-africas-clean-energ/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/1c/8f/1c8fa364-d77e-4f84-a10c-5e20a5e9db72/dscf2291.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Open Letter: EU and UK Governments Must Join the Premium Flyers Solidarity Coalition</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/open-letter-eu-and-uk-governments-must-join-the-pr/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Dear EU and UK Leaders,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As COP30 enters its final day, the growing&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href="https://solidaritylevies.org/cop30/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Premium Flyers Solidarity Coalition&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is offering a clear and constructive example of what global cooperation can achieve. Countries across Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Small Island States are demonstrating that solidarity levies are not only fair and feasible — they are a practical pathway to deliver the &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/climate-finance/workstreams/baku-to-belem-roadmap-to-13t"&gt;Baku-to-Belém Roadmap&lt;/a&gt; and scale the debt-free climate, global health, and development finance the world urgently needs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Coalition, supported by &lt;b&gt;Benin, Djibouti, France, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, and Spain, with Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Fiji, and Vanuatu&lt;/b&gt; as observers, shows what is possible when ambition is matched with action. The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force’s &lt;a href="https://solidaritylevies.org/levies-on-premium-flyers-legal-handbook/"&gt;latest report&lt;/a&gt; provides governments with robust legal, economic, and technical guidance, while &lt;a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hfcJBUKA906tuE_z-mz4JyMlPJkyadd8XxyWX3fAFPI/edit?slide=id.g34401dab6f0_0_0#slide=id.g34401dab6f0_0_0"&gt;public support&lt;/a&gt; for premium flyers levies remains consistently strong across Europe, regardless of age group or voting preferences. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Premium aviation levies are grounded in the polluter-pays principle and simple to implement. Existing models, from airline ticket charges to solidarity fees, already demonstrate how modest surcharges on high-emitting premium flights can generate predictable, grant-based finance for vulnerable countries without impacting ordinary citizens. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With fiscal constraints tightening across the EU and the UK, solidarity levies present also a politically viable and fiscally responsible option to generate much-needed headroom. It aligns with existing climate commitments, meets growing public expectations, and delivers real results — all while shifting the burden back onto the highest emitters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;We, the undersigned civil society organizations, call on EU and UK governments to:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Join the Premium Flyers  Solidarity Coalition immediately, at minimum as observers&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Support the development of fair, non-debt-creating solidarity levies on premium flyers&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Help broaden this coalition to drive meaningful progress before COP30 concludes and beyond.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Europe has long championed climate ambition, fairness, and the polluter-pays principle. Premium aviation levies embody these values in practice: they are simple, fair, implementable, and aligned with growing international leadership. By joining the Coalition now, building on the example set by current members and the momentum generated in Belém, EU and UK governments can help shape a more equitable global financing system and demonstrate credible climate leadership at this pivotal moment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;17 NGOs and 3 Networks representing over 541 civil society groups&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;APIT Portugal&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Center for Economic and Social Rights&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Climate Action Network Latin America&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;DCA actalliance&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Eifay Africa&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Eko&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Germanwatch e.V.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Glasgow Actions Team&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Global Citizen&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Gflac&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Green Economy Coalition&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Innovea Development Foundation&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Instituto Talanoa&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Opportunity Green&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;RANA&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rani&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Safe Landing&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sharing Strategies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tax Justice UK&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The ONE Campaign&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;cms-plugin alt="Embeddable Action - 1171081 " id="1171081" title="Embeddable Action - 1171081"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:10:31 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/open-letter-eu-and-uk-governments-must-join-the-pr/</guid><category>Finance &amp; Innovation</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/4f/09/4f0964c1-3212-4c57-8a44-f43e8297c0e9/13158990.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>The Real Hunger Crisis: It’s About Access, Not Abundance</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hunger-crisis-smallholder-farmers-market-access/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;It has never been easier to eat. Well, on paper, that is.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For most of human history, &lt;a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/20/5816"&gt;producing enough food to feed a growing population was one of humanity’s greatest challenges&lt;/a&gt; — until the early 20th century. Industrialization, along with advancements in technology, science, and global policy, rapidly scaled food production, eradicating an age-old problem and flipping it on its head.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Today, &lt;a href="https://www.foodunfolded.com/article/feeding-a-growing-population-do-we-really-need-to-produce-more-food"&gt;we produce more food than we can eat&lt;/a&gt;. So, shouldn’t the global hunger crisis be solved? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If only it were that simple.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;It’s true that we produce a surplus of food, but the issue today isn’t a matter of quantity, but rather where the food goes and whether it’s of any nutritious value. Progress towards ending global hunger has stalled because of market access and distribution, particularly for smallholder farmers. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By “market access,” we mean farmers’ ability to reach reliable, fair spaces to sell their produce to the local public; equally, this means they have fair access to the inputs, tools, and information required to keep their work up.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You might have heard it before, but smallholder farmers — the men and women who often work on less than two hectares of land — are &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/09/smallholder-farmers-key-achieving-food-security"&gt;the backbone of global food security&lt;/a&gt;. With adequate resources, they could go a long way in stabilizing global food systems and reducing hunger. Yet, despite the fact that &lt;a href="https://innovation.wfp.org/blog/impact-scale-farm-market-alliances-journey-growth-catalyst-agricultural-innovation"&gt;a third of the world’s food is produced by smallholder farmers&lt;/a&gt;, many remain trapped at the margins of the very markets they sustain.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re currently in a lose-lose situation. On the one hand, hunger rates increase because local farmers cannot sell their produce. On the other hand, these same farmers often struggle to feed their own families without the profits and income provided from proper market access. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The answer lies in market-readiness and access to markets, yet substantial hurdles remain. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Market Access Challenges&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The challenge smallholder farmers face isn’t just growing food,&lt;a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479724025222"&gt; it’s getting it to the people who need &lt;/a&gt;it at a fair price.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many smallholder farmers &lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479724025222"&gt;are in remote or rural regions&lt;/a&gt; where limited transport and storage infrastructure pose significant challenges preserving and distributing food. With most markets concentrated in city centers, expensive cold-chain storage is necessary, otherwise much of the food spoils before it reaches the market. Low-quality road infrastructure to and from these smallholdings compounds the issue, resulting in physical inaccessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Even when farmers manage to reach buyers, financial barriers can shut out opportunity. With no collateral or formal credit history, most can’t access affordable loans to buy quality seeds, fertilizers, or irrigation equipment. That limits their productivity and keeps them dependent on informal lenders or middlemen who take a cut of every transaction.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Systemic issues are at the root of these individual issues. &lt;a href="https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/tipping-the-balance-policies-to-shape-agricultural-investments-and-markets-in-f-254551"&gt;Agricultural policies frequently favor large-scale producers&lt;/a&gt;, leaving smallholders to fall through the cracks without the institutional support or technical assistance needed to meet modern market standards. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/sustainable-food-systems-farmers-priority-cop30/"&gt;Add in  threats from climate change&lt;/a&gt; and these already disadvantaged farmers face an uphill battle just to stay in business.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What Does Improving Market Access Look Like? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Market access has long favored commercial farmers with more finances, networks, and resources, leaving small-scale farmers out of luck. To change this, innovative solutions and holistic investments are key. Thankfully, across the globe, we are seeing promising new interventions emerging in the agricultural sector. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In South Africa,&lt;a href="https://kgodisofund.co.za/news/pepsico-s-kgodiso-fund-gets-behind-agri-tech-platform-khula"&gt; a digital marketplace&lt;/a&gt; supported by the Kgodiso Development Fund (KDF), tackles market and distribution issues head-on. KDF is an independent fund, founded by PepsiCo Inc., which aims to support smallholder agricultural enterprises and farmers across the country’s supply chain. Khula! is one of the apps it funds that  connects farmers directly with buyers, allowing them to purchase quality agricultural inputs such as seeds, and facilitating logistical support to move their produce to market. By cutting out intermediaries and breaking down traditional market bottlenecks, the platform is proving  how technology can help aggregate demand and reduce  post-harvest losses.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In Kenya, startups like &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/solar-freeze-dysmus-kisilu-waislitz-award-winner"&gt;Solar Freeze&lt;/a&gt; help reduce food waste through innovative cold-chain storage. The award-winning initiative provides farmers with mobile, solar-powered cold rooms, allowing them to store produce as it awaits transit to market. The enterprise also provides refrigerated transportation and assists with distribution, providing comprehensive post-harvest support from farm-to-table. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;But access to market is only half the equation; it’s also important for smallholder farms to be market-ready, meaning they’re equipped with the resources, knowledge, and infrastructure needed to meet buyers’ demand. That means policymakers need to step up with holistic investment, including funds, training, markets, and technical know-how so they can compete on equal footing with commercial producers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let’s consider &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/farmers-on-the-front-lines-south-africa"&gt;South African potato farmer Zelda Masoga&lt;/a&gt;. When she expanded her farm to a larger plot of communal land, she quickly faced new challenges — limited technical know-how to inadequate  basic infrastructure, resources that commercial farmers often take for granted. But a holistic investment in her venture helped turn those setbacks into opportunities. With support for training, inputs, and financial management, Masoga and her team were able to  access formal, and formally out-of-reach, markets, including selling her potatoes straight to Pepsico, building a more sustainable, scalable business. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A World Without Hunger&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We know that when smallholder farmers have the right tools, knowledge, and networks, and when investors back small-scale farms with the innovative interventions that sustain their  productivity, we get a whole lot closer to a world without hunger. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yes, it has never been easier to eat. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Humanity has mastered the science of growing food. What remains is nailing the fairness of sharing it through accessible markets. Hunger today isn’t about scarcity, it’s about systems. Systems that dictate who gets to sell, who gets to buy, and who gets left behind. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These systems must make space for smallholder farmers to supply affordable, nutrient-rich foods for those who need them most — while also sustaining their own  livelihoods.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Achieving  these solutions means committing to smallholder farmers not as beneficiaries, but as essential partners in the global food economy.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Global Citizen Staff</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:37:24 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hunger-crisis-smallholder-farmers-market-access/</guid><category>Food &amp; Hunger</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/1d/4e/1d4eac1f-b129-4c62-8bad-e1bb644706e6/women-climate-change-social-share.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">ICRISAT/Flickr</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>How Do Carbon Offsets Work: Voluntary Carbon Markets (and Their Controversies), Explained</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-do-carbon-offsets-work-voluntary-carbon-market/</link><description>&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Few tools in the climate toolbox spark as much debate as &lt;a href="https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/carbon-offsets-2023/index.html"&gt;carbon offsets&lt;/a&gt;. For some, they’re a practical way to fast-track money into solutions the world needs right now to fight climate change. Critics meanwhile accuse them of &lt;a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/carbon-credits-hot-air"&gt;over-promising&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/will-international-carbon-markets-finally-deliver"&gt;under-delivering&lt;/a&gt;, and letting companies off the hook as they delay the necessary work of cutting their carbon output down to size.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Both instincts can be true, but there are promising signs of change on the horizon. Before we get there, though, let’s clear up a common confusion: what is the difference between carbon credits and carbon offsets? Carbon credits are tradeable units, each representing one ton of carbon emissions avoided or removed. Offsets are how those credits are used to balance out emissions made somewhere else. Think of it like a currency system: credits are the units that businesses and countries can use to trade, and offsets are how you spend them to balance the books on your emissions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At their best, offsets channel real finance into projects that cut or remove emissions, all while delivering tangible benefits for communities. These projects can look like &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/google-deal-amazon-reforestation-makes-brazilian-startup-its-top-carbon-credit-2025-11-06/"&gt;protecting forests&lt;/a&gt;, capturing &lt;a href="https://www.ccacoalition.org/short-lived-climate-pollutants/methane"&gt;methane&lt;/a&gt; (a short-lived but powerhouse greenhouse gas), &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/11/21/what-you-need-to-know-about-blue-carbon"&gt;restoring mangroves&lt;/a&gt;, or other &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-exactly-are-nature-based-solutions/"&gt;nature-based solutions&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When carbon markets first entered the scene, years of early promises collided with reality: some projects overestimated their climate benefits, while some buyers treated credits as a substitute for genuinely reducing their emissions in the first place. The result: public skepticism and widespread headlines about &lt;a href="https://earth.org/is-carbon-offset-a-form-of-greenwashing/"&gt;greenwashing&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With all that said, are carbon offsets the climate solution we’ve been waiting for, or just an illusion as some claim? To get to the bottom of this, it’s worth demystifying how carbon markets actually work, and what they can deliver when done right. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Brief Explanation of Voluntary Carbon Markets&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First things first: Carbon offsets are the mechanism that let companies support climate projects that reduce or remove the same amount of emissions they can’t eliminate on their own. The first order of business for businesses is obvious: reduce emissions fast. That can come from switching to clean power, electrifying vehicles, redesigning products to be more sustainable, or fixing lengthy supply chains that take a toll on the environment. But even the most eco-conscious companies have leftover emissions they can’t eliminate completely — the process of creating or serving for profit inevitably leaves a footprint.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;This extra contribution needed to cover the cost of doing business is often called “&lt;a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/beyond-value-chain-mitigation"&gt;beyond value chain mitigation&lt;/a&gt;;” in other words: once a business has done everything it can to shrink its own carbon footprint, it helps fund climate action that cuts emissions elsewhere. You should know that there are two kinds of carbon markets: compliance and voluntary. The first is a government-mandated system, where companies are required by law to trade permits that limit how much they can pollute. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the voluntary market, companies choose to buy and “retire” carbon credits, each representing one ton of CO₂ (or equivalent) reduced, avoided, or removed. Note that “retiring” a credit means taking it off the shelf once it’s been bought, so no one else can claim that same reduction. The key word when discussing this market is “choose”: unlike the previously mentioned compliance systems created by law like &lt;a href="https://www.c2es.org/content/cap-and-trade-basics/"&gt;cap-and-trade&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="https://www.icao.int/CORSIA"&gt;aviation’s CORSIA&lt;/a&gt;, participation here is voluntary — and responsibility sits squarely with the purchaser to make the best buys. It’s this voluntary side that’s attracted both corporate enthusiasm and criticism in equal measure. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, let’s dive into how it all works in principle: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A project developer (say, restoring mangroves or capturing landfill methane) designs a carbon removal project that meets recognized standards.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The project’s climate impact is measured and independently verified; credits are then issued on a &lt;a href="https://gspp.berkeley.edu/berkeley-carbon-trading-project/offsets-database"&gt;public registry&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A company buys and then permanently retires those credits.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In practice though, the details of how this all plays out matter a lot. The quality of a carbon credit depends on a few technical-sounding ideas that are easier to grasp than they seem:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Additionality&lt;/b&gt; asks whether the project would have happened anyway. If it would, then the &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/30/corporate-carbon-offsets-credits"&gt;credit isn’t a real reduction&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Permanence&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href="https://climateactionreserve.org/blog/2022/07/26/keeping-it-100-permanence-in-carbon-offset-programs/"&gt;asks how long&lt;/a&gt; the measured benefit will last; if stored carbon can easily leak back to the atmosphere, what’s the contingency plan to ensure long-term benefits?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Leakage&lt;/b&gt; is about &lt;a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publication/avoiding-leakage-from-nature-based-offsets-by-design/"&gt;displacement&lt;/a&gt; — did the pollution simply move somewhere else? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Double counting&lt;/b&gt; ensures that no one is claiming credit for the &lt;a href="https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/double-counting"&gt;same ton twice&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On paper, these rules should guarantee quality. But in reality, verifying them can be tricky. Projects operate in wildly different environments, and measuring what would have happened without them often involves educated guesswork. Independent auditors (those who calculate the worth of a credit) rely on models and assumptions that can vary.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why Offsets Can Help — and Where They Don’t&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Offsets matter because they help deliver near-term wins while companies work on the harder, longer-term task of transforming their operations. Strong examples of effective carbon market stories include capturing &lt;a href="https://3degreesinc.com/insights/landfill-methane-projects-a-leader-in-carbon-market-standards-with-ccp-approval/"&gt;methane from landfills or manure systems&lt;/a&gt; to help cool the climate more quickly; &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/can-clean-cookstoves-ride-out-carbon-markets-storm-2024-02-15/"&gt;installing clean cookstoves&lt;/a&gt; so families burn less charcoal and wood in close kitchen quarters; or protecting forests where they face real threats. When done right, these projects do double duty: cutting emissions while supporting communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But not every offset lives up to its promise. For instance, some &lt;a href="https://gspp.berkeley.edu/research-and-impact/news/recent-news/berkeley-study-finds-widespread-over-crediting-and-weak-safeguards-in-avoid-deforestation-carbon-crediting-programs"&gt;forest projects used weak or outdated baselines&lt;/a&gt; to measure impact, inflating their credit numbers. In other instances, companies bought the &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/30/corporate-carbon-offsets-credits"&gt;cheapest credits available&lt;/a&gt; and treated them as an excuse to delay essential internal changes to cut emissions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The backlash however has forced a reset: &lt;a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/carbon-market-governing-body-tightens-standards-for-credits-in-renewable-en/723754/"&gt;tougher rules&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.catf.us/2025/05/new-study-scorecard-scientists-call-overhaul-forest-carbon-credit-protocols/"&gt;better data&lt;/a&gt; (verified through satellites, sensors, and on-the-ground audits), &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/news/key-rules-agreed-for-credible-climate-project-crediting-under-un-carbon-market"&gt;clearer claims standards&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2024/01/31/centering-community-benefits-and-safeguards-in-a-high-integrity-carbon-market-what-is-benefits-sharing-and-why-is-it-key-to-integrity/"&gt;stronger social safeguards&lt;/a&gt;. But it’s important to remember that offsets alone are not a silver bullet — they’re a financing tool. And like any tool, how useful it is depends on how it’s used. Handled carelessly, they cost not just money and public trust, but precious time in the urgent fight against climate change.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Bottom Line&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Voluntary carbon markets can help accelerate climate action, but only if they’re used to complement, not replace, real emissions cuts. When companies treat offsets as a bridge rather than a loophole, they strengthen both credibility and climate impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Broken down, it’s pretty simple: cut emissions where you can. Fund projects that work. Be honest about both. The golden rule is simple: offsets must complement, not replace, cutting a company’s own emissions. Think of them as the “yes and,” of climate action, never the “instead.”&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:53:01 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-do-carbon-offsets-work-voluntary-carbon-market/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/9e/44/9e4419c7-e952-4ef9-8819-91c9db02001b/49199767118_black-carbon-emissions-from-ship-mumbai-india_cyprien-hauser.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>How to Apply for the 2026 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-to-apply-for-the-global-citizen-prize-cisco-2/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Are you a young leader dedicated to using technology for good? Do you dream of creating meaningful change to help end extreme poverty? The &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/prize/youth-leadership/"&gt;Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award&lt;/a&gt; is now open for applications from Nov. 5, 2025, at 1pm EST to Dec. 17, 2025 at 8pm EST, offering a unique opportunity to amplify your impact. Established by Global Citizen and Cisco, this award celebrates exceptional young leaders aged 18 to 30 who use technology to tackle global challenges.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;About the Award  &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/prize/youth-leadership/"&gt;Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award&lt;/a&gt; recognizes a young individual whose work significantly contributes toward &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/extreme-poverty-definition-statistics-rate/"&gt;ending extreme poverty&lt;/a&gt;. The winner, selected through a rigorous application process, will receive a $250,000 prize, paid directly to the organization they work with, to further support their initiatives and enhance their impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Never underestimate the power of youth. Young people have proven time and again that they are resilient, determined, and the driving force the world needs in the mission to end extreme poverty within our lifetime. Like &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/prize/youth-leadership/"&gt;past winners&lt;/a&gt; of this prize, they’ve shown up in numbers to call for climate policy change, defend communities against destructive inequalities, and inspire society to focus on what matters most.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As UNICEF Ambassador &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pErOmCSx8pU"&gt;Millie Bobby Brown&lt;/a&gt; said, “Young people don’t want to be talked about. We want to do the talking.” The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award, launched by Cisco and Global Citizen in 2018, uplifts a young leader making a positive impact and demonstrates the crucial role youth play in achieving the &lt;a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals"&gt;United Nations’ Global Goals&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The 2025 winner, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-this-cyla-winner-is-revolutionizing-african-ag"&gt;Esther Kimani&lt;/a&gt;, is redefining how technology can tackle one of African agriculture’s biggest challenges — crop loss. As the founder of Farmer Lifeline Technologies, the Kenyan entrepreneur developed an affordable, AI-powered system that scans crops for pests and diseases and alerts smallholder farmers by SMS.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“In Kenya alone, there are 7.5 million smallholder farmers… each season, these farmers lose up to 50% of their produce to pests and diseases,” she explains. Her goal is transformative yet accessible: “We’ve simplified AI so that farmers don’t need to understand machine learning. They just read an SMS, something they already use every day.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Her work is proving how homegrown innovation can empower communities and secure Africa’s food future.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How Is the Winner Selected? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While the prize money is paid to the organization, applicants must apply as individuals. The 2026 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award winner will be someone who has demonstrated measurable impact from their work over the last three to five years and who has advanced one or more of the UN’s Global Goals. Applicants are judged holistically by their application materials and supporting documents against five equally weighted criteria:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Impact:&lt;/b&gt; Proven track record of measurable impact at scale over the last 3-5 years, advancing one or more of the Global Goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Vision:&lt;/b&gt; Compelling vision and concrete plans for extending this work over the next 3-5 years, including how the prize will advance these efforts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Catalyst:&lt;/b&gt; Inspires other young people to make an impact toward achieving one or more of the Global Goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizenship:&lt;/b&gt; Embodies the values and spirit of a Global Citizen and global problem solver.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Technical Innovation:&lt;/b&gt; Use technology or internet-based communications to improve efficiency, expand reach, and magnify impact&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Eligibility Criteria  &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To apply for the Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award, applicants must meet the following requirements:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Age:&lt;/b&gt; Between 18 and 30 at the time of application.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Organization:&lt;/b&gt; Actively involved with an organization or initiative using technology to address poverty and social inequality issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Purpose:&lt;/b&gt; Proven commitment to positively impacting economic development, health, education, or other efforts aligned with the UN Global Goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Application Process  &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Applying for the Cisco Youth Leadership Award is a step-by-step process designed to ensure each candidate’s story and impact shine through. Here’s what to expect:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;1. About You:&lt;/b&gt; Provide basic personal and organizational information.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;2. Your Pitch:&lt;/b&gt; Submit a 1-2 minute video explaining why you should be awarded the prize, detailing how your work supports one or more Global Goals.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;3. Alignment with Judging Criteria:&lt;/b&gt; Outline how your work meets the judging criteria — impact, vision, catalyst, global citizenship, and technical innovation — by answering short questions about your work.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;4. Organization Details:&lt;/b&gt; Include additional information about your organization, including proof of its registration.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tips for a Strong Application  &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Increase your chances of being selected with these tips:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Show Impact:&lt;/b&gt; Use specific data to demonstrate the tangible difference your work has made. Highlight any measurable outcomes or success stories.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Tell Your Story:&lt;/b&gt; Authenticity matters. Share your journey, challenges, and what inspired you to take action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Emphasize Technology’s Role:&lt;/b&gt; The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award focuses on tech-driven solutions. Clearly explain how technology is central to your approach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Be Clear and Concise:&lt;/b&gt; While being thorough is essential, aim for clarity. Provide all necessary information without overwhelming the reader.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/prize/youth-leadership/"&gt;The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award&lt;/a&gt; is a unique opportunity to gain recognition, receive essential funding, and expand your impact on a global scale. Applications are only open briefly, so mark your calendar and start preparing your materials now!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Think you have what it takes? &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/prize/youth-leadership/"&gt;Apply today&lt;/a&gt; and follow Global Citizen on &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/glblctzn/"&gt;social media&lt;/a&gt; for updates. We look forward to seeing how you’re making the world a better place through the power of technology.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Global Citizen Staff</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2025 07:14:28 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-to-apply-for-the-global-citizen-prize-cisco-2/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/a8/cd/a8cd1237-ccbe-4ac5-96f7-4d9e813a9f6c/cyla-option1.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen NOW Comes to Johannesburg With Plans to Accelerate Renewable Energy for Africa’s Growth</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-comes-to-johannesburg-with-plan/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;We’re thrilled to announce that &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW&lt;/a&gt;, our landmark action summit, is coming to South Africa. On November 21, we’ll convene at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, as world leaders gather on the eve of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. This event marks a historic milestone — Global Citizen NOW will be hosted on the African continent for the first time.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Defining Moment for Africa’s Clean Energy Future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://airtable.com/app6H6kJJrcDoNfLA/pag50zlwsatM7Mibl/form"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg&lt;/a&gt; will serve as the catalytic moment of our year-long &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa&lt;/a&gt; campaign. Together with government leaders, private sector investors, philanthropies, and local advocates, we aim to accelerate renewable energy investments and deliver measurable progress ahead of the &lt;a href="https://g20.org/"&gt;G20 Summit&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It will feature distinguished speakers, including: &lt;strong&gt;Cyril Ramaphosa&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the Republic of South Africa; &lt;strong&gt;Ursula von der Leyen&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the European Commission; &lt;strong&gt;Hakainde Hichilema&lt;/strong&gt;, President of Zambia; &lt;strong&gt;Jonas Gahr Støre&lt;/strong&gt;, Prime Minister of Norway; &lt;strong&gt;Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka&lt;/strong&gt;, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Deputy President of South Africa; &lt;strong&gt;Sipho Makhubela&lt;/strong&gt;, Chief Executive Officer, Harith General Partners. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Africa’s moment is now,” said &lt;strong&gt;H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa&lt;/strong&gt;. “Our continent holds the key to a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous world. Through decisive action and global solidarity, we can accelerate Africa’s clean energy future through a just transition, creating enduring opportunities for our people and strengthening the foundations of shared progress.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;“Africa holds immense potential for renewable energy and the world is taking notice. Through our Global Gateway investment strategy, Europe is partnering with Africa to build a clean, sustainable, and prosperous future,” said &lt;strong&gt;Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission&lt;/strong&gt;. “This campaign was launched to unite global efforts and mobilise both public and private investment, expanding access to energy and driving lasting growth. My message is clear: now is the time to invest in powering Africa’s future. I look forward to many milestone announcements ahead of the pledging event in Johannesburg later this month.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;An Unmissable Lineup of Global Leaders and Innovators&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hosted by &lt;strong&gt;Nomzamo Mbatha&lt;/strong&gt;, actress, humanitarian, and Global Citizen Ambassador, additional speakers include: &lt;strong&gt;Yvonne Chaka Chaka&lt;/strong&gt;, Singer-Songwriter, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian;&lt;strong&gt; Sherwin Charles&lt;/strong&gt;, CEO and Co-Founder of Goodbye Malaria; &lt;strong&gt;Sabrina Dhowre Elba, &lt;/strong&gt;Global Citizen Europe Board Chair; &lt;strong&gt;Jito Kayumba, &lt;/strong&gt;Special Advisor to Zambian President on Finance and Investment; &lt;strong&gt;Matsi Modise,&lt;/strong&gt; Founder and CEO of Furaha; &lt;strong&gt;Lady Roslyn Morauta&lt;/strong&gt; Board Chair, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; &lt;strong&gt;Alexio Musindo&lt;/strong&gt;, ILO Director for South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho; &lt;strong&gt;Mzansi Youth Choir; &lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Siv Ngesi, &lt;/strong&gt;Actor, Comedian, and Producer; &lt;strong&gt;Dr. Sibulele Sibaca-Nomnganga&lt;/strong&gt;, Global Health Advocate and Social Change Engineer; &lt;strong&gt;Zoisa North-Bond,&lt;/strong&gt; CEO, Octopus Energy Generation; &lt;strong&gt;Akinwole Omoboriowo II&lt;/strong&gt;, Chairman and CEO of Genesis Energy Group; &lt;strong&gt;Gqi Raoleka,&lt;/strong&gt; CEO and Co-Founder of Pele Energy Group&lt;strong&gt;; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pearl Thus&lt;/strong&gt;i, Actress, DJ, and Entrepreneur; &lt;strong&gt;Duncan Ward,&lt;/strong&gt; Co-founder and Managing Director, TransEnergy Global, and more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Africa’s growth and resilience depend on building a diverse, sustainable energy mix that can withstand climate shocks,” said &lt;strong&gt;H.E. President Hakainde Hichilema, Republic of Zambia&lt;/strong&gt;. “By investing in solar, hydro, and wind power, we can drive our continent’s industrial growth and create a cleaner, more prosperous future for all." &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Driving Action Through Collaboration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the heart of the summit is partnership and innovation. &lt;a href="https://harith.africa/"&gt;Harith General Partners&lt;/a&gt;, our presenting partner, underscores the importance of private sector engagement in scaling Africa’s clean energy potential.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Partnering with Global Citizen for their first-ever Global Citizen NOW summit in Africa reinforces our shared commitment to advancing our clean energy future and powering the continent as a global leader in sustainable and inclusive growth,” said &lt;strong&gt;Sipho Makhubela, Chief Executive Officer,&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;of Harith General Partners&lt;/strong&gt;. “At Harith, we view investment in renewable energy as both a strategic and economic imperative, driving jobs, innovation and transformative opportunities across our continent.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The campaign, hosted by&lt;strong&gt; Ursula von der Leyen, &lt;/strong&gt;President of the European Commission, and &lt;strong&gt;Cyril Ramaphosa,&lt;/strong&gt; President of the Republic of South Africa, in partnership with &lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen&lt;/strong&gt; and support from the &lt;strong&gt;International Energy Agency (IEA)&lt;/strong&gt;, is calling for financial commitments from governments, the private sector, and multilateral development banks to quadruple Africa’s renewable energy capacity by 2030, and addressing the unmet energy needs of the 600 million people across the continent who still lack access to electricity. The campaign will also contribute to the World Bank and the African Development Bank’s Mission 300.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leadership in Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy is essential to Africa’s economic transformation,” said &lt;strong&gt;Nomzamo Mbatha, actress, humanitarian, and Global Citizen Ambassador.&lt;/strong&gt; “I am honoured to host Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, a critical platform to turn ambition into action, aligning governments, investors, and citizens behind a shared vision for a more sustainable future for our continent. This is about more than powering homes; it’s about empowering communities, driving inclusive growth, and ensuring a greener future for generations to come." &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“As world leaders gather in South Africa for the first G20 meetings ever held on African soil, &lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg &lt;/strong&gt;will be a defining moment for the continent’s future,” said &lt;strong&gt;Hugh Evans, Co-Founder &amp;amp; CEO of Global Citizen.&lt;/strong&gt; “We’re calling on governments to scale up public investment in energy access and on the private sector to move capital, technology, and innovation to the frontlines of Africa’s clean-energy transition. Together, we can mobilize the investments needed to power homes and businesses, and deliver electricity to the 600 million people still living without it. Africa has the ideas, talent, and resources to power a sustainable future. Now the world must match that ambition with action.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Empowering Africa’s Next Generation: The Reverse Power Panel&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On November 17, ahead of the main summit, we’ll host the Reverse Power Panel in Johannesburg — a youth-led event highlighting Africa’s young innovators who are shaping the continent’s clean energy future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-2025-global-citizen-fellows/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa Fellows&lt;/a&gt; will share their ideas alongside government leaders including &lt;strong&gt;Hon. Deputy Minister of Electricity &amp;amp; Energy, Ms. Samantha Graham-Maré&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Mr. Bhekumuzi Dean Bhebhe&lt;/strong&gt;, Director at Africa Change Lab. This interactive session will turn youth-led ideas into actionable commitments, amplifying the role of young Africans in advancing the continent’s clean energy transition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Presented by Our Partners&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg is hosted by Global Citizen, with presenting partner &lt;a href="https://harith.africa/"&gt;Harith General Partners&lt;/a&gt;, major partners &lt;a href="https://octopus.energy/"&gt;Octopus Energy&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.peleenergygroup.com/"&gt;Pele Energy Group&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://transenergy-global.com/"&gt;TransEnergy Global&lt;/a&gt;, and supported by &lt;a href="https://www.genesisenergygroup.net/"&gt;Genesis Energy &lt;/a&gt;and &lt;a href="https://www.paypal.com/za/home"&gt;PayPal.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re grateful for the support of leading media companies including &lt;strong&gt;EIB Network, TimesLIVE&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Vanguard Media&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Global Movement Expanding Across Continents&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This marks the first-ever Global Citizen NOW summit in Africa, continuing the series’ global expansion following impactful events in New York City, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Detroit, Belém, and Seville.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As we bring Global Citizen NOW to Johannesburg, we look forward to driving collaboration, leadership, and tangible progress toward a sustainable and equitable energy future — for Africa, and for the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more information please visit &lt;a href="http://globalcitizen.org/en/now/johannesburg"&gt;globalcitizen.org/en/now/johannesburg&lt;/a&gt;. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-comes-to-johannesburg-with-plan/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/a8/08/a808b7bb-8b78-44d8-a6cd-dd2a6931cd9b/gcnow-joburg-2025-admat-all-sizes-nov4_1920x1080.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia: Protect the Amazon Campaign Secures More than $1 Billion, with Pledges to Restore 31 Million Hectares of Rainforest and Impact the Lives of 18 Million People</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-amazonia-2025-impact/</link><description>&lt;h5&gt;The campaign reached its goal of &lt;b&gt;$1 billion&lt;/b&gt;, fueling regional Indigenous-led and nature-based solution funds including the Amazon Fund, the Chief Raoni Legacy Fund, the Soros Economic Development Fund, the Legacy Landscapes Fund, Fundo Flora, and the Forest Threats and Fire Prevention Fund&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
 &lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;31 million hectares&lt;/b&gt; will be protected or restored through new conservation projects, long-term investments to defend traditional Indigenous territories, and catalytic finance initiatives to support sustainable restoration efforts. The represents an area the size of 43 million football fields&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;18 million people&lt;/strong&gt; are set to be impacted by investments in green tech skills training, expanding access to clean energy, and strengthened climate resilience. Specifically, &lt;strong&gt;11 million people &lt;/strong&gt;will gain access to clean, renewable energy, health or financial support; more than &lt;strong&gt;5 million people&lt;/strong&gt; will receive access to technical training in clean energy or renewable technology; and &lt;strong&gt;2 million people&lt;/strong&gt; will directly benefit from programs enhancing food security, restoring ecosystems, and boosting community-led climate resilience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizens took an incredible 4.4 million actions to demand bold new policies and investments in the Amazon and its people — the highest in 5 years&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Global Citizen Festival Campaign Continues to Drive Action, Looking Ahead to What’s Next:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
 &lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen continues to call on the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Norway, and other wealthy nations to step up with concrete policy and financial commitments at COP30 in Belém this November&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign is charging ahead towards Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg and the G20 Summit in late November, where Global Citizen will push for more transformative commitments to light up Africa’s clean energy future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen is also well on its way to meeting the $100 million goal for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ensuring access to education and football for 30,000 children in need worldwide&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On November 1, 2025, the &lt;b&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia&lt;/b&gt;, Global Citizen’s first ever music festival in Latin America, united 50,000 people at the &lt;b&gt;Estádio Olímpico do Pará&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;b&gt;Mangueirão&lt;/b&gt;) in Belém, Brazil, at the very gateway of the Amazon for the culmination of the year-long &lt;a href="http://globalcitizen.org/pt/info/protect-the-amazon"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Protect the Amazon (PTA) campaign&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, which has now reached its goal and secured more than $1 billion in commitments to safeguard the rainforest and its people. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Over the last year, Global Citizens around the world united around the campaign’s goal: to protect the Amazon and the communities who call it home. Together, they took an astounding 4.4 million actions — the highest number in five years — urging world leaders, the private sector, and philanthropies to step up for people and the planet by focusing on the Amazon, the lungs of the Earth. Their voices made an impact. Key funding contributions to the $1 billion target will fuel Indigenous-led and nature-based funds such as &lt;b&gt;The Chief Raoni Legacy Fund, Fundo Flora, the Forest Threats and Fire Prevention Fund&lt;/b&gt;, and more. 31 million hectares will be protected or restored through new conservation projects, long-term investments to defend traditional Indigenous territories, and catalytic finance initiatives to support sustainable innovation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, these commitments are set to directly impact the lives of 18 million people across the region by expanding access to clean energy, green job skills training, and climate resilience programs to benefit communities on the frontlines of climate change. Specifically, nearly 11 million people will gain access to essential resources such as clean electricity, sustainable energy infrastructure, health, or financial support. More than 5 million people will gain transformative access to green jobs, technical training, or vocational skills in clean energy or renewable technology, while an additional 2 million people will directly benefit from programs advancing food security, ecosystem restoration, and community-based climate resilience. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The campaign culminated in Belém, bringing together artists, advocates, and Indigenous leaders to celebrate progress and drive action to protect the Amazon rainforest. As the grand finale of Global Citizen’s PTA campaign, the festival’s agenda and strategy were developed in consultation with a coalition of more than 190 civil society organizations from around the world and across Brazil — including Indigenous and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-quilombola-and-ribeirinho-communities-defend/"&gt;quilombola communities&lt;/a&gt; — whose partnership and advocacy were essential and ensured the voices of those most affected remain firmly central in the fight to defend the planet’s largest rainforest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia featured Brazilian music legends and international superstars headliners &lt;b&gt;Gaby Amarantos&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Anitta&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Charlie Puth&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Seu Jorge&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Chris Martin&lt;/b&gt; of Coldplay, with special appearances by alongside &lt;b&gt;Gilberto Gil&lt;/b&gt; and Indigenous artists &lt;b&gt;Eric Terena&lt;/b&gt; with &lt;b&gt;Arraial do Pavulagem&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Kaê Guajajara&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Djuena Tikuna&lt;/b&gt;. Special video appearances were also made by &lt;b&gt;DJ Alok&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Shawn Mendes&lt;/b&gt;. The evening was co-hosted by &lt;b&gt;Regina Casé&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Mel Fronckowiak&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Alane Dias&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Hugo Gloss&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Isabelle Nogueira&lt;/b&gt;, with guest appearances from &lt;b&gt;Rodrigo Santoro&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Ricardinho&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Markinho Pinheiro&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Estêvão Ciavatta&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Diego Scotti&lt;/b&gt;. Additional performances included a pre-show set by &lt;b&gt;Vivi Batidão&lt;/b&gt;, presented by &lt;b&gt;Banco do Brasil&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The stage also welcomed prominent political leaders and community representatives, including First Lady of Brazil &lt;b&gt;Janja Lula Da Silva&lt;/b&gt;; &lt;b&gt;Sônia Guajajara&lt;/b&gt;, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples; &lt;b&gt;Helder Barbalho&lt;/b&gt;, Governor of Pará State, who provided a history of the campaign to the audience; &lt;b&gt;Puyr Tembé&lt;/b&gt;, Secretary of State for Indigenous Peoples of Pará; &lt;b&gt;Marina Silva&lt;/b&gt;, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change of Brazil; &lt;b&gt;Úrsula Vidal&lt;/b&gt;, Secretary of Culture of Pará State; &lt;b&gt;Igor Normando&lt;/b&gt;, Mayor of Belém; &lt;b&gt;Cássio Andrade&lt;/b&gt;, Deputy Mayor of Belém and Pará State Secretary for Sport; &lt;b&gt;Matsi Matxïrï&lt;/b&gt;, Waura People Leader of the Xingu Region; &lt;b&gt;Célia Xakriabá&lt;/b&gt;, Federal Deputy from &lt;b&gt;Minas Gerais&lt;/b&gt;; &lt;b&gt;Luene Karipuna&lt;/b&gt;, Young Indigenous Leader of the Karipuna People; &lt;b&gt;Tarciana Medeiros&lt;/b&gt;, CEO of Banco do Brasil; &lt;b&gt;Vanuza do Abacatal&lt;/b&gt;, political and spiritual leader of the Abacatal Quilombo People; and &lt;b&gt;Juma Xipaia&lt;/b&gt;, Chief of Kaarimã Village, founder of the Juma Institute, and producer of the film “Yanuni.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They were joined by an inspiring group of local advocates and environmental defenders, among them &lt;b&gt;Jean Ferreira da Silva&lt;/b&gt;, Executive Director of the Gueto Hub &amp;amp; Co-creator of COP das Baixadas; activist &lt;b&gt;Angélica Mendes&lt;/b&gt;, granddaughter of Chico Mendes; Indigenous activist &lt;b&gt;José Kaeté&lt;/b&gt;; &lt;b&gt;Samela Sateré Mawé&lt;/b&gt;, biologist and Indigenous rights activist; &lt;b&gt;Hugo Loss&lt;/b&gt;, Environmental Analyst at IBAMA; &lt;b&gt;Priscila Tapajowara&lt;/b&gt;, President of Mídia Indígena; &lt;b&gt;Silvia Rocha&lt;/b&gt;, Quilombola activist; &lt;b&gt;Val Munduruku&lt;/b&gt;, President of the Suraras dos Tapajós; &lt;b&gt;Ana Rosa Cyrus&lt;/b&gt;, UN Women Youth Leader and Executive Director of Engajamundo; &lt;b&gt;Larissa Pinto Moraes&lt;/b&gt;, Executive Director, Engajamundo; &lt;b&gt;Danicley de Aguiar&lt;/b&gt;, Greenpeace Brasil; &lt;b&gt;Preto Zezé&lt;/b&gt;, President of CUFA Rio de Janeiro; &lt;b&gt;Taily Terena&lt;/b&gt;, Indigenous activist and Global Citizen Prize winner; &lt;b&gt;Toya Manchineri&lt;/b&gt;, General Coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB); &lt;b&gt;Catarina Nefertari&lt;/b&gt;, Communications Manager of Amazônia de Pé; &lt;b&gt;Sara Lima&lt;/b&gt;, Journalist and Pataxó Indigenous activist; and activist &lt;b&gt;Claudelice Santos&lt;/b&gt;, who announced the launch of the new &lt;strong&gt;LEAD initiative&lt;/strong&gt;, which aims to enhance the recognition, participation, and protection of environmental defenders on the world stage.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia took place just weeks before &lt;b&gt;COP30&lt;/b&gt;, the UN’s annual climate summit, convenes in Belém, when the world’s eyes will once again turn toward this city at the edge of the Amazon. It promises to be a once-in-a-generation chance for world leaders to stand together at the gateway of the forest that could determine the fight against climate change. A decade after the Paris Agreement, which saw nations pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and help vulnerable countries and communities adapt, COP30 offers a crucial moment for leaders to turn promises into action and make real, concrete commitments to protect our planet. While the festival served as a capstone to the PTA campaign, it also set the stage for bold action at COP30, demonstrating that for millions of Global Citizens worldwide, there’s no time to waste. The world is ready for action today when it comes to investing in our planet’s future. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Broadcast exclusively in Brazil on &lt;b&gt;Globo&lt;/b&gt;, including live coverage on &lt;b&gt;Multishow&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Globoplay&lt;/b&gt; and streamed globally via &lt;b&gt;YouTube&lt;/b&gt; and on &lt;b&gt;ViX&lt;/b&gt; across the US, Mexico, and all of Latin America, the festival reached viewers around the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tickets were available to residents of Belém and Pará through the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/app/download/?utm_source=referral_pressrelease&amp;amp;utm_medium=traditional_media&amp;amp;utm_campaign=global_powerourplanet_sitesignup&amp;amp;utm_content=ctasignup_link"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/festival/amazonia/"&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;, or WhatsApp, reinforcing Global Citizen’s model of earning entry for spectacular live events by taking action on key issues such as ending deforestation, accelerating a just energy transition, and supporting communities on the frontlines of climate change. To ensure equitable access for as many people to attend as possible, Global Citizen also worked closely with the State of Pará and a network of regional partners to distribute tickets directly to Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, and local youth across the Amazon region, including &lt;b&gt;Usinas da Paz&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;SEPI&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Mídia Indígena&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;COP das Baixadas&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;REPAM&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Grupo Funtelpa&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia was presented by &lt;b&gt;Banco do Brasil&lt;/b&gt;, with &lt;b&gt;Teneo&lt;/b&gt; as Supporting Partner, &lt;b&gt;Re:wild&lt;/b&gt; as Organizing Partner, and policy partners including the &lt;b&gt;Bezos Earth Fund&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Open Society Foundations&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;b&gt;BB Visa&lt;/b&gt; served as the Preferred Payment Partner, &lt;b&gt;Cielo&lt;/b&gt; as Payment Experience Partner, and the &lt;b&gt;State of Pará&lt;/b&gt; as Location Partner. The festival was produced by &lt;b&gt;Live Nation&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Rock World&lt;/b&gt;, with production support from &lt;b&gt;Banco do Brasil &lt;/b&gt;and local collaborators.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Grand Finale to Global Citizen’s Protect the Amazon Campaign&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Inside the stadium, the atmosphere pulsed with energy throughout the night as artists, advocates, and citizens came together to celebrate progress and renew calls for urgent action on behalf of the Amazon, standing just a few miles away from the crowds. But this festival was more than a rallying cry; it was the culmination of the year-long &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;Protect the Amazon (PTA)&lt;/a&gt; campaign, an effort that notched major milestones in the months leading up to Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia. At every step, the Amazon rainforest, one of the Earth’s most vital ecosystems and carbon sinks (meaning it absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits), remained at the heart of these efforts throughout. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen officially launched this climate action campaign almost exactly a year ago in Rio de Janeiro at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/protect-amazon-campaign-climate-action-launch/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, an action summit co-hosted with the 2024 G20 Presidency and supported by Brazilian President &lt;b&gt;Lula da Silva&lt;/b&gt; that marked the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/"&gt;conference series’&lt;/a&gt; first time ever in Latin America. The scale of PTA’s ambition matched the challenge at hand, constituting Global Citizen’s largest effort to date to defend the planet and protect the communities most impacted by climate change all at once.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;PTA focused on the Amazon in recognition of rainforests’ vital role as an essential ecosystem critical to our planet’s survival. But worldwide, they’re currently under threat. Deforestation and climate change risk not only the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-amazon-rainforest-our-planets-lungs-at-risk/"&gt;lungs of our planet&lt;/a&gt;, but also the &lt;a href="https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon/"&gt;30 million people&lt;/a&gt; who call it home and the Indigenous communities that have &lt;a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/remote-amazon-region-study-shows-indigenous-peoples-have-practiced-forest-conservation-millennia-180978038/"&gt;relied on it for millennia&lt;/a&gt;. Nearly a decade has passed since countries signed the landmark Paris Agreement, a legally binding treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions and keep global warming below 2° Celsius — but so far, the world has seen too little action and too many unfulfilled promises.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The campaign’s focus on the Brazilian Amazon built on years of sustained advocacy and partnerships in the region, leading to significant pledges made on Global Citizen stages over the years. In 2021, in the lead-up to &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/live/"&gt;Global Citizen Live&lt;/a&gt;, legendary rock band &lt;b&gt;Coldplay&lt;/b&gt; joined forces with Re:wild and the Center for Environmental Peacebuilding (CEPB) to mobilize Global Citizens to rally public support for stronger climate action across Brazil in the wake of more than 30,000 devastating fires across the Amazon. Leveraging their platform, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-coldplay-brazil-amazon-case-study/"&gt;Coldplay and thousands of Global Citizens&lt;/a&gt; targeted eight state-level government leaders overseeing Amazonian territory to step up with critical pledges to protect this precious ecosystem. In the end, six Brazilian states answered the call, announcing commitments to significantly reduce emissions, implement statewide climate mitigation and adaptation plans, declare more than 1.7 million hectares as protected territory, and help protect more than 300 remote Indigenous communities throughout the region.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Two years later, at the 2023 Global Citizen Festival, Pará State Governor Helder Barbalho pledged to protect 1 million hectares of land by 2025. Returning the following year in 2024, he confirmed that 500,000 hectares had been officially designated as protected lands — halfway to the state’s goal — and further announced that 200,000 hectares of illegally occupied Indigenous lands would be returned to their rightful stewards. In addition, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara also pledged to remove illegal loggers, miners, and farmers from seven Indigenous territories and implement 10 new territorial and environmental management plans ahead of COP30. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Another exciting announcement came as Colombia’s Minister of Environment &lt;b&gt;Susana Muhamad&lt;/b&gt; announced new restrictions on oil and gas expansion in the Amazon, confirming that these regulations would be enshrined in the country’s upcoming &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-heck-are-ndcs-the-climate-plans-that-coul/"&gt;Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt;. She also pledged to convene the historic first dialogue among all Amazon nations on what it would look like to finally institute concrete measures to phase out fossil fuel activity. Together, these commitments showed how political leadership and international cooperation, sharpened by citizen engagement, can drum up serious momentum in the name of legitimate climate action. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That’s why the PTA campaign honed in on three major policy pillars and priorities: ending &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/deforestation-is-pushing-the-amazon-to-collapse-he/"&gt;deforestation&lt;/a&gt; by 2030, accelerating a &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/amazonian-indigenous-leaders-say-no-to-fossil-fuel/"&gt;just energy transition&lt;/a&gt; away from fossil fuels, and supporting &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/standing-with-frontline-communities-why-climate-ac/"&gt;communities on the frontlines&lt;/a&gt; of climate change. Endorsed by President Lula da Silva, the campaign also benefitted from organizing partner Re:wild, policy partners Open Society Foundations and Bezos Earth Fund, support from Teneo, as well as essential guidance from a coalition of more than 190 civil society organizations. Throughout the campaign, Global Citizen mobilized governments, philanthropists, corporations, and civil society to step up with bold financial and policy commitments. The campaign also sought to amplify and center Indigenous and local leadership at every stage, aligned with Global Citizen’s belief that climate action must center the communities most at risk to the stakes of climate change in order to be truly effective.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The campaign sustained momentum throughout the year, with regular pit stops and key events spanning continents sharpening focus on the importance of the Amazon in all climate policy discussions. Its ultimate ambition — to mobilize $1 billion to protect and restore the Amazon — was a clarion call to those in power to step up to the challenge at hand, and act before it is too late to do so. The urgency is clear: across the Amazon, deforestation continues to accelerate with an &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;estimated 10 soccer fields of rainforest&lt;/a&gt; lost every minute, threatening not only one of the planet’s most biodiverse ecosystems but also the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/deforestation-is-pushing-the-amazon-to-collapse-he/"&gt;stability of the global climate&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To turbocharge efforts even further, Global Citizen issued targeted calls to world leaders, including the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Norway, and other wealthy countries, to renew and expand their financial commitments to the Amazon, in recognition of their shared responsibility to safeguard the planet’s future. With COP30 officially taking place just a few days later on November 10 in Belém, Global Citizen called on the international community to match words with concrete action, ensuring that the Amazon is preserved for generations to come, along with the very climate systems it upholds.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Commitment Makers Rallied Around Calls to Protect the Amazon&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Throughout the year, the campaign sustained steady progress heading into its culmination at Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia. At its official launch at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/protect-amazon-campaign-climate-action-launch/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro&lt;/a&gt;, PTA started with a bang as Norwegian Prime Minister &lt;b&gt;Jonas Gahr Støre&lt;/b&gt; pledged to continue Norway’s support for Brazil’s Amazon Fund with a commitment worth $60 million in recognition of the fund’s effectiveness at supporting Brazil's efforts to slow deforestation across the rainforest. “Preserving the Amazon rainforest is one of the world’s most important measures for addressing the impacts of climate change,” said Prime Minister Støre of the decision, noting, “Norway has supported Brazil’s rainforest initiative for many years. Norwegian allocations to the Amazon Fund help to safeguard one of the planet’s most essential ecosystems.”. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The campaign wouldn’t reach its official halfway point until &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-amaz%C3%B4nia-heads-to-bel%C3%A9m-to-ampl/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Amazônia&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in Belém in July 2025, where the startup accelerator &lt;b&gt;Axcell&lt;/b&gt; announced it would invest R$25 million (approximately $4.5 million) in new businesses across the Brazilian state of Manaus that are working to positively impact local communities and preserve the rainforest. Global Citizen NOW: Amazônia also saw the official launch of Global Citizen’s partnership with &lt;b&gt;Sound Future&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Stashrun&lt;/b&gt; in an effort to combine the power of live events, technology, and action to support the Protect the Amazon campaign, aiming to unlock funding to help protect and restore up to 3.5 million trees and more than 7,000 hectares of forest through Re:wild agroforestry and conservation projects.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Just a few short months later, in the lead up to &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-impact/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen Festival&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in New York City on September 27, major commitments to protect the Amazon picked up even greater speed. A few days prior at &lt;b&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Suriname&lt;/b&gt;, the most forested nation on Earth with 90% forest coverage across 14 million hectares, reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining that status. President &lt;b&gt;Jennifer Geerlings-Simons&lt;/b&gt; pledged on stage to adopt the Sustainable Nature Management Act by the end of 2025, a landmark piece of legislation that will enable the country to strengthen its legal forest protection mandates and measures, while also providing a path towards recognizing and protecting Indigenous and Tribal peoples’ ancestral land rights. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Backing this historic pledge, a coalition of philanthropies — including the &lt;b&gt;Rainforest Trust&lt;/b&gt;, Re:wild, &lt;b&gt;Andes Amazon Fund&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;the Liz Claiborne Foundation&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Art Into Acres&lt;/b&gt; — announced $20 million to help fund the creation and management of newly protected areas. These organizations will work directly with in-country partners to do so, with a focus on creating sustainable jobs for Indigenous and traditional communities. With this powerful combination of concrete legal and financial backing, Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs &lt;b&gt;Melvin W. J. Bouva&lt;/b&gt; announced on the Global Citizen Festival stage that the country will be able to permanently protect 90% of its forests in perpetuity, raising the bar for global climate ambition by showcasing how a small nation can lead the way in protecting our planet’s future by balancing conservation with economic development. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Additionally, the &lt;b&gt;Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)&lt;/b&gt; announced a landmark $100 million pledge channeled through its Amazonia Forever Program to support conservation and sustainable development across the Amazon. $25 million of this pledge will go towards investing in bio-businesses and adaptation projects that benefit Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and riverine communities, while the remaining $75 million will be directed to the IDB’s Water Security Fund, increasing water security and resilience in some of the Amazon’s poorest communities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Also at Impact Sessions, &lt;b&gt;Everland&lt;/b&gt; shared it had successfully secured $135 million via Letters of Intent to help provide long-term, stable financing for Indigenous-led forest conservation efforts in the Amazon. Directly financing these communities is vital because although Indigenous people make up just 6% of the world's population, they protect &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;80% of Earth's remaining biodiversity&lt;/a&gt;. Additionally, &lt;b&gt;Thistlerock Mead Company&lt;/b&gt;, the US’ first net-zero honey winery, demonstrated just how small businesses can drive huge impact by pledging to protect 1 million acres of the Amazon by 2027 and raising $10 million for conservation funding in partnership with Global Citizen, Re:wild, and a coalition of other partners.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, &lt;b&gt;Rewilding Argentina&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Onçafari&lt;/b&gt; launched the &lt;b&gt;Jaguar Rivers Initiative&lt;/b&gt;, backed by a $26 million pledge. This initiative will protect, restore, and reconnect ecosystems across more than 250 million hectares of the Paraná River Basin and the Pantanal, investing in projects spanning across countries including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, with the ultimate goals of will aim to give wildlife the space they need to roam again, while simultaneously supporting local livelihoods. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Pledges Made Onstage at Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, these commitments made over the 12-month campaign marked substantial progress towards achieving Protect the Amazon’s goals. After the Global Citizen Festival in New York, $345.5 million had been secured towards the campaign’s $1 billion target. But a sizable gap remained. That’s why at Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia, partners came together and rallied with more urgency than ever before, with commitments that managed to take the campaign all the way over the finish line. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From the stage, leaders and advocates announced nearly $700 million dollars in new commitments to protect the world’s most vital rainforest and empower the communities who call it home, pushing the campaign well over its $1 billion dollar finish line. These investments represent far more than dollar signs; they reflect tangible action that will be taken to protect rainforests, build greener energy systems, and support the communities who have safeguarded ecosystems for millennia.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Protecting Rainforests and Ending Deforestation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Amazon is at the heart of our Earth’s climate system — storing billions of &lt;a href="https://research.noaa.gov/deforestation-warming-flip-part-of-amazon-forest-from-carbon-sink-to-source/#:~:text=The%20Amazon%20is%20estimated%20to,helping%20to%20moderate%20global%20climate."&gt;tons of carbon&lt;/a&gt;, regulating rainfall patterns worldwide, and helping keep the planet’s temperature in check. But threats today from deforestation, industrial exploitation, and a lack of political will mean its rapidly approaching a &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/14/amazon-rainforest-could-reach-tipping-point-by-2050-scientists-warn"&gt;tipping point&lt;/a&gt;, risking its lush rainforests one day turning into a drier savannah ecosystem, with devastating consequences for the rest of the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Everland&lt;/b&gt; announced it is leading a global coalition of partners that has now secured $160 million via Letters of Intent in support of the first 20 Indigenous-led forest conservation projects across key regions of the Amazon, building on its previous announcement at September’s Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions with an additional $25 million. Designed to deliver lasting social and environmental benefits, these projects could collectively generate over $1 billion in additional support for the region over the next decade. So far, projects representing nearly 90,000 Indigenous and traditional community members across 17 million hectares of the Amazon have expressed interest in participating.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Each initiative will follow the &lt;b&gt;Equitable Earth Standard&lt;/b&gt;, a pioneering new framework that prioritizes local leadership and direct community benefits, fundamentally shifting conservation efforts towards truly equitable partnerships that recognize and resource Indigenous peoples’ role as the primary guardians of the rainforest. This work is made possible by a powerful coalition: Everland will partner directly with on-the-ground communities to design and execute projects; &lt;b&gt;BNP Paribas&lt;/b&gt; will provide innovative financial tools to scale initial investments; and &lt;b&gt;Panthera&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Forest Trends&lt;/b&gt; will bring essential expertise in conservation and biodiversity to the table to strengthen projects even further. The announcement was made on stage by &lt;b&gt;Concita Sompré&lt;/b&gt;, joined by &lt;b&gt;Ricardo Guimaraes&lt;/b&gt;, CEO of BNP Paribas Brazil, &lt;b&gt;Thibault Sorret&lt;/b&gt;, CEO of Equitable Earth, &lt;b&gt;Nicia Coutinho&lt;/b&gt;, Brazil Director of Forest Trends, and &lt;b&gt;Gerald Prolman&lt;/b&gt;, the Executive Chairman of Everland. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In another exciting highlight, &lt;b&gt;Banco da Amazônia’s&lt;/b&gt; president &lt;b&gt;Luiz Less&lt;/b&gt; announced onstage that it would make a new commitment worth $93 million to anchor a pioneering program designed to attract up to $740 million more in catalytic capital for the Amazon. This initiative will help unlock large-scale investment in sustainable development across the region, channeling funds toward projects that protect biodiversity, strengthen local economies, and promote a forest-based bioeconomy that benefits the people who call the Amazon home. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Additionally, the &lt;b&gt;Sol de Janeiro Foundation&lt;/b&gt; pledged $1.5 million while Re:wild committed an additional $1 million to the landmark &lt;b&gt;Chief Raoni Legacy Fund&lt;/b&gt;, an initiative designed to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Indigenous institutions and territories to continue building on Chief Raoni’s decades-long, historic legacy. This support will facilitate the Fund’s impact across four Indigenous lands, benefiting five communities and protecting more than 6 million hectares of rainforest, helping ensure that the Amazon’s true stewards have the resources needed to continue their vital work. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Re:wild wasn’t done yet — the organization also announced a major new investment goal of at least $25 million over the next three years to the &lt;b&gt;Forest Threats and Fire Prevention Fund&lt;/b&gt;, with $1 million already secured. In partnership with the &lt;b&gt;Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB&lt;/b&gt;) and the &lt;b&gt;Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB)&lt;/b&gt;, this pledge will strengthen Indigenous-led fire prevention across the region by supporting 100 fire brigades and 50 Indigenous associations, aiming to reduce forest fires by 25% compared to 2023 and counter the wildfires that have become, for the first time in history, the leading cause of forest loss in the Amazon through improved surveillance and enforcement, as well as expanded Indigenous advocacy and engagement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Also during the show, presenter Hugo Gloss announced a powerful update from &lt;b&gt;Sounds Right&lt;/b&gt;, the global music initiative led by the &lt;b&gt;Museum for the United Nations (UN Live)&lt;/b&gt;. To date, 26 million fans across 181 countries have listened to the musician NATURE, a registered, official musical artist entitled to song royalties, generating enough streams to support a $400,000 pledge to Indigenous- and community-led conservation projects across the Amazon and Congo Basin. This builds off of Sounds Right’s previous impact for frontline environmental efforts; in 2024, it supported four projects that collectively protected 4,500 hectares of natural habitat and benefited more than 6,000 people. In the lead-up to COP30 in Brazil, Sounds Right will be releasing a new playlist on November 6 featuring NATURE’s latest collaborations with African and Latin American artists, furthering the collective impact music fans can have on tropical forests worldwide.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The festival also served as a powerful platform for countries to reaffirm their commitment to climate leadership on the global stage beyond the stadium. &lt;b&gt;Michael Sheldrick&lt;/b&gt;, Global Citizen’s Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact, and Government Affairs Officer, announced that &lt;b&gt;Germany&lt;/b&gt;, pending parliamentary approval, plans to contribute €20 million to the &lt;b&gt;Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF)&lt;/b&gt; to support a new financing window specifically dedicated to Indigenous and local communities. Germany’s investment will channel money directly towards efforts to preserve and bolster long-term equitable development for nature conservation, climate resilience, and the communities who most depend on protected areas of the forest for their livelihoods. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, the &lt;b&gt;United Kingdom&lt;/b&gt; made its commitment to climate leadership clear with an exclusive statement shared by Prime Minister &lt;b&gt;Keir Starmer&lt;/b&gt;, who praised the global solidarity demonstrated by the action takers in the audience and emphasized the UK’s commitment to step up, not step back, in addressing the climate crisis. "It is fantastic so many people have gathered to show their support for climate action at the Global Citizen Festival,” he conveyed to the crowds. On the eve of his attendance at COP30, he shared, “I am determined to be part of the urgent change we need to see, which is why I am traveling to Brazil to work with other countries and deliver the clean energy revolution, creating jobs, lowering bills, and delivering energy security for us all.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;France also made its support and belief in the values of the PTA’s campaign goals clear with a video statement submitted by French Minister Delegate &lt;b&gt;Éléonore Caroit&lt;/b&gt;. In her remarks, Caroit expressed her country’s support for protecting critical tropical rainforests and basins worldwide, including the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and those found in Southeast Asia. Reflecting on the the country’s climate leadership to date, Caroit reported that France is on track to fulfilling its commitment made at COP28 in 2023 to invest €500 million towards forest protection by the end of 2027, further noting that it continues to be one the world’s top supporters of the &lt;b&gt;Global Environment Facility&lt;/b&gt; to promote sustainable forest management worldwide. “Together, we reaffirm France’s dedication to supporting the rainforest, advancing sustainable development, and fostering global solidarity. Thank you all for your commitment. Let us continue this vital work with you.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meeting global climate goals is impossible without an accelerated and equitable phase-out of coal, oil, and gas. The Protect the Amazon campaign focused on efforts calling on governments, corporations, and financial institutions to establish clear, time-bound commitments to end fossil fuel dependence and invest in a future powered by renewable energy: one that delivers both environmental and social justice. Clean energy investment can transform lives, closing inequality gaps, driving sustainable growth, and helping to ensure that the global transition to renewables is not only fast, but fair.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Among this year’s most transformative commitments, &lt;b&gt;Energea&lt;/b&gt;, a renewable energy investment platform, pledged to deliver clean, reliable electricity to 20,000 off-grid households in Colombia by 2030 through a commitment worth $50 million, ultimately reaching an estimated total of 62,000 people. The initiative will focus on the La Guajira and Sierra Nevada regions, where remote and Indigenous communities have long lacked access to consistent, affordable power. Each household will receive a 1kW pole-mounted solar system equipped with battery storage, lighting, and electrical outlets, enabling families to study after dark, power essential devices, and participate in new economic opportunities. Because energy access is about more than just turning on a light. Beyond providing literal power, these systems will help unlock access to economic opportunities, making tangible progress toward sustainable equity and climate resilience, offering a gateway to securing health, education, and economic prosperity.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Next, energy company &lt;b&gt;Schneider Electric&lt;/b&gt; announced the next phase of its 12-part Sustainability Plan, setting a bold new goal to accelerate its progress on providing equitable energy access and community development. Between 2026 and 2030, &lt;b&gt;Arthur Wong&lt;/b&gt;, South America Vice President of Marketing and Sustainability, and &lt;b&gt;Karolina Gutiez&lt;/b&gt;, South America Senior Manager of Corporate, Government Affairs, and Sustainability, announced that Schneider Electric will invest in training 4 million young people in essential technical skills training, empowering the next generation to take a leading role in building the green economy. This announcement is the company’s latest objective to its overall plan to expand clean energy access to 10 million people worldwide, helping to close the energy gap for communities most in need while achieving its broader goal of helping its clients achieve true carbon neutrality, setting a benchmark for private sector leadership in sustainability. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In another substantial announcement made via video, &lt;b&gt;Fumani Mthembi&lt;/b&gt;, Co-Founder and Sustainability DIrector of the South African energy company &lt;b&gt;Pele Energy Group&lt;/b&gt;, unveiled a new $125 million commitment dedicated to transforming the lives of people living in the communities hosting the company’s renewable energy projects worldwide. Through investments in areas such as skills development, social infrastructure, and boosting up green industries, this pledge aims to build up thriving local economies. Altogether, this funding will directly impact the lives of one million people across South Africa, Central and South America, and sub-Saharan Africa. This commitment builds towards expanding Pele’s existing community programs and the launch of a new initiative in Argentina alongside its renewable energy power project in the country. As Mthembi shared in her message, “We cannot be free if we are not all free. Therefore, we have a responsibility to participate in changing the lives of those Global Citizens who do not experience themselves as free and equal in today’s world,” echoing the company’s belief that a just transition must deliver tangible benefits for all and leave no one behind. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Another substantial commitment to accelerate a just energy transition for communities living across the Amazon was delivered via video by &lt;b&gt;Rajiv Joshi&lt;/b&gt;, Founder of &lt;b&gt;Bridging Ventures&lt;/b&gt;, who announced the launch of the Journey Fund, which will introduce a bold new way to connect investors with government and community-led projects focusing on building a just energy transition throughout the region. The fund is taking off first in Colombia with a pilot fund worth $10 million in committed capital, with eyes towards scaling to meet a $200 million campaign target. This pilot will deliver clean solar power to 50,000 people living in remote, off-grid Amazonian communities, including Mitú and Puerto Leguízamo, removing 38,000 tons of CO₂ emissions each year by cutting demand for imported fossil fuels.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The best part? This model is built to scale. In Colombia alone, this project could soon reach 650,000 people, reduce 2.5 million tons of CO₂  annually, and strengthen local economies. Over the next five years, the Journey Fund aims to mobilize more than $2 billion by 2030, supporting areas like Belém worldwide that are committed to phasing out oil and gas with support from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. As Joshi shared, “The Journey Fund is not only about financing and de-risking the transition, it is also about justice, cooperation, and hope. It is about ensuring that the clean energy revolution leaves no one behind. I invite you to join this movement, because the true measure of progress is not what we extract from the earth, but what we restore to it and one another.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h5&gt;&lt;b&gt;Supporting Frontline Communities&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ending extreme poverty and addressing the climate crisis are inseparable from one another. A firm pillar of the PTA campaign was based on the principle that the world’s largest emitters have a responsibility to ensure that those bearing the brunt of climate impacts have the resources they need to adapt, rebuild, and thrive. That’s why the PA championed pledges that would ensure polluters pay for the damage they cause, along with sustained investment in the communities most affected by escalating environmental crises. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In one of the night’s major highlights, festival presenting partner &lt;b&gt;Banco do Brasil&lt;/b&gt; stepped up with a major new commitment worth $185 million dollars to be distributed by the end of 2026, as part of their broader strategy to foster sustainable development across the region. This pledge anchors its even more ambitious goal: to invest $1 billion in Amazonian communities and conservation efforts by 2030. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In yet another powerful demonstration of how finance can drive that kind of inclusive, sustainable development, the &lt;b&gt;Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF)&lt;/b&gt;, the impact investing arm of the Open Society Foundations, committed $35 million to further advance nature-based solutions across Brazil and Latin America. The investment will help local community projects that protect forests, restore ecosystems, grow food sustainably, and build even better lives as they strengthen their resilience to climate change. In a video announcement unpacking the fund for the Festival audience, &lt;b&gt;Anita Fiori&lt;/b&gt;, SEDF’s Investments Principal, explained that, “These projects altogether will benefit over 800,000 people. It will produce thousands of jobs. We will make sure that over 6 million hectares of land will be sustainably managed. And with that, we will avoid the emission of 5 million tons of CO2 in the air.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Key initiatives supported by the fund include &lt;b&gt;SP Ventures&lt;/b&gt;, a Brazil-based, agri-tech fund backing early-stage companies that boosts suppliers of organic fertilizers and insecticides for green as well as &lt;b&gt;EcoEnterprises Fund&lt;/b&gt;, a women-led investment firm based in Costa Rica that focuses on investing in businesses that create green jobs and protect biodiversity throughout Latin America. Fiori also highlighted the &lt;b&gt;Amazon Biodiversity Fund&lt;/b&gt;, which focuses exclusively on supporting local Indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon. Together, these initiatives show that smart, inclusive economic growth can — and must — work hand in hand with protecting our planet. “We are here to spark a movement, guys. We are not the only investors in the game,” Fiori said. “Please join the fight with us. It’s possible to make viable investments with the sole goal of protecting the people and the planet.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia stage also spotlighted a significant commitment from the &lt;b&gt;International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)&lt;/b&gt;, which pledged $20 million over the next five years (with the possibility of scaling this figure up to $50 million by procuring new investments) to support Indigenous communities among the hardest-hit by climate change across the Amazon and other biomes under environmental threat. The pledge was announced via video by CIMMYT Director General &lt;b&gt;Bram Govaets&lt;/b&gt;, who explained, “This commitment will allow communities to create food security while we leave the trees standing. And through that, building thriving communities and building peace within a protected biodiversity, a protected biome.” In this way, this funding will directly strengthen the resilience of local food systems for those most at risk from rising temperatures, drought, and deforestation, yet have done the most to safeguard nature for generations. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The investment will fund projects that improve food security, restore degraded land, and expand sustainable livelihoods rooted in Indigenous leadership. In doing so, CIMMYT is helping to build a future where those who have long defended the Earth are empowered to lead the solutions that secure its survival. And they’re asking more people to join this fight with them. “There is no voice too soft, or no voice too loud, to come together, and together, change and design the future we want. 2030 is close, 2040, 2050 — many of you young people out there will still be living on this planet. It’s the loud and the soft voices together that will design the world we want, the world we together can construct.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A different pledge that promises to improve food security throughout the region came from &lt;b&gt;Crop Trust&lt;/b&gt;. Appearing via video, Director of Programs &lt;b&gt;Sarada Krishnan&lt;/b&gt; revealed that the organization is launching a $10 million initiative to protect biodiversity, strengthen food systems, and promote agricultural resilience across Latin America and the Amazon. It will approach this challenge through three prongs: First, Crop Trust will expand its existing Power of Diversity funding facility to preserve local, traditional crops (known as opportunity crops) that are highly nutritious, climate-resilient, but full of untapped economic potential. Second, it will launch a vegetable biodiversity rescue plan along with a campaign conducted in partnership with the World Vegetable Center to provide nutritious meals to school children and investing in traditional produce to improve access to diverse, nutritious diets. Lastly, Crop Trust will establish a new Latin American hub within a global consortium for food plants working to safeguard plants vital to local food systems. As Krishnan put it, “Every signature, every shared story, and every small individual action helps protect the seeds that secure a future. Join us in securing the foundation of our food for generations to come, because every plate, every farmer, and every child depends on it.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Recognizing that climate change is fueling not only growing environmental crises but also health emergencies, &lt;b&gt;Brazil&lt;/b&gt; announced it’s pledging $72 million to &lt;b&gt;Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance&lt;/b&gt;, to help protect vulnerable children across Latin America and around the world from diseases exacerbated by rising temperatures and extreme weather. Climate-driven illnesses such as dengue, yellow fever, malaria, and cholera are increasingly threatening underserved populations, especially in low-income regions. Through this commitment, Brazil reaffirmed its leadership in advancing climate resilience through health equity, supporting Gavi’s mission to make life-saving vaccines accessible at a fraction of the cost. Brazil also called on other nations to join them in building a healthier, safer, and more sustainable future for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In another video announcement, &lt;b&gt;Isabella Godoy&lt;/b&gt;, Head of Fundraising and Investor Relations at &lt;b&gt;RISE | Life-Centered Investments&lt;/b&gt;, shared it will launch the Biomes Fund, a $100 million initiative to scale growth-stage companies driving climate and sustainability solutions across Brazil over the next four years, with $32.2 million already secured to date. The Biomes Fund will target businesses in sectors that are at the forefront of advancing the green economy, including renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, water and waste management, the circular economy, sustainable construction, and sustainable construction. Investing in these industries is essential to prove the premise that sustainable development goes hand-in-hand with protecting the planet. Building on the success of RISE’s first fund, whose investments have already helped avoid over 2 million tons of carbon emissions, preserved 360 million liters of water, recycled 1.1 million tons of packaging, and expanded education and credit access to over 13 million people, impact that the Biomes Fund aims to match and expand on. With this commitment, RISE is demonstrating exactly how private investment can boost lasting climate action, empowering sustainable industries and communities alike. As Godoy emphasized in her remarks, “If you are an entrepreneur, know companies that fit this mandate, or are an investor, join us. The more people aligned building the solution, the better. Private capital is central for us to have a habitable planet. Thank you and congratulations to Global Citizen for promoting this agenda.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Onstage in Belém, &lt;b&gt;Jader Helder&lt;/b&gt;, Brazil’s Minister of Cities, took the stage to share with the crowds news about a brand new initiative in partnership with the &lt;b&gt;United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)&lt;/b&gt; and the &lt;b&gt;Sustainable Finance Observatory&lt;/b&gt;, called the &lt;b&gt;SHIFT Project&lt;/b&gt;. This groundbreaking initiative will aim to accelerate climate resilience and sustainable development in small and mid-sized cities across the world, starting in Brazil. In a separate video announcement, &lt;b&gt;Martin Kause&lt;/b&gt;, Director of the Climate Change Division at UNEP, shared that €20.5 million has been committed so far, which will help 100 subnational governments jump on fresh ideas and turn them into reality faster by 2030. The ultimate goal? To connect local communities with global expertise and funding to help transform cities into greener, fairer, and more resilient places to live in the future. It’ll do this by investing in essential services including clean transport and renewable energy, bridging the vast gap that exists between smaller cities and global resources. Over the next few years, SHIFT seeks to engage 30 countries by 2030, create green jobs in 100 cities, and shift climate financing from the billions into the trillions for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finally, &lt;b&gt;World Resources Institute (WRI) Bra&lt;/b&gt;sil announced the launch of Fundo Flora (Flora Fund), an ambitious new initiative designed to transform the lives of those leading the fight to restore the Amazon, from smallholder farmers to local entrepreneurs working to restore degraded lands. In a video announcement, WRI Brasil’s Interim Executive Director &lt;b&gt;Mirela Sandrini&lt;/b&gt; unpacked the goals of the fund in detail, explaining how, managed by &lt;b&gt;Sitawi&lt;/b&gt;, it will direct $10 million toward local restoration champions in the state of Pará by the end of 2026, $4.9 million of which has already been secured through partnerships. By 2026, the initiative is expected to restore up to 20,000 hectares of land, benefiting over 10,000 people and building up a portfolio of locally-based enterprises ready for investment. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a stirring call to action, &lt;b&gt;Laura Thompson&lt;/b&gt;, Assistant Director-General for External and Corporate Relations at the &lt;b&gt;International Labour Organization (ILO)&lt;/b&gt;, underscored the urgent need for climate action that also takes into account social justice and quality job security for all. “The world of work is on the frontline of the climate crisis,” Thompson warned, noting that rising temperatures threaten to erode decades of progress in poverty reduction and sustainable development. “But there is hope.” The world can choose to pursue a just transition forward, one that creates new jobs, strengthens societies, and betters livelihoods. The ILO calls on Global Citizens everywhere to champion climate action that “works for people, businesses, and our planet” ahead of COP30 in Belém later this month.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Total Protect the Amazon Commitments&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/13-years-in-13-global-citizen-moments/"&gt;Over the last 13 years&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen has helped deploy more than &lt;b&gt;$50 billion&lt;/b&gt; in commitments made through its platform and events, impacting 1.3 billion lives worldwide. These milestones prove that while Global Citizen’s mission to defeat poverty and defend the planet is bold, tangible progress can be achieved when people campaign collectively, act strategically, and demand bold actions from our leaders. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At this year’s Festival, Global Citizens took 4.4 million actions calling on world leaders, philanthropists, corporations, and organizations to step up with bold commitments to step up for the Amazon and rainforests everywhere. The results of the campaign were clear: more than $1 billion raised, 31 million hectares protected, and 18 million people’s lives impacted. Collectively, these pledges mark a decisive step forward in protecting the Amazon rainforest’s ecosystems, advancing Indigenous rights, and laying the groundwork for sustainable livelihoods, fostering a new era of true climate leadership.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen has a strict due diligence and accountability process to ensure that all commitments announced are brand new and come complete with a clear, detailed plan for delivery. Each pledge is vetted, monitored, and evaluated from beginning to final implementation for its measurable impact and alignment with Global Citizen’s campaign objectives. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Read on for a comprehensive rundown of every pledge made over the course of the year-long Protect the Amazon campaign: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE AMAZON INVESTORS COALITION (AIC)&lt;/b&gt;, represented onstage by José Mattos, Head of AIC’s Corporate Affairs, announced $10 million to mobilize capital from other philanthropic funders and advance forest-friendly economic investment across the Amazon. This commitment will help push forward sustainable enterprises that protect biodiversity and community resilience all at once.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;AXCELL&lt;/b&gt;, a Brazil-based business accelerator, launched the “Startup Selection Call 2025” in partnership with IDESAM at Global Citizen NOW: Amazônia in July 2025. Pledging to invest R$25 million (approximately $4.5 million) total, this  initiative encouraged sustainability-focused businesses based or operating in the Amazon working in biodiversity, bioremediation, green tech, and sustainable development to apply for funding to support their work.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;BANCO DA AMAZÔNIA&lt;/b&gt; committed $93 million dollars, designed to serve as the foundation to  a program that will help catalyze up to $740 million dollars in capital for the Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;BANCO DO BRASIL&lt;/b&gt; announced a new pledge of $185 million to be distributed by the end of 2026, anchoring its larger ambition to invest $1 billion by 2030 in Amazonian communities and conservation.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;BRAZIL’s&lt;/b&gt; Ministry of Health, under the leadership of President Lula and Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, pledged $72 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in recognition of the fact that climate change poses not only environmental crises but also increasingly urgent health threats and diseases due to rising temperatures and extreme weather. This pledge reflects Brazil’s commitment to protecting vulnerable children not only in Latin America, but around the world.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;BRIDGING VENTURES&lt;/b&gt; announced the launch of the Journey Fund, incubated alongside its partners, with a $10 million pilot fund financing solar power projects in Colombia, delivering clean energy for the first time to 50,000 people living in remote areas with the benefit of cutting an estimated 38,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The initiative marks the first phase of a broader plan to reach $200 million funding target to benefit 650,000 people and reduce 2.5 million tons of emissions annually, with the ultimate goal of scaling access to sustainable energy in countries committed to moving away from fossil fuels and signing on to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;CROP TRUST&lt;/b&gt; committed $10 million to boost crop diversity and food security across the Amazon biome and Latin America. The program will advance biodiversity conservation, promote regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices, and strengthen food systems for communities confronting the impacts of climate change, securing long-term food security while supporting livelihoods.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;EL CENTRO INTERNACIÓNAL DE MEJORAMIENTO DE MAÍZ Y TRIGO (CIMMYT) (INTERNATIONAL MAIZE AND WHEAT IMPROVEMENT CENTER)&lt;/b&gt; committed to investing at least $20 million initially, scalable up to $50 million, in building up resilient food systems for Indigenous and rural communities across Amazonia, with a particular focus on benefiting 300,000 people through sustainable agriculture and food security.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;ENERGEA&lt;/b&gt;, through a commitment valued $50 million over the next five years, pledged to provide clean, reliable energy to 20,000 off-grid households in Colombia by 2030, improving the lives of more than 60,000 people. By expanding renewable energy infrastructure in rural areas, this commitment aims to enhance equitable energy access for traditionally underserved communities while advancing a clean, just energy transition for all.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;EVERLAND&lt;/b&gt; built on its commitment in September by announcing it had secured an additional $25 million in pledges for more than 20 Indigenous-centered forest conservation projects across the Amazon. With this increased funding, Everland has now locked in more than $160 million to provide long-term, stable financing for these projects.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This landmark investment will sustain community-led projects safeguarding one of the planet’s most critical ecosystems while empowering the Indigenous and local communities who serve as its frontline guardians. By ensuring predictable, lasting financing, this commitment will help protect biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and uphold the rights of those most directly connected to the future of the Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;FUTURE CLIMATE&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;COMERC ENERGÍA&lt;/b&gt; both pledged to offset the entirety of Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia’s carbon footprint through the collective contribution of carbon credits. Comerc Energía committed 11,000 tons of carbon while Climate Future contributed an estimated 4,000 tons. Together, these offsets helped make the festival the most sustainable ever to take place in the Amazon region.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;GERMANY&lt;/b&gt;, pending parliamentary approval, will contribute €20 million in new funding to the Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) to strengthen mechanisms aimed at the conservation of protected areas and help ensure that communities most responsible for protecting biodiversity have the resources they need to continue leading.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (IDB)&lt;/b&gt; pledged $100 million at Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions through its Amazonia Forever Program. $25 million of this pledge will be invested in programs and projects designed to strengthen Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and riverine communities primarily via bio-businesses and adaptation projects. $75 million of this pledge meanwhile will contribute to increasing water security and resilience in the poorest Amazon communities through its Water Security Fund. As President Ilan Goldfajn announced, it’s time for more leaders to “walk the talk.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE JAGUAR RIVERS INITIATIVE&lt;/b&gt; was launched by Rewilding Argentina and Oçasafari with $26 million at Global Citizen Festival in New York City to protect, restore, and reconnect ecosystems across the Paraná River Basin, including permanent protection of the 66,000-hectare Santa Tereza Reserve in Brazil, restoration and community development in Argentina’s 750,000 hectare Iberá Park, and strengthened protection and community engagement in Bolivia’s Pantanal, Chaco, and cloud forests.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;NORWAY’s&lt;/b&gt; Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre pledged $60 million to Brazil’s Amazon Fund during Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro to further support Brazil’s efforts to reduce and halt devastating deforestation across the Amazon rainforest. “Preserving the Amazon rainforest is one of the world’s most important measures for addressing the impacts of climate change,” said Prime Minister Støre, explaining why Norway decided to step up on behalf of a biome on the other side of the world.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;PELE ENERGY GROUP&lt;/b&gt; announced it would expand its Community Pele Program with an additional $125 million in funding to drive local economic development in the areas where its projects operate. By investing in skills development, social infrastructure, and green industries, the program aims to advance a just energy transition that will benefit 1 million people across South Africa, Central and South America, and sub-Saharan Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;RE:WILD&lt;/b&gt; announced a $1 million commitment to the Forest Threats &amp;amp; Fire Prevention Fund to help protect the Amazon from escalating wildfire threats by strengthening Indigenous-led forest surveillance and management, with the ultimate goal of raising $25 million over the next three years. In partnership with the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), this Fund will support 100 Indigenous-led fire brigades and 50 Indigenous associations across nine states of the Brazilian Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Separately, Re:wild also announced an additional $1 million pledge to support the Chief Raoni Legacy Fund, an initiative designed to continue the legacy of Chief Raoni Metuktire’s leadership for years to come by strengthening Indigenous institutions and territorial sustainability across the Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;RIO DE JANEIRO&lt;/b&gt;, in partnership with Global Citizen, Re:wild, and local partners, announced the launch of Rio Nature &amp;amp; Climate Week at Global Citizen Festival in New York City — a five-year initiative that will place the Global South at the forefront of the global climate agenda. The first gathering will take place from June 1-6, 2026, convening leaders across sectors to address the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;RISE | LIFE-CENTERED INVESTMENTS&lt;/b&gt; launched the Biomes Fund, a $100 million investment vehicle (of which $32.2 million has already been secured) dedicated to scaling growth-stage companies working on high-impact solutions for the planet, starting in Brazil. The fund will focus on businesses advancing biodiversity restoration and green industries, including renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, water and waste management, circular economy models, and the construction of eco-friendly materials.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC&lt;/b&gt; announced the next phase of its 12-step Sustainability Impact Plan, unveiling a new step guiding its strategy through 2030. Specifically, the company revealed live on the Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia stage that beginning in 2026, it will train 4 million young people in clean tech and renewable skills, in addition to its ultimate goal of providing clean energy access to 10 million people, achieving carbon neutrality across its operations, and helping clients accelerate their own decarbonization efforts.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE SOL DE JANEIRO FOUNDATION&lt;/b&gt; announced a contribution of $1.5 million to the Chief Raoni Legacy Fund, an initiative created to extend Chief Raoni’s influence and carry on his legacy as a key Indigenous Brazilian leader and environmentalist. Specifically, this funding will help the organization support four Indigenous lands, benefit five different communities, and help protect more than 6 million hectares of rainforest.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SOROS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND (SEDF)&lt;/b&gt;, the impact investing arm of the Open Society Foundations, expanded its portfolio dedicated to promoting the development of nature-based solutions with a $35 million commitment to be deployed across Brazil and Latin America. This financial backing will directly lead to helping protect 6 million hectares of forest, mitigating 5 million tons of emissions, and the creation of 7,000 jobs, improving livelihoods for more than 800,000 people.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SOUNDS RIGHT&lt;/b&gt; made a $400,000 commitment through its Sounds Right Fund, hosted by EarthPercent, to support Indigenous- and community-led conservation projects across the Amazon and Congo Basin. This funding was enabled through royalties earned by the musician NATURE and will be allocated by an independent panel of Indigenous leaders, scientists, and conservationists. This commitment builds on Sounds Right’s previous support for frontline environmental efforts; in 2024, it backed four projects that collectively protected 4,500 hectares of natural habitat and benefited more than 6,000 people.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;STASHRUN&lt;/b&gt; announced a new partnership with RE:WILD, SOUND FUTURE, and GLOBAL CITIZEN utilizing each organization’s expertise to leverage the power of live events, technology, and frontline action to enable fans of live events around the world to take part in unlocking funding through Stashrun’s gamified tech platform to play games that raise awareness and invest in Re:wild’s extensive conservation and agroforestry efforts across the Brazilian state of Pará.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;SURINAME&lt;/b&gt; committed to maintain 90% of its forest cover in perpetuity and to adopt the Sustainable Nature Management Act by the end of 2025, which will strengthen its legal mandate to manage and protect its remarkable nature.  President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons put it simply at Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions: “We have 90% forest coverage — we want to keep it that way.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A coalition of philanthropies — including the Rainforest Trust, Re:wild, Andes Amazon Fund, the Liz Claiborne Foundation, and Art Into Acres — committed $20 million in September to back Suriname’s efforts, which will enable the country to protect about 14 million hectares of forest.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THISTLEROCK MEAD COMPANY&lt;/b&gt; pledged, in partnership with Global Citizen and Re:wild, to protect 1 million acres of the Amazon by 2027, mobilize 5 million citizen actions to protect bees and pollinators, and generate $10 million for conservation funding. As an enterprise with sustainability woven throughout its operations, CEO John Kluge noted at Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions, “If we can be intentional about designing our businesses and our operations differently, then anyone else can do that. So if we could do it, the big companies that we all support and consume products from can also do it. And we encourage you to ask them to get in the game and bring back the buzz.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE UNITED KINGDOM’s&lt;/b&gt; Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a statement addressing the crowds at Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia, with an eye looking ahead towards what exactly is at stake at the upcoming COP30 conference in Belém. “We cannot — and we will not — stand by and wait to tackle climate change. So Britain is stepping up, not stepping back, on the world stage — to drive the clean energy revolution and secure the future of our planet.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP)&lt;/b&gt;, in partnership with &lt;b&gt;BRAZIL’S MINISTRY OF CITIES&lt;/b&gt; and the &lt;b&gt;SUSTAINABLE FINANCE OBSERVATORY&lt;/b&gt;, announced a $23.8 million commitment to launch the SHIFT Project, a groundbreaking initiative designed to transform how sustainable infrastructure projects are financed and built in small and mid-sized cities around the world. SHIFT will connect local leaders with global expertise and investment to attract financing for urban projects. By 2030, the project aims to engage 30 countries and create green jobs in 100 cities, starting in Brazil.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WRI BRASIL&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;SITAWI&lt;/b&gt; announced that it would direct $10 million through the new Fundo Flora initiative to support local restoration practitioners and initiatives in the Brazilian state of Pará through 2026, with $4.9 million already secured from partners. By the end of 2026, Fundo Flora aims to have restored up to 20,000 hectares, plant as many as 7.7 million trees, and benefit more than 10,000 people by fostering the growth of a restoration based economy in the Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Most Sustainable Festival in the Amazon’s History&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia set a historic benchmark for environmentally-conscious live events, becoming the most sustainable music festival ever held in the Amazon region. A true reflection of the values of the entirety of the PTA campaign, every aspect of the event was designed to minimize its ecological footprint and model sustainable practices for large-scale cultural events that may come in the future. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First, the festival was powered entirely by battery systems, biofuels free of oil and gas, and solar energy collected right from the roof of the Mangueirão Stadium, demonstrating the potential transformative force that renewable energy technology can provide in one of the world’s most climate-critical regions. To further reduce the festival’s impact, Global Citizen relied on a majority local crew to produce the event using only regional supplies and equipment, reducing unnecessary emissions produced from flying and shipping while strengthening the event’s ties with the community. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The festival site itself incorporated sustainability at every step. The stage was built with low-impact bamboo, while attendees enjoyed recycling and compost stations, sustainable food packaging, and absolutely no single-use plastics on site. These efforts were undertaken in collaboration with Rock World’s Sustainability Operations team. Crucially, the festival’s entire carbon footprint was offset through generous contributions from &lt;b&gt;Comerc Energia&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Future Climate&lt;/b&gt;, collectively covering all the emissions the night generated. All emissions were independently monitored and will be verified by independent experts including &lt;b&gt;Hope Solutions&lt;/b&gt; and &lt;b&gt;Showpower&lt;/b&gt;, who will create comprehensive greenhouse gas and energy impact post-event assessments. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, these efforts meant that Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia became not only a celebration of all that the Protect the Amazon campaign had achieved, but a true embodiment of sustainability in practice, proving that protecting the planet does not have to come at the cost of bringing people together. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Looking Ahead: The Next Stage of Protecting Our Planet&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As the world looks toward the next major milestone on the global climate agenda, &lt;b&gt;Rio Nature &amp;amp; Climate Week&lt;/b&gt;, taking place June 1–6, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, stands as one of the next major milestones to look forward to. Announced during the Global Citizen Festival in New York in September 2025, this landmark initiative marks a five-year partnership between the City of Rio de Janeiro, Global Citizen, Re:wild, and local partners, uniting leaders across sectors to advance nature-based solutions and elevate Global South actors as central drivers of climate action. Building on Rio’s legacy as the host of the 1992 Earth Summit, which gave rise to the UN climate and biodiversity conventions, this event will reaffirm the city’s pivotal role in shaping a sustainable global future while carrying forward the spirit of the PTA campaign and setting the stage for a new era of global cooperation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia stands as a powerful example of what’s possible when governments, corporations, grassroots organizations, and everyday citizens unite to defend the planet. Together, Global Citizens helped mobilize $1 billion to protect the Amazon, funds that will safeguard local and Indigenous communities, preserve ecosystems, and strengthen resilience against illegal deforestation and mining. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the work continues. Ahead of COP30 in Belém, Global Citizen is calling on governments — especially the United Kingdom, Germany, and France — to step up with new, innovative financing mechanisms and to strengthen their national climate plans to match the urgency of the moment, and turn global promises into real protection for our planet’s future. Beyond the Amazon, Global Citizen is also looking ahead to the next major stop in its fight for climate justice and a just energy transition in South Africa, where &lt;b&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg&lt;/b&gt; will be held to coincide with the upcoming G20 summit and drive pledges to our Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign, dedicating to helping triple &lt;a href="https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/global-gateway/energy-africa_en"&gt;tripling renewable energy capacity&lt;/a&gt; in Africa by 2030. In partnership with the &lt;b&gt;European Commission&lt;/b&gt; and the &lt;b&gt;Republic of South Africa&lt;/b&gt;, this campaign is calling for new public and private investments to accelerate renewable energy projects in Africa and address energy poverty across the continent, contributing to the &lt;b&gt;World Bank Group&lt;/b&gt; and the &lt;b&gt;African Development Bank’s&lt;/b&gt; Mission 300. Register your interest to learn more about how you can be a part &lt;a href="https://airtable.com/app6H6kJJrcDoNfLA/pag50zlwsatM7Mibl/form"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As Global Citizen continues to drive collective action to end extreme poverty and protect the planet, our mission remains clear: to create a world where every voice counts and moves us closer to a fair, sustainable future for all. Since our founding, $50 billion in commitments made through Global Citizen platforms have already been deployed, impacting 1.3 billion lives—proof that when citizens act, leaders follow. Join the movement at &lt;a href="http://globalcitizen.org/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;globalcitizen.org&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, download the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/app/download/?utm_source=referral_pressrelease&amp;amp;utm_medium=traditional_media&amp;amp;utm_campaign=global_powerourplanet_sitesignup&amp;amp;utm_content=ctasignup_link"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, and follow Global Citizen on &lt;a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@glblctzn"&gt;TikTok&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://instagram.com/glblctzn/"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3_C7BwcV0kBlJbBFHTPJQ"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/GLBLCTZN"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/GlblCtzn"&gt;X&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/globalcitizen"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, we can make sure that the Amazon’s story, and our shared future, continues to be one of resilience and hope. &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 21:43:13 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-amazonia-2025-impact/</guid><category>Forests</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/9f/c8/9fc87cab-35be-4eda-a10a-a6c73d9bab6c/gcfa_hero_image_real.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Wagner Meier/Getty Images for Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>My Home Is Spoken Of But Rarely Spoken With. I’m Working to Change That</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/human-rights-defender-experience-jordan-mena-essay/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Tala Odeh is a human rights defender from Jordan in the &lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where civic space is&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://monitor.civicus.org/country/jordan/"&gt;&lt;i&gt; repressed.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt; She has participated at various global platforms, including serving as a &lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;Youth Advisor to the &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/ohchr_homepage"&gt;&lt;i&gt;UN Human Rights &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;(&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;OHCHR) which forms parts of the Office’s ongoing focus and work with&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/youth"&gt;&lt;i&gt; youth and their human rights&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;. In her own words Odeh details her journey to advocacy and explains  how working with the OHCHR has allowed her to have greater impact.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I don’t usually like to be called a “young activist.”&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Or&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;“nashet shababi” as it is called in Arabic. I don’t like it because, in my region, the title is often overused and claimed without necessarily living the values behind it. Instead, I see myself as a human rights defender, and more simply, as a young person with a vision for humanity. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I co-founded the &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/NAMA.HumanRights/photos/?_rdr"&gt;NAMA Network for Human Rights Defenders&lt;/a&gt;, a youth-led regional platform operating in eight Middle East and North African countries (MENA). Through NAMA, we empower young people to engage in conflict resolution, peace mediation, and rights-based advocacy, creating cross-border solidarity even in fragmented contexts. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The focus is on young human rights defenders, not only human rights issues, this is crucial to make sure that those who defend rights are empowered enough. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Young campaigners and defenders need three things to keep going… &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…recognition, resources, and protection. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Recognition because too often our voices are dismissed as “inexperienced” or “naïve,” when in fact young people are closest to the realities of our communities. Resources because passion alone cannot sustain human rights defense work; we need access to training, funding, and safe spaces to organize. Protection because defending rights comes with real risks, from harassment to repression, and defenders need to know they are not alone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;UN Human Rights  (OHCHR) plays a vital role in meeting these needs. It gives legitimacy to our voices and ensures they are heard in front of governments and international bodies. I remember one moment during my time in the Youth Advisory Group when I felt that global conversations were moving forward without truly reflecting the realities of my region, a region burning with conflict, displacement, and repression but nobody talked about its youth’s struggles. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;My focus is on ensuring that human rights are not just words in documents, but lived realities for people.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Instead of overlooking that concern, OHCHR gave me the opportunity to lead that conversation myself. I spoke in front of member states about what human rights mean to young people in the MENA, and what we urgently need as a generation living through conflict.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For me, what matters most is that OHCHR doesn’t just consult young people — it actively involves us in shaping human rights agendas. That kind of partnership gives us strength and sustainability, ensuring that even in repressed environments, young people can continue to fight for dignity, justice, and equality — and they are never left to fight alone. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Growing up in the Middle East meant living with constant conflict and uncertainty&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I cannot remember a time when our region truly had peace. &lt;a href="https://www.hrw.org/legacy/wr2k2/mena.html"&gt;Rights violations were rising&lt;/a&gt;, and it seemed as though the world often treated us with double standards, denying our dignity. I used to ask my father, “Why do we always have to see this? Why can’t we live like anyone else in the world?” And he would answer, “Tala, that’s simply because of where you were born — your nationality, your race, even being an Arab. One day you will see that the world is much more complicated than you think.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His words stayed with me. That deep sense of injustice and marginalization made me promise myself that I would not leave this life without doing something meaningful for my people — to show the world who we really are, to defend our rights, and to bring our voices to every platform I can reach.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;My turning point came during my clinical pharmacy training in a diabetes clinic.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One day, a mother came in with her eight-year-old daughter, who had just been diagnosed with diabetes. Instead of feeling a sense of relief that there was treatment, the mother broke down in tears and begged us not to tell the father. She refused to give her daughter the necessary treatment and whispered through her tears, “If people knew, who would marry her?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A year later, the same girl returned to the clinic with partial loss of vision — something that could have been prevented. That moment shattered me. It showed me that injustice is not only about wars or politics, but also about the silent struggles created by fear, stigma, and inequality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I remembered the questions I used to ask my father as a child, and I realized I couldn’t just witness this and move on. That girl’s story became my call to action. At first, I only wanted to fight for her right to health, but it grew into something much larger — a promise to defend human rights in all their forms, and to bring the voices of the silenced to every platform I could reach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Beyond NAMA, I work as an Associate Human Rights Officer with the United Nations in Jordan.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My focus is on ensuring that human rights are not just words in documents, but lived realities for people — especially young people and marginalized communities. My work bridges different areas: I lead initiatives on disability inclusion in climate action, youth participation, SDGs localization, and interaction with human rights mechanisms. For example, I organize trainings that bring together persons with disabilities and climate activists to ensure no one is left behind in shaping climate solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;I carried with me the stories, struggles, and hopes of young people from across the MENA.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I am also representing Jordan as one of the youth participants in the Youth Peace Mediators Programme (YPMP), a global initiative co-led by Finland and South Africa. Being part of YPMP has given me the chance to bring the perspectives of MENA youth into peacebuilding spaces that rarely include us. My focus is on ensuring that human rights are not seen as “extras” in peace negotiations but are embedded from the start — because peace without rights is never sustainable. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through YPMP, I have been able to exchange with young mediators from Africa, Asia, Europe, and beyond, learning how local struggles connect to global patterns of injustice, and contributing to shaping peace processes that recognize dignity and justice as non-negotiable.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;One of the most empowering experiences of my journey so far was serving as the Youth Advisor to UN Human Rights.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was part of the Youth Advisory Group, created under the &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights-75"&gt;Human Rights 75 initiative&lt;/a&gt;, and I had the privilege to contribute to the Youth Declaration on Human Rights; a document that reimagines the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the eyes of a new generation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For me, the most meaningful part was ensuring that voices from the Middle East and North Africa were not left out. Too often, our region is spoken about but not spoken with. I carried with me the stories, struggles, and hopes of young people from across the MENA, making sure that our realities — from conflict and repression to resilience and creativity — were reflected in the declaration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The advisory group also gave me the opportunity to speak on global platforms, including the High-Level Event on Human Rights in 2023 and many others. Standing on those stages, I was not only representing myself but carrying the voices of young people from my region who are rarely given a seat at the table.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The experience empowered me by showing that young people are not just beneficiaries of human rights, but co-authors of what the future of rights should look like. It gave me confidence that my voice, coming from Jordan, mattered at the global level.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My biggest learnings were twofold: first, that youth around the world share a common struggle — whether in Africa, Latin America, or the Middle East, we are all demanding dignity and justice. And second, that narratives must change: youth should not be seen as victims or passive recipients, but as leaders and partners in shaping solutions. That lesson stays with me in every space I enter today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Being a human rights defender in Jordan (and in the MENA region) means constantly navigating restricted civic space.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Laws, regulations, and social norms can limit how much young people are able to speak, organize, or mobilize. Expression is often monitored, associations are tightly controlled, and topics considered “sensitive” can easily attract pressure or backlash.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Across the region, many young rights defenders grow up with fear of repression, fear of being misunderstood, and fear of being silenced. Some face direct harassment, while others experience more subtle forms of exclusion, such as being denied opportunities, funding, or platforms because of their views. Women and marginalized groups often face an added layer of stigma and social pressure. In my own journey, there are moments when I have had to measure every word carefully, knowing that a sentence could be misinterpreted or used against me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Do I feel free? Not entirely. There is always a risk. But campaigning and human rights work in the MENA region is not only about resisting restrictions, it’s about finding creative ways to keep the space alive. We use art, dialogue, community initiatives, and digital tools to claim our right to participate — even when the civic space feels narrow. While there is always worry, I’ve learned that courage is not the absence of fear it is choosing to act despite it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What unites human rights defenders across the MENA is resilience. Even under repression, young people continue to build movements, connect across borders, and push for justice. Our civic space may be shrinking, but our determination to defend it only grows stronger.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;At its core, my work… &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…whether through the UN, NAMA, or YPMP, is about transforming human rights into tools for peace, and ensuring that young people from my region are not only heard but included in shaping the solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;This article, as narrated to Gugulethu Mhlungu, has been slightly edited for clarity.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;The 2025-2026 In My Own Words series is part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Tala Odeh</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:46:32 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/human-rights-defender-experience-jordan-mena-essay/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/ea/7b/ea7b2446-a209-4d6c-8517-664f3539dfce/photo_from_a_dialogue_at_world_democracy_forum_2024_in_strasbourg-header.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Supplied</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Youth Powering Africa’s Energy Future: Students Lead the Charge for Change</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/youth-powering-africas-energy-future-students-lead/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;The University of Johannesburg’s Auckland Park Bunting Road (APB) Campus came alive during the Youth Powering South Africa’s Energy Future workshop — an ideas-driven gathering attended by students, lecturers, and advocates passionate about shaping a sustainable energy future for Africa. Hosted by Global Citizen in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the event encouraged young people to explore practical solutions and think creatively about how energy access connects to education, opportunity, and dignity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The day was officially opened by &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-2025-global-citizen-fellows/"&gt;Lungile Magagula&lt;/a&gt;, a Global Citizen Fellow, who welcomed participants and introduced the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa &lt;/a&gt;campaign, Global Citizen’s initiative aimed at accelerating renewable energy adoption across the continent. Magagula outlined how the program promotes clean energy investment, youth engagement, and policy reform to drive Africa’s move to affordable and sustainable power. He encouraged students to see themselves as key contributors to this transformation, highlighting that “every action, every idea, and every conversation on energy matters.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Life Without Power: Students Share Their Stories&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of the most relatable moments of the workshop came when students spoke about their experiences with power interruptions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A student from Alexandra, a township in Johannesburg, recalled losing electricity for eight hours while studying: “I was reading for an exam, and the lights went off. I couldn’t study, and it was stressful,” he said. Another described struggling to prepare for finals without access to Wi-Fi or charging stations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Others spoke about how power cuts disrupted meal preparation or caused food spoilage. Many said they often resort to studying by candlelight. These personal stories showed how inconsistent access to energy affects academic performance, time management, and emotional well-being.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Panel Discussion: Why Energy Access Matters&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The panel, Why Energy Access Matters, brought together thought leaders committed to advancing sustainable and inclusive energy solutions. The discussion featured Dr. Jama Mashele Mohale, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Ecological Intelligence (CEI); &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-2025-global-citizen-fellows/"&gt;Hope Dlamini&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen Fellow and youth advocate; and moderator Sinoxolo Cakata from Power Shift Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dr. Mohale opened by emphasizing how deeply energy challenges are woven into everyday life. “Energy access isn’t only a technical issue — when one part of the system fails, it affects everything else,” she explained. “From farming to education, energy connects every part of society. We need to understand those links if we want lasting solutions.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When asked about how energy shortages influence young people, Dlamini reflected on the testimonies shared by students. “Energy access supports dignity, education, and opportunity,” she said. “It’s not just about keeping the lights on — it’s about creating an environment where students can learn and people can thrive.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The discussion also explored the trade-offs individuals face when power is unreliable. Dr. Mohale noted that “time and money are often redirected toward planning around energy. That takes a mental toll, too, because you’re constantly adapting.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Audience members contributed examples from their own communities, noting how energy availability differs between areas. One student shared that while some residences have limited backup lighting, others lose Wi-Fi completely during outages, forcing students to study in corridors or use mobile data. The conversation prompted reflection on how planning and policy can address these gaps in access.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If You Could Control the Power for a Day…&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a creative interactive segment, Cakata invited students to imagine they could control their community’s electricity supply for 24 hours. The responses were both practical and forward-thinking.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I’d power schools, clinics, and essential services first,” said one participant. Another added, “We could save energy by switching off non-essential lighting and electronic billboards at night.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Others proposed smart load management — where electricity use is priced differently depending on the time of day — as a way to promote efficiency and fairness. The exercise showcased how young people are already thinking about sustainability, innovation, and balanced energy use.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Policy and Practical Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The dialogue then turned to how students and communities can influence energy policy and implementation. Dr. Mohale emphasized that progress requires shared responsibility: “We can’t wait for others to solve problems for us. Everyone — citizens, researchers, entrepreneurs — has a role to play in improving energy access.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dlamini spoke about the importance of youth participation in national energy strategies. Drawing on her experience with the SURA Fellowship Program, she emphasized the need to invest in youth skills and enterprise development. “Job creation is central to building a sustainable energy future,” she explained. “We need to prepare young people to lead, build, and manage the energy systems of tomorrow.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dr. Mohale closed the session by emphasizing collaboration: “Partnerships between communities, academia, and policymakers can unlock the change we all want to see.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Energy Zone Challenge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After the panel, students broke into small groups for the Energy Zone Challenge — a dynamic, hands-on activity where they designed innovative energy solutions for their communities. Each group identified a specific challenge and proposed a creative way to address it, drawing on what they had learned throughout the day. The groups then presented their ideas in an engaging “elevator pitch” style to the audience and panel. Three groups were ranked and winners announced, with their pitches set to be featured as part of the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa &lt;/a&gt;campaign. The challenge encouraged teamwork, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving — all key skills for Africa’s next generation of energy leaders.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From Ideas to Urgent Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As the event drew to a close, participants reflected on what they could do next. Dr. Mohale encouraged students to start small and build from within their own environments. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Innovation begins locally,” she said. “We already have the creativity, now it’s about applying it where we are.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dlamini concluded with an inspiring message: “Invest in your own learning. The more informed we are, the better we can contribute to sustainable change. Energy transformation starts with knowledge.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Youth Powering Africa’s Energy Future workshop left students energized, inspired, and motivated to turn ideas into action. Together, they proved that young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow, they’re already shaping the energy future of today.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:07:20 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/youth-powering-africas-energy-future-students-lead/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/ea/e9/eae91a62-62cb-4f72-9e48-5720e2188bdc/dscf7452.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Mobile Clinics Close in Madagascar as Aid Cuts Reduce Reproductive Health Services</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/madagascar-mobile-clinics-close-due-to-aid-cuts/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;When her mobile clinic shut down, Herisoa Bodo’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing. A client due for implant removal reached out again and again. The appointment never happened — and she became pregnant.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
Bodo, a midwife with Marie Stopes International (MSI) Madagascar since 2012, kept fielding calls long after outreach teams had been forced to suspend services. “Women kept calling because they couldn’t find care,” she said. Her routes cover Analamanga, the region surrounding the capital Antananarivo, where MSI deploys buses converted into clinics and 4x4 teams into rural communities. For many women, those visits are the only reliable chance to see a midwife.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When they stop, the consequences surface quickly. Madagascar already has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios — &lt;a href="https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/economies/madagascar"&gt;445 deaths per 100,000 live births&lt;/a&gt; — and unsafe abortion &lt;a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7203894/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;is among the leading causes&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://www.track20.org/download/pdf/Country%20Indicators/2024/2024%20Combo%20Briefs/English/Madagascar%202024%20Summary%20Brief%20and%20Handout.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;Less than half of women&lt;/a&gt; use modern contraception, and roughly &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/data/MG"&gt;one in three&lt;/a&gt; has an unmet need for family planning. Even short interruptions widen the gap.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Collapse In Funding&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For years, MSI’s outreach depended almost entirely on UNFPA, the UN Population Fund. “100% of our family planning commodities come from UNFPA,” said Volonirina Ranorohery, Senior Programme Manager, MSI Madagascar. “They supply all our long-term [implants and IUDs] and injectable methods, and it’s all free for clients. They also cover things like fuel, car rentals, and petty cash for outreach.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That support ended in January 2025, when the US government froze most foreign aid under an executive order. Within weeks, USAID &lt;a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160631"&gt;terminated 48 UNFPA grants worth nearly US$377 million&lt;/a&gt;, and in March clawed back &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/united-states-government-cuts-future-funding-unfpa"&gt;approved funding&lt;/a&gt; across seven countries, including Madagascar. By May, restrictions under the  Kemp-Kasten Amendment cut off US support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The shortfall was immediate. MSI expected US$500,000 from UNFPA this year. Instead, it received US$165,000. “We had to suspend six community sites and three mobile outreach teams,” Ranorohery said.&lt;br/&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health on Hold&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When the mobile clinics were suspended, the effects rippled quickly through the communities Bodo’s team usually serves. Women who had come to rely on MSI’s outreach suddenly found themselves without options. At public health centers, only short-term contraceptives such as pills and injectables were available, and always for a fee — a cost many families could not afford. “Most can’t pay,” Bodo said. “That’s why they prefer the long-term methods.” The suspension also disrupted basic care. Routine follow-ups never happened, and Bodo said she has seen more sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including syphilis and HIV, since the teams stopped bringing treatment kits to the field. “Before, the teams could provide treatment,” Bodo explained. “Now clients go to pharmacies, find medicines too expensive, and leave [the pharmacy] untreated.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The fallout was personal, too. Bodo’s own contract shifted from permanent to consultancy, and her hours fell from 20 to 15 days a month — a reminder that providers are also living with uncertainty.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What Bodo and Ranorohery describe is &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-warns-devastating-impact-funding-cuts-midwife-support-crisis-hit-countries?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;not unique to Madagascar&lt;/a&gt;. UNFPA &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-warns-devastating-impact-funding-cuts-midwife-support-crisis-hit-countries?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;warns&lt;/a&gt; that midwifery and reproductive health support is also being cut back in places such as Somalia, Chad, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. In the four years before the freeze, U.S. contributions &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-warns-devastating-impact-funding-cuts-midwife-support-crisis-hit-countries?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;helped&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/press/unfpa-warns-devastating-impact-funding-cuts-midwife-support-crisis-hit-countries?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;avert&lt;/a&gt; more than 17,000 maternal deaths, 9 million unintended pregnancies, and nearly 3 million unsafe abortions. With funding withdrawn, those gains are now at risk.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;A Fragile Future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;MSI Madagascar was able to restart some services in May thanks to short-term emergency funding, but that support runs out in December. Unless funding is restored, entire communities could be left without care. “The direct consequence is the end of [outreach] activities,” Ranorohery said. “There will be shortages even in public health centers. This will significantly impact reproductive health and family planning.” She hopes that funding resumes so mobile teams can keep reaching the women who need them most. “Without that,” Bodo said, “vulnerable women will have nothing.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So far, there is no indication that US funding to UNFPA will resume. Pending aid decisions leave both providers and patients in limbo. In the short term, &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/data/transparency-portal/unfpa-madagascar"&gt;stopgap contributions &lt;/a&gt;— from the EU, bilateral donors, or philanthropic partners — could help keep services running until the US position becomes clearer. In the long run, &lt;a href="https://www.unfpa.org/data/transparency-portal/unfpa-madagascar"&gt;only a predictable funding framework can ensure&lt;/a&gt; that mobile clinics don’t disappear again and that care remains guaranteed for women across Madagascar.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In parallel, reports show that &lt;a href="https://www.msichoices.org/latest/why-is-the-us-government-destroying-millions-of-dollars-of-contraceptives/"&gt;$9.7 million worth of contraceptives&lt;/a&gt; already purchased by the US are currently stored in warehouses in Europe, with plans for their disposal. Thousands of global citizens in the US have already supported efforts to ensure these essential supplies are preserved and delivered where they are needed most. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Join the movement and take action by asking Secretary Rubio to halt the planned incineration and support the continued availability of family planning supplies through this action: &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/stop-aid-incineration-women/"&gt;Stop Aid Incineration&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Protecting access to family planning is a shared responsibility that strengthens health systems everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sarah El Gharib</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 11:09:37 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/madagascar-mobile-clinics-close-due-to-aid-cuts/</guid><category>Health</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/ea/e4/eae42274-0cb8-4c4e-ab34-fe86e958c3bf/screenshot_2025-10-30_at_130324.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Bioeconomy: An Economic Alternative to Protect the Amazon and Empower Its People</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/bioeconomy-an-economic-alternative-to-protect-the/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Valdenes Ferreira de Sousa has a trusted remedy for coughs and throat infections: a blend of honey, lemon juice, and andiroba oil — a natural anti-inflammatory derived from a native Amazonian tree.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This knowledge is her inheritance. It was passed down from her grandmother, a woman who taught her that the rainforest provides medicine, sustenance, and identity. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ferreira de Sousa's childhood memories often return to her grandmother’s small stand in Santo Antônio do Tauá, a rural municipality in the Brazilian state of Pará, where she sold natural products. Today, as president of the Camtauá cooperative, she continues the family lineage, leading an initiative built on the sustainable extractivism of andiroba, murumuru, tucumã, and açaí.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Led primarily by women, the Camtauá cooperative works to sustainably harvest the land's resources without cutting down trees. Today, their effort involves about 55 cooperative members and 240 extractivist families, protecting 36,000 hectares of standing forest managed as a living, productive asset.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"We are guardians of this forest, of this abundant nature that was placed for us to care for," Ferreira de Sousa affirms, positioning the cooperative's work as a deliberate act of preservation. "The land itself sustains us. All we have to do is take care of it."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Care, in fact, is the bedrock of bioeconomy — a regenerative system that measures nature's value not by what can be taken from it, but by what can be sustainably lived within it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It differs drastically from the engine that currently drives much of the Amazon's economy: predatory agribusiness and cattle farming.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Current Engine of Devastation in the Amazon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Satellite images analyzed by MapBiomas show cattle ranching was the main cause of Amazon deforestation from 1985 to 2023, &lt;a href="https://brasil.mapbiomas.org/en/2024/10/03/mais-de-90-do-desmatamento-da-amazonia-e-para-abertura-de-pastagem/"&gt;accounting for 90% of the forest loss in this time period. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;According to the same report, expansion of agriculture into the Amazon has been nothing short of staggering. The area dedicated to farming within the biome increased by 4,647% — from 154,000 hectares of cropland to 7.3 million hectares. The overwhelming majority of this agricultural footprint is dedicated to temporary crops, with soybeans dominating the landscape and accounting for 80.5% of the total cultivated area. &lt;a href="https://trase.earth/insights/brazilian-soy-exports-and-deforestation"&gt;Most of this production is exported to serve as livestock feed&lt;/a&gt;, rather than addressing food security within Brazil.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Beyond land clearing, deforestation linked to agribusiness and cattle ranching contributes to environmental and social harm, often associated with &lt;a href="https://agroefogo.org.br/"&gt;land grabbing, illegal fires, and rural violence that affects Indigenous peoples and traditional communities&lt;/a&gt; who have lived on these lands for centuries. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The consequences are both local and planetary. The rampant deforestation causes irreparable biodiversity loss. The smoke from intentional fires chokes &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-culture-shapes-climate-inequality-urban-amazon/"&gt;urban centers&lt;/a&gt;, creating public health emergencies. Clearing forest lands &lt;a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03629-6"&gt;transforms the Amazon from a critical carbon sink into a source of massive CO₂ emissions&lt;/a&gt;, directly accelerating the global climate crisis. This model is actively dismantling the ecological systems that stabilize the global climate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brazil’s deep economic ties to agribusiness are rooted&lt;a href="https://www.jota.info/opiniao-e-analise/artigos/breve-historia-do-agronegocio-brasileiro"&gt; in a colonial past &lt;/a&gt;of plantations, land concentration, and export-oriented monoculture — built on the labor of enslaved people. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This history birthed a political class in the country whose power is still derived from land ownership. Today, it is mainly expressed through the Bancada Ruralista, the agribusiness caucus in Brazil's National Congress. &lt;a href="https://deolhonosruralistas.com.br/2023/04/26/pl-compoe-1-4-da-bancada-ruralista-na-camara-que-chega-a-300-deputados/"&gt;Holding around 60% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate&lt;/a&gt;, it is the largest and most powerful interest group in Brazil’s Parliament. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The Bancada Ruralista “is not a loose affiliation but a professionalized lobby,” explains Bruno Bassi, research coordinator at NGO &lt;a href="https://deolhonosruralistas.com.br/"&gt;De Olho nos Ruralistas&lt;/a&gt;. "Their power stems from a structure that unifies various economic sectors. Each sector will have a private institute operating as an external organ outside of Congress to unify their political actions," he explains. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The influence of the &lt;em&gt;ruralistas&lt;/em&gt; on policymaking was starkly visible this July, with the &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/brazil-passes-devastation-bill-that-drastically-weakens-environmental-law"&gt;approval of the “Devastation Bill,” which aimed to gut Brazil’s environmental licensing system&lt;/a&gt;. The new legislation unlocks stalled projects that the agribusiness and cattle ranching sectors have long sought to advance, such as building new roads through forest lands. “It carves a scar through preservation areas. They are opening a path of complete destruction in the last protected zones of the Amazon,” Bassi warns.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
At the same time, parts of the agribusiness sector have begun engaging with sustainability initiatives and dialogues on responsible land use. These efforts, while not explored in depth here, indicate that conversations about transformation are also emerging within traditional production models — though integrating them across the full sector remains a major challenge.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Different Path: Bioeconomy in Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Back in the forest, Ferreira de Sousa and thousands like her are putting into practice an alternative economic model. And it is backed by data.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Camtauá's cofounder and production coordinator, Gilson Santana, offers a clear comparison between agribusiness and bioeconomy: to produce 400 to 450 liters of soy oil, one hectare of cleared land is needed to plant; the same size hectare of macaúba, a native palm, can produce 4,000 to 5,000 liters of oil, without deforesting the territory. “And the macaúba oil can serve diverse purposes, from cooking and cosmetics to aviation fuel", Santana adds.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Santana's math is supported by World Bank studies, which indicate that the Amazon rainforest can generate an estimated US$535 million per year when preserved — &lt;a href="https://umsoplaneta.globo.com/biodiversidade/noticia/2025/09/03/manter-a-floresta-em-pe-e-7-vezes-mais-lucrativo-que-a-exploracao-degradante-aponta-rede-bionorte.ghtml"&gt;seven times more than exploitation for cattle ranching, mining, and agribusiness.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
Experts emphasize that the bioeconomy is not intended to replace agribusiness as a whole, but to diversify Brazil’s economic model. In the Amazon, where large-scale monoculture often leads to forest loss, approaches aligned with the forest’s ecological potential — such as community-based extractivism and non-timber value chains — are considered more appropriate and can, in many cases, prove more profitable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The bioeconomy’s deep respect for nature’s rhythm is fundamental to its efficiency. “Murumuru and andiroba are harvested from January to July. From August on, açaí production begins,” Santana explains. “If you start following nature’s calendar, it’s possible to produce year-round.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This diverges radically from industrial agribusiness, which relies on modern irrigation, genetically modified hybrid seeds, and&lt;a href="https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2024/02/06/brazil-uses-more-pesticides-than-the-us-and-china-together/"&gt; pesticides to control disease&lt;/a&gt;, all to guarantee a minimum yield. “That’s not what we want here. We want to establish production where things already grow. There’s no need to clear more land to produce more, especially if we focus on domestic needs,” Santana affirms. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Far from being a rejection of innovation and development, bioeconomy is fostering a uniquely appropriate form of it. Technologies are emerging not to override traditional knowledge, but to support it, alleviating the physically taxing conditions most extractivists face in their daily activities. The prime example is a machine designed by the community itself to crack murumuru nuts. What once took months of manual labor now takes about 30 minutes, a breakthrough that has boosted yields while transforming the health and well-being of workers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For extractivist families, working with the land is also a powerful source of community empowerment. Ferreira de Sousa embodies that transformation. Her life, as she herself describes it, has been one of “highs and lows.” Before joining the Camtauá cooperative, she narrates, her biggest dream was to have an indoor bathroom in her house so she wouldn’t have to brave the rain each morning to use an outdoor toilet in the yard.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Today, not only has her work in the cooperative helped her raise funds to build that bathroom, but she has also flourished leadership skills there. Now, as Camtauá's president, Ferreira de Sousa helps other women pursue dreams of their own, training them to develop their products and earn their income, ensuring economic autonomy. She’s proof that it’s possible to lead and build a future with the strength of women, from the heart of the forest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;More than selling rainforest products, bioeconomy is a regenerative economic system that values the environment, the workers, generational knowledge, and fair, sustainable supply chains. It’s an economy that doesn't destroy the forest but cultivates it; one that doesn't displace people but empowers them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;In the beginning, I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees. Then, I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon.  Now, I realize I am fighting for humanity." —&lt;a href="https://forestsnews.cifor.org/17295/martyr-of-the-amazon-the-legacy-of-chico-mendes?fnl=en"&gt;Chico Mendes&lt;/a&gt;, an Amazonian extractivist worker and environmental defender, who was killed in 1988 by local land grabbers opposed to his work&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here's How We Can Help&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is where a global platform becomes essential. Through events like &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-amazonia/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Amazônia, which took place this year in Belém, the capital city of Pará&lt;/a&gt;, local leaders like Gilson Santana gain a stage to share their models with the world. Beyond awareness, these events forge connections that lead to concrete action, such as securing patents for grassroots technologies and amplifying calls to protect the lands these communities depend on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The path forward requires shifting global investment and attention from the economies that damage the Amazon to those that sustain it. It means supporting political initiatives that seek to protect the rainforest and its peoples. And it means listening to the guardians who have known the answer all along.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The future of the Amazon, and our climate, depends on which economy we choose to invest in: one driven by extraction, or one grounded in care. The clock is ticking for this choice to be made. &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Danielle Assis</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:29:36 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/bioeconomy-an-economic-alternative-to-protect-the/</guid><category>Forests</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/2b/d9/2bd9657a-c849-4db4-83a5-ab01064dda1e/26104862507_64c2041460_c.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund Opens Applications for Grassroots Organizations Advancing Children’s Education and Sport</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund-opens-applicati/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is now accepting applications from grassroots and community-based organizations worldwide. The initiative invites local changemakers to apply for support to expand programs that combine education and sport to improve children’s lives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Created by FIFA and Global Citizen, the Fund is grounded in the shared belief that when children can learn and play, they can thrive. By investing in local organizations already making an impact, the Fund aims to open new pathways for children — especially in communities where access to quality education and safe play spaces is limited.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The message is simple: every child deserves the chance to learn and to play sport.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Landmark Global Launch&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Launched earlier this year at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/nyc/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: New York&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund will expand access to quality education, literacy, and football for children worldwide. Of the total funds raised, $50 million will directly support grassroots education and literacy programs in more than 200 communities across the globe. The remaining funds will be directed to &lt;a href="https://footballforschools.fifa.com/en/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FIFA’s Football for Schools (F4S)&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;program&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — a joint FIFA and UNESCO initiative advancing life skills, learning, and community development through football.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Organizations providing access to education and sport for children in underserved communities are invited to apply for grants of up to $250,000 USD. The first round of grantees will be announced in early 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To apply, click&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/apply/"&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What Is the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is a joint initiative designed to expand access to quality education and sports for children worldwide.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It connects the worlds of education, sport, culture, and philanthropy to support grassroots organizations that are improving learning outcomes and child development. The Fund mobilizes resources, partnerships, and expertise to help these organizations grow and sustain their impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What the Fund Does&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund focuses on three key goals:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Providing grants&lt;/strong&gt; to community-based organizations that advance education and sport.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Improving literacy, learning quality, and access&lt;/strong&gt; so more children can learn effectively.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building partnerships&lt;/strong&gt; that unite sport, education, and community development.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through these efforts, the Fund helps transform local ideas into sustainable, community-led solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why This Fund Matters&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Approximately 350 million children and adolescents around the world are out of school, and an estimated 133 million do not meet minimum reading and math proficiency by the end of primary school.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Education and sport are two of the most effective tools to change that reality. When children have access to both, they develop knowledge, confidence, and life skills that extend far beyond the classroom or the playing field.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund supports local organizations that understand their communities and are creating practical, lasting solutions to improve education and access to sport. By investing in their work, the Fund helps ensure that progress begins and grows from within communities — creating long-term benefits for children and families.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who Can Apply&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Fund will award grants ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 USD to eligible grassroots and community-based organizations focused on K–12 education and children’s learning outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Organizations must be legally registered in their country of operation and show a clear commitment to promoting education and inclusion through their programs. Priority will be given to those working in where barriers to education and sport are greatest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Applicants should demonstrate how their initiatives expand access to learning, strengthen educational infrastructure, and create inclusive environments for all students — particularly for girls and children with disabilities or different learning needs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Fund is designed to complement existing public funding, not replace it. Successful applicants will demonstrate their ability to build partnerships and leverage additional resources to ensure long-term sustainability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How the Fund Selects Programs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Applications will be reviewed through a comprehensive assessment process to ensure that funding is directed where it can make the greatest impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The review will consider:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Educational need and potential impact&lt;/strong&gt; in the target community.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organizational capacity and proven results.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alignment with FIFA and Global Citizen’s mission&lt;/strong&gt; in education and sport.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Opportunities for sustainability and community participation.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This process ensures that funding supports effective, community-driven programs that improve children’s education and well-being.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Apply&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Organizations can apply through the Global Citizen portal at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/education-fund-apply/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.globalcitizen.org/education-fund-apply/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Applications open:&lt;/strong&gt; October 27, 2025&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Applications close:&lt;/strong&gt; December 31, 2025&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The process includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eligibility screening&lt;/strong&gt; to confirm alignment with the Fund’s goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Online submission&lt;/strong&gt; of organizational and project details.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Evaluation&lt;/strong&gt; based on the criteria above.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Announcement of grantees&lt;/strong&gt; following the review period.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Detailed guidelines, eligibility requirements, and FAQs are available on the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/"&gt;fund’s website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join the Movement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The launch of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is an open call to organizations that believe in the power of education and sport to change lives. Together, we can create a world where every child — no matter where they are born — has the opportunity to learn, play, and succeed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Apply now: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/education-fund-apply/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.globalcitizen.org/education-fund-apply/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:45:07 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund-opens-applicati/</guid><category>Education</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/d3/32/d332aeaf-3193-45aa-a56c-3e8bf465f4f7/gc-fifa-education-fund-apply-now-16x9.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>In a Silenced Brazil, Journalism Is How I Defend People &amp; The Planet</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/silenced-brazil-journalism-environment-ifpim/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Eduardo Tessler is a journalist with over 40 years of experience reporting on issues of social and climate justice in Brazil where civic space is&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://monitor.civicus.org/country/brazil/"&gt;&lt;i&gt; obstructed&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;. Driven by the calamitous state of the environment and the lack of care towards the protection of people and planet, Tessler partnered with Grupo A Hora, an independent media organization supported by &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/this-fund-is-helping-struggling-independent-journa/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;The International Fund For Public Interest Media &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt; to kick off a project that works to ensure accountability and integrity within his community. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Here and in his own words Tessler discusses the importance of journalism in defending citizens and the environment’s rights. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr/&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I was born in Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Exactly 12 days after the military launched a coup d'état that left my country under a harsh dictatorship for 21 years. I grew up in an environment of intense street repression, which shaped my character as a defender of democracy and social justice. Brazil is a vast, wealthy country, with all the makings of a paradise. But it remains absurdly imbalanced, with 1% of the population holding roughly 50% of the wealth. I was fortunate to grow up in an upper-middle-class family, where there were no problems feeding us or providing us with quality education. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I then became a journalist to change the world and promote social justice.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Today, I seek solutions for a better world through the media. I've worked as a reporter, editor, foreign correspondent, and director. I covered the war in the former Yugoslavia, the Italy 90' World Cup, and even traveled with Pope John Paul II. Later, I decided to work as a consultant for media companies, helping news outlets understand the emerging digital world. Currently, I prefer projects with a social objective such as combating news deserts — an area where there is no access to news coverage — for example, and caring for the environment.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;When you're born and raised under a military dictatorship that suppresses your most basic rights…&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…there are only two possibilities: submit and keep quiet, or fight for democratic reform.. From a very young age, I fought for a better Brazil. Choosing journalism was the ideal option: it allowed for activism, required a lot of reading (I've always been an avid reader), and also allowed me to see the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As the editor of a local leader newspaper, I took a stand with opinion pieces against the establishment of an automobile factory in my state. While the government celebrated the factory's arrival, with an eye on jobs, I led a group of people concerned about the consequences: from pollution to increased truck traffic on the roads, from river contamination to the depletion of the ozone layer. We managed to make a splash, though I received a warning from the newspaper company's shareholders — who were, it turns out, happy with the factory's arrival. Shortly thereafter, I was fired.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Journalism needs to regain its fundamental role in defending citizens.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With the wave of fake news and the emergence of thousands of small, independent outlets — many of them without clear editorial criteria and with business practices that are rarely accepted in the world of responsible journalism — good journalism becomes fundamental once again. We need to insist and insist, demonstrating the importance of good journalism every day. Activist journalism is one of the forms that best engages the audience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Today I'm in a somewhat more comfortable situation.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My children are already working independently, and my greatest concern has become the future of humanity and my future grandchildren's life. So I work on creating projects that aim for a better world. I develop projects, find media partners, and seek funding to bring my ideas to fruition. It's true that I don't always succeed, but I focus on ideas that bring me pleasure, not just money.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;At the moment, I decided to create a project for reconstruction, protection, and accountability of authorities and institutions through the media. Thus, the &lt;a href="http://valevivo.grupoahora.net.br/"&gt;Vale Vivo Project&lt;/a&gt; was born, with the&lt;a href="https://grupoahora.net.br/"&gt; A Hora Group&lt;/a&gt;. Vale Vivo is the project I created to address the reconstruction of the Taquari Valley—one of the regions most affected by last year's floods. It’s an app that helps audiences cope with natural phenomena that threaten the region. Basically, Vale Vivo offers live cameras showing the region's rivers, public works under reconstruction, and roads. It also provides real-time information on the investments each city receives from the federal and state governments and when they are actually invested in reconstruction.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I believe in democratic values that need to resonate with society, especially in times of the rise of the far right, including in Brazil. Issues of freedom, democracy, social justice, and environmental protection are non-negotiable. These principles must be defended under any circumstances. I commit myself like a soldier in this battle.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Recently, environmental protection laws have simply disappeared in the name of so-called "economic progress." &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As a result, and with the ozone hole in my region growing uncontrollably,&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;it has become dangerous to be exposed to the sun between certain hours, such as 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.Thus, the seasons begin to blur. It's hot in winter, summer has mild days, and other days come with temperatures far above acceptable levels.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 2024, the absurdity [of unpredictable weather patterns] was unleashed. Suddenly, the clouds were stationary over my region. It rained for a week without stopping. The wind blew strongly in the opposite direction, impeding the natural flow of the rivers. In early May, five rivers in my state overflowed, including the Guaíba River in Porto Alegre, causing a flood greater than the historic one of 1941, as we learned about in history books. &lt;a href="https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/floods-in-rio-grande-do-sul-exposed-the-climate-crisis"&gt;More than 180 people died, thousands were homeless&lt;/a&gt;. Animals were killed, crops were destroyed. We were left without an airport for seven months, without access to roads for 20 days. Stranded.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The authorities and governments proved incompetent in the face of the situation. They were unprepared, unsure of what to do. Worse, we discovered that the Porto Alegre city government had decided not to maintain the flood gates and use the money for other projects. It was a deliberate, unfortunate decision.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At that moment, I realized that my fight to defend the environment was not in vain. On the contrary, it was more than necessary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Being an activist and journalist in Brazil is a daily challenge. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"Matar um leão por dia" (“You have to kill a lion a day”, even though I am against killing of lions) is a Brazilian expression we use to describe a huge, ongoing effort. A new challenge every day. And just when you think you've solved it, another lion (another challenge) comes along to be solved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Media companies, in general, are fighting for economic survival. As a policy, they don't invest in reporting on environmental protection — it's an area that doesn't attract sponsors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Politics also face moments of opposition and polarization. There are some movements in defense of the environment within government institutions, although economic issues are still a priority. Government movements for a sustainable economy and organic agriculture are rare.In the previous period, until 2022, there was no environmental protection on a ministerial or governmental level. The then-minister chose to allow any encroachment on the Amazon, any toxic product for crops, and any construction in protected areas. It was a disaster.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Defending the environment between 2019 and 2022 was very dangerous, for both activists and journalists. There were murders, lawsuits, violence, harassment. We managed to resist, each in our own way. Today, at least, we have guaranteed the right to expression, even with far-right activists venting anger and threats against us. But we are surviving and not allowing the great causes to be forgotten.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Vale Vivo Project is extremely bold and very difficult to execute by a small media organization like Grupo A Hora&lt;/b&gt;. &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First, it addresses flaws in the management of public institutions, such as city halls. In the countryside of the state, close ties with mayors are a reality. For the media to hold public institutions to account is not easy. Identifying those responsible for an environmental catastrophe — such as the floods of 2023 and especially the one in 2024 — is a challenge that leaves many people upset.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When we conceived Vale Vivo, we knew this. The planned infrastructure, with real-time video cameras monitoring the regions, also presented an impossible budget for A Hora. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The arrival of the International Fund For Public Interest Media (IFPIM) as a strategic partner, through the flexible core funding to the independent journalism organization  A Hora, was vital to the project’s realization. Without IFPIM's support, the Vale Vivo Project would have been much more modest, possibly with much lower results. During the camera testing phase, we were able to ensure the completion of a bridge, which carries 15,000 people daily. Construction was stalled, and delivery deadlines were being systematically postponed. We set up a camera to monitor the project, which, miraculously, was completed a month later.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In journalism and activism, ideas emerge. Some are easy to execute, requiring only good faith and intelligence. But others require investment, which isn't always available from news organizations. Certainly, having funds available to implement good ideas would guarantee a better world through good journalism. An environment for exchanging ideas among activists and journalists could also be a simple and easy strategy [for bettering the world].&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Find out more about The Vale Vivo Project &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://valevivo.grupoahora.net.br/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;here.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;You can contact Eduardo Tessler by emailing &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="mailto:tessler@midiamundo.com"&gt;&lt;i&gt;tessler@midiamundo.com&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;or by visiting his&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardotessler/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;LinkedIn page. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;This article, as narrated to Gugulethu Mhlungu, has been slightly edited for clarity. The 2025-2026 In My Own Words series is part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Eduardo Tessler</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:17:05 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/silenced-brazil-journalism-environment-ifpim/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/6a/a1/6aa103bb-2aae-43c0-b1e9-426b6bf8ce81/eduardo_tessler1.jpeg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Courtesy of Eduardo Tessler</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>A Rare Setback: How Burundi Managed Its First Polio Case in Over Three Decades</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-burundi-managed-first-polio-case-in-30-years/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;It began like any other morning in Gaharawe village, a small community near Burundi’s western border. Four-year-old Kaneza Ndayisaba woke up after a peaceful night’s sleep. But when she tried to stand, her legs gave way beneath her.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Her mother, Belyse, known in the neighborhood as Mama Allan, helped lift Kaneza on her two feet. A moment later, she had fallen again, with one of her legs collapsing under her weight each time. One of her arms was paralyzed as well. Belyse was bewildered. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“She had slept well. The day before, she was alright, and then suddenly, she could not use her arm and leg. It happened very abruptly,” Belyse told Global Citizen. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Belyse’s first instinct was to take Kaneza to church, hoping that prayer might bring healing. But when the paralysis persisted, she spoke to the community health worker who advised her to go to the Gatuma health facility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Following this advice, Belyse carried her daughter to the Gatumba Health Facility, where nurses examined the child and took a series of samples. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Lydia Nimbona, the laboratory technician on duty, remembers that day clearly. She collected Kaneza’s samples and arranged for them to be sent to Uganda for testing. In the meantime, rumors spread throughout the community that someone had cast a spell on the child, making her unable to move. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When the first test results came back, they showed no trace of the virus. But upon further testing in the coming weeks, it was confirmed that Kaneza contracted a case of type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2), making it the country’s first case in 30 years. Poliovirus is a highly infectious viral disease, which spreads from person to person predominantly through &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/poliomyelitis"&gt;fecal-oral transmission&lt;/a&gt;. Mostly impacting children under 5, polio can cause paralysis and has no cure, although it is preventable with safe and effective vaccines for children.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Nimbona recalls how hopeful Belyse had been throughout the ordeal. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Anytime we called her, she would come quickly to the facility. She was hopeful there would be medicine, and was disappointed in the end because she thought there would be a cure,” Nimbona said. “She didn’t know there were diseases that could make children suffer like that.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Belyse, who was previously unaware of the poliovirus, began to learn about it at the health facility. “They told me polio is a very serious disease and the child can even die,” she said, noting that her daughter did not receive any doses of the polio vaccine. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Nation Responds: Rolling Out Vaccination Campaigns&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;After Kaneza’s sample tested positive for polio, health workers went into the community to collect additional samples from children who interacted with Kaneza. The samples all tested negative — a relief for health workers and community alike. Now, health workers had to focus on containing the virus.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Burundi’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) told us we had to immunize children in the whole country because it was serious,” said Bienvenu Ndayisenga, the chief of the Gatuma health facility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In additional testing, two other children were &lt;a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/burundi-fights-back-against-resurgent-poliovirus"&gt;confirmed&lt;/a&gt; to have been infected. In May 2023, Burundi’s Ministry of Health &lt;a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/after-30-polio-free-years-burundi-fights-paralysing-virus"&gt;declared a polio epidemic&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;It took months of preparation to roll out a country-wide campaign — both internationally, with UNICEF and GAVI needing to raise funds for the campaign, and within Burundi, as government, health workers at all levels, and authorities collaborated on how to effectively implement the vaccination campaigns.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We went village to village, house to house,” said Ndayisenga, recalling the meticulous planning needed and the challenges encountered. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While community health workers typically ride motorbikes to more remote areas, securing fuel was difficult due to ongoing fuel shortages in the country. Instead, community health workers traveled by foot, walking up to 8 kilometres each way with the vaccine to reach some households. On average, a community health worker would visit between 30 to 40 households per day during the door-to-door campaign. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As is typical in all vaccination campaigns, health workers encountered ‘refusal households’, which are those who declined to vaccinate their children. In Burundi, these households were particularly common among the Abashoke, a religious group who decline vaccinations due to spiritual beliefs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We worked with [communities] on behavior change because we know there are people who refuse to vaccinate their children. They are not many, but they exist,” said Isaac Matere, Immunization Specialist, UNICEF. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The campaign, implemented by UNICEF, WHO, EPI, and the Ministry of Health, had a target of reaching more than 2,730,000 children across the country, with three doses of the polio vaccine through three campaigns.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All campaigns exceeded their target, reaching 112 per cent, 123 per cent, and 125 per cent of their goal, respectively, according to UNICEF, indicating that there were underestimates in the number of children. Random sampling during the three campaigns indicated that between 71 per cent to 90 per cent of children under age seven in Burundi received the vaccination, with the average changing per campaign. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Toward a World Without Polio&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Outside Belyse’s home, a group of children gathered to play in the late afternoon — cheering, jumping, and clapping. In the middle of it all was now six-year-old Kaneza, whose partial paralysis prevented her from joining freely. The other children ran circles around her, including her in their games. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Belyse, who had just arrived from the market where she sells vegetables, is greeted with a dozen little voices. “Mama Allan, Mama Allan,” the children say, jumping to greet her.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Belyse reflected on Keneza’s health and future, sharing that she frequently works on rehabilitation exercises with her daughter, particularly to bring back movement to her arm, encouraging her to hold a cup or jerry can.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The main lesson here is that every child should be vaccinated because I think if Kaneza was vaccinated, she would not have fallen sick,” said Belyse. &lt;cms-plugin alt="Image - GatesPolio_WorldPolioDay_Burundi_TchandrouNitangaForGlobalCitizen-025.jpg " id="1155996" title="Image - GatesPolio_WorldPolioDay_Burundi_TchandrouNitangaForGlobalCitizen-025.jpg"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Since the launch of the &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/"&gt;Global Polio Eradication Initiative&lt;/a&gt; 1988, and its mass vaccination campaign, wild poliovirus cases have decreased by 99.9%.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, Belyse makes it her mission to tell other mothers what she has learned. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I tell other mothers and caregivers to respect the immunization calendar,” she said. “With friends and neighbours, sometimes we talk about immunizations and I give them the example of my children. I encourage them to vaccinate their children.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If global efforts stay on course, Kaneza’s story could be among the last of such cases, where a world without polio is within reach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr/&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Editor’s Note:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt; This reporting was made possible through the United Nations Foundation 2025 Press Fellowship on Individual Reporting on Polio. It is a part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content through the Bill &amp;amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Jacky Habib</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:14:34 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-burundi-managed-first-polio-case-in-30-years/</guid><category>Health</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/8c/24/8c24679d-8dee-4448-ae9c-f874b792fd0c/gatespolio_worldpolioday_burundi_tchandrounitangaforglobalcitizen-013.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Tchandrou Nitanga for Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Why Food Resilience and Security Must Be a Cornerstone at COP30</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/sustainable-food-systems-farmers-priority-cop30/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Food resilience and equitable climate action are &lt;a href="https://www.oregonfoodbank.org/posts/hunger-and-humanity-connecting-food-justice-and-the-pressing-issue-of-climate-change"&gt;interconnected&lt;/a&gt;, both aim for just and regenerative food systems that benefit both people and the planet. This cannot fall off the political agenda as the world approaches COP30. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When it comes to climate action, world leaders must find the political will to commit resources to address it while including the &lt;a href="https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/climate-change-matter-justice-heres-why"&gt;most vulnerable countries and  communities&lt;/a&gt;, who experience the severe and disparate impacts of climate change, in shaping the solutions. In the same way, everyone should have access to &lt;a href="https://www.bu.edu/csc/edref-2/what-is-food-justice/"&gt;nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food&lt;/a&gt;, regardless of their economic status or where they live in the world.  &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The argument for food resilience (and the inclusivity it encourages) considers the &lt;a href="https://www.theiwillprojects.com/the-urgent-need-for-food-justice/"&gt;social, economic, and environmental inequalities&lt;/a&gt; within our food systems — such as food insecurity, access to nutrition,  agricultural practices, poverty, discrimination and the effects of &lt;a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI%282025%29775874"&gt;climate change&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Most important of all, however, is that both climate change and the instability of our food systems have hit society’s most vulnerable — the Global South, communities of color, and those with the lowest income. As a result, global leaders’ unwillingness  to solve (or at least alleviate) these issues leads to the exacerbation of global poverty through things like high hunger and malnutrition rates, economic instability, and food insecurity-led displacement. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How does climate change impact global food systems?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Increasing temperatures, extreme weather events, and &lt;a href="https://www.worldvision.org.uk/about/blogs/how-climate-change-affects-food-security/"&gt;unpredictable climate patterns are disrupting agriculture&lt;/a&gt; and driving up food prices, making it difficult for many to access food. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let’s zoom in on one of the biggest pillars of the global food system: small-holder farmers. These agriculturalists play a crucial role in &lt;a href="https://earth.org/to-save-our-soil-invest-in-smallholder-farmers/"&gt;global food production systems&lt;/a&gt;, providing access to nutritious and affordable foods to local communities, increasing employment numbers in rural areas, and boosting local economies. Yet their work faces increasing challenges due to the climate crisis, challenges that they do not have the resources to overcome — namely unpredictable and extreme weather patterns that affect both crops and livestock. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For instance, Cyclone Freddy severely impacted Malawi in 2023, with over &lt;a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/malawi/malawi-cyclone-freddy-devastates-communities-farmers-heightens-food-insecurity"&gt;2 million farmers&lt;/a&gt; losing their crops and livestock. On top of the displacement, death, and disease it caused, the extreme weather event destroyed and washed away &lt;a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/cyclone-freddy-malawi-aftermath#:~:text=When%20Cyclone%20Freddy%20walloped%20southern,Clayton%20%E2%80%A2%20November%2020%2C%202023"&gt;440,000 acres of land&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/malawi/malawi-cholera-floods-flash-appeal-2023-revised-march-following-cyclone-freddy-february-june-2023"&gt;over 1.4 million livestock&lt;/a&gt; perished, seriously impacting farmers’ livelihoods and &lt;a href="https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/policy/keeping-loss-and-damage-alive-in-africa/"&gt;worsening food insecurity&lt;/a&gt; in the country.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the time, Oxfam’s Southern Africa Director, Amjad Ali, &lt;a href="https://southernafrica.oxfam.org/latest/press-release/100-days-cyclone-freddy-farmers-malawi-and-mozambique-have-nothing-grow-ahead"&gt;had this to say&lt;/a&gt;: “Torrential floods washed away everything, leaving farmers nothing to harvest. Families told us they have nothing to grow ahead of the winter as they lost their seeds, harvest and agricultural tools forcing them to make desperate decisions to survive… This has hugely contributed to food insecurity in the affected areas and the situation will only get worse if people are not assisted to grow food this winter.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Smallholder farmers often lack the financial resources and &lt;a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/news/africas-smallholder-farmers-face-collapse-if-we-do-not-act-climate-change"&gt;savings&lt;/a&gt; necessary to &lt;a href="https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/409382/"&gt;recover&lt;/a&gt; from such climate shocks. Without financial programs or insurances in place, a failed harvest can leave livelihoods in ruin. Without access to adequate &lt;a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/news/africas-smallholder-farmers-face-collapse-if-we-do-not-act-climate-change"&gt;energy, water, or backup food supplies&lt;/a&gt;, these challenges can push them deeper into &lt;a href="https://theconversation.com/africas-smallholder-farmers-are-using-bright-ideas-to-adapt-to-climate-change-g20-countries-should-fund-their-efforts-261404"&gt;poverty&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And without the work these farmers do, dependency on &lt;a href="https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/africas-smallholder-farmers-face-collapse-if-we-do-not-act-on-climate-change/"&gt;imported food&lt;/a&gt; increases, &lt;a href="https://www.common-fund.org/5-reasons-supporting-smallholders-vital-worlds-food-systems#:~:text=When%20supply%20chains%20are%20disrupted,happening%20in%20the%20wider%20world."&gt;prices rise&lt;/a&gt; further, and &lt;a href="https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/africas-smallholder-farmers-face-collapse-if-we-do-not-act-on-climate-change/"&gt;food insecurity&lt;/a&gt; and global hunger can only increase. In 2017, surveys across African cities found that &lt;a href="https://www.ifpri.org/blog/why-supporting-africas-informal-markets-could-mean-better-nutrition-poor-city-dwellers/"&gt;70% of households&lt;/a&gt; regularly got their food from informal markets — which distribute smallholder produce — an indicator of how intensely local food systems (and local economies) depend on small-scale farmers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Despite small-holder farmers producing &lt;a href="https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/Small-family-farmers-produce-a-third-of-the-world-s-food/en"&gt;one-third&lt;/a&gt; of the world's food supply, they receive just &lt;a href="https://earth.org/to-save-our-soil-invest-in-smallholder-farmers/"&gt;0.8%&lt;/a&gt; of climate finance, each year. This funding gap leaves &lt;a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251015348998/en/Ahead-of-COP30-Project-Dandelion-Calls-for-Scaled-Investment-in-Smallholder-Farmers-Through-New-Global-Campaign"&gt;millions&lt;/a&gt; of farmers without the essential resources to withstand climate shocks, and makes it difficult for climate adaptation.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why does food systems resilience matter in the context of COP30 in Brazil? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The discussion of climate resilient food systems should also include the discussion of climate sensitive food systems. Meaning that we cannot have food systems that deliberately contribute to the worsening of the climate crisis. On this, Brazil is poised as a ripe example. &lt;br/&gt;
Brazil's current food system — and its global contribution led by corporations and other international players that seek to exploit the natural environment for profit — plays a significant role in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, which in turn accelerates climate change, with cattle ranching, for instance, responsible for &lt;a href="https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/deforestation-in-the-amazon-rainforest#:~:text=Cattle%20ranching%20is%20the%20biggest,cattle%2C%20primarily%20for%20exporting%20beef."&gt;80%&lt;/a&gt; of the forest loss. The clearing of the Amazon rainforest for agricultural expansion raises serious questions about the sustainability of these practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Brazil is ideally positioned to take a leadership role in these discussions. As a country rich in biodiversity and a powerhouse in the agricultural sector, it has firsthand experience in addressing challenges such as &lt;a href="https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/less-talk-more-action-its-time-to-deliver-on-food-nature-and-climate/"&gt;hunger and deforestation&lt;/a&gt; while also promoting sustainable farming practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://press.un.org/en/2025/dsgsm2010.doc.htm"&gt;Climate adaptation&lt;/a&gt; will be a key topic discussed at COP30, it is essential that nutrition and  food systems be integrated into this &lt;a href="https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/less-talk-more-action-its-time-to-deliver-on-food-nature-and-climate/"&gt;framework&lt;/a&gt;. COP30 presents an opportunity to bring together actions on &lt;a href="https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/less-talk-more-action-its-time-to-deliver-on-food-nature-and-climate/"&gt;climate, hunger, nutrition, poverty, and biodiversity&lt;/a&gt; which are all interconnected. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What will happen if food resilience and global food systems are not a focus at this year’s COP30? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. More people will face hunger and food insecurity.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 2024, &lt;a href="https://www.fsinplatform.org/report/global-report-food-crises-2025/"&gt;the Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC)&lt;/a&gt; indicated that over 295 million individuals in 53 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity. A large part of this is due to &lt;a href="https://www.fsinplatform.org/report/global-report-food-crises-2025/"&gt;extreme weather events&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Climate-vulnerable countries will struggle to afford the transition to sustainable food systems without support.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many Global South countries have roadmaps, like &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-africa-can-end-hunger-with-caadp/"&gt;CAADP&lt;/a&gt;, to address food insecurity but &lt;a href="https://www.orfonline.org/research/a-global-south-perspective-on-the-fight-against-the-climate-crisis"&gt;lack access to the financial resources&lt;/a&gt; to adapt sustainable agricultural practices. Without international funding support — particularly as these nations tend to be those least responsible for the climate crisis that’s hitting global food systems — countries that are the most affected by climate change will find it challenging to transition to sustainable food systems, which will worsen food insecurity as harvests will be lost or remain unpredictable, and potentially increase the stress on traditional farming practices. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Smallholder farmers will be left without support to adapt to climate change. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As we’ve noted, smallholder farmers, who are the backbone of our food systems and stand at the forefront of climate change, face &lt;a href="https://www.purpose.com/case-study/hand-of-transition-feeding-brazil-with-responsible-practices/"&gt;economic barriers and limited support&lt;/a&gt;, making it challenging for them to recover from climate-related shocks. Increased climate finance at COP30, specifically directed towards sustainable agricultural practices and investment in climate adaptation for small-holder farmers is necessary. Otherwise, these farmers will continue to be vulnerable to climate-related shocks, making it difficult to &lt;a href="https://www.fsinplatform.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/GRFC2025-spotlight-resilience.pdf"&gt;maintain their livelihoods&lt;/a&gt; and putting them at risk of facing food insecurity. To ensure global food security, climate finance for small-holder farmers must increase urgently to at least &lt;a href="https://www.ifad.org/en/w/opinions/the-75-billion-climate-finance-gap-an-imperfect-but-important-figure-for-small-scale-farmers#:~:text=Investing%20in%20small%2Dscale%20farmers%20is%20one%20of%20the%20most,food%20supply%20for%20us%20all."&gt;$75 billion — nearly 14 times the current level&lt;/a&gt;. This increased climate finance will help equip small-holder farmers with the essential resources needed for &lt;a href="https://www.ifad.org/en/w/opinions/the-75-billion-climate-finance-gap-an-imperfect-but-important-figure-for-small-scale-farmers"&gt;climate adaptation and building resilient agriculture systems&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. The climate and food system destruction cycle will only continue.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The profit-driven rapid scaling of our food systems is having an effect on the environment. &lt;br/&gt;
Moving towards &lt;a href="https://climateshotinvestor.org/publications/the-triple-gap-in-finance-for-agrifood-systems"&gt;low-carbon, climate-resilient&lt;/a&gt;, and environmentally friendly practices will significantly &lt;a href="https://www.zevero.earth/blog/regenerative-agriculture-reduce-ghg-emissions#:~:text=Soil%20Carbon%20Sequestration:%20By%20capturing,enhance%20this%20carbon%20sequestration%20process."&gt;reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase crop yields, and support biodiversity&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To help with this transition, there is a need for an increase in climate finance within this sector. Agriculture and food systems currently receive less than &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/why-sustainable-agriculture-has-be-heart-climate-funding-2025-06-23/"&gt;5%&lt;/a&gt; of climate finance. Research by the ClimateShot Investor Coalition shows that we need to invest &lt;a href="https://climateshotinvestor.org/publications/the-triple-gap-in-finance-for-agrifood-systems"&gt;$1.1 trillion&lt;/a&gt; each year until 2030 to achieve sustainable food production that creates jobs and &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/why-sustainable-agriculture-has-be-heart-climate-funding-2025-06-23/"&gt;meets Paris Agreement goals&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;As COP30 approaches in Belém, Brazil, the urgency for prioritizing food resilience and sustainable food systems is more important than ever. The interconnected crises of climate change and food insecurity threaten livelihoods and global food supply. By increasing climate finance for sustainable agriculture and supporting smallholder farmers, we can address inequalities, enhance food security, and combat climate change. COP30 provides the opportunity to advocate for a food system that serves both people and the planet. The time for action is now, let's make food resilience a cornerstone of our climate response.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Fadeke Banjo</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:46:47 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/sustainable-food-systems-farmers-priority-cop30/</guid><category>Food &amp; Hunger</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/c3/60/c360f361-71c2-4849-be9a-27375d527f62/ap-photo_climate_mexico_ancient_farms_women-global_citizen.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">AP Photo/Felix Marquez</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Celebrating a Global Milestone: P&amp;G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program Delivers 25 Billion Liters of Clean Water</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-milestone-for-childrens-safe-water-program/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;For decades, Procter &amp;amp; Gamble (P&amp;amp;G) has been on a mission to improve lives in meaningful ways. This year, that commitment has taken center stage as the company’s&lt;a href="https://csdw.org/"&gt; Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program&lt;/a&gt; celebrates an extraordinary achievement: delivering&lt;a href="https://thehealthcaretechnologyreport.com/pgs-childrens-safe-drinking-water-program-makes-measurable-global-gains/"&gt; 25 billion liters of clean water&lt;/a&gt; to families and communities in need across more than 100 countries.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Clean water is not just a convenience — it is a&lt;a href="https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights-water-and-sanitation"&gt; basic human right&lt;/a&gt;. Yet today,&lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/26-08-2025-1-in-4-people-globally-still-lack-access-to-safe-drinking-water---who--unicef#:~:text=Despite%20gains%20since%202015%2C%201,in%20urban%20areas%20has%20stagnated."&gt; nearly 2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water&lt;/a&gt;, a reality that threatens health, education, economic opportunity, and the essence of life itself. Since 2004, P&amp;amp;G has harnessed the transformative power of its own cleaning innovation to tackle this global challenge head-on.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Innovation That Saves Lives&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
The heart of the CSDW Program is the&lt;a href="https://csdw.org/pg-purifier-of-water-packets/"&gt; P&amp;amp;G Purifier of Water packet&lt;/a&gt;, a four-gram sachet that contains the power of a full water treatment plant. Developed by P&amp;amp;G chemist Dr. Phil Souter, who applied his expertise in fabric care science to a global problem. The packet makes it possible to&lt;a href="https://youtu.be/n33m7_ksX-4"&gt; turn 10 liters of contaminated water into safe drinking water in just 30 minutes&lt;/a&gt; using everyday items like a bucket, spoon, and cloth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This simple innovation has transformed families’ lives, replacing the impossible choice of drinking dirty water or going without. For countless children, clean water has meant fewer days of illness, more days in school, and the chance to grow up with better opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Power of Partnerships&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
Achieving a milestone as remarkable as delivering 25 billion liters of clean water to those in need would not have been possible without the strength of collaboration. Over the last two decades, P&amp;amp;G has worked with more than 150 partner organizations, including NGOs such as&lt;a href="https://www.americares.org/"&gt; Americares&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;a href="https://www.care.org/"&gt; CARE&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;a href="https://www.childfund.org/"&gt; ChildFund&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;a href="https://www.savethechildren.org.za/"&gt; Save the Children&lt;/a&gt;, and&lt;a href="https://www.wvi.org/"&gt; World Vision&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, these partners have reached even the most remote communities, ensuring that clean water exists where it is needed most. From disaster relief zones to villages where infrastructure remains out of reach, these partnerships have shown that lasting impact is only possible through shared commitment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health, Education, and Growth&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
The ripple effects of clean water extend across many aspects of daily life.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Health:&lt;/strong&gt; Every day, h&lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/water-sanitation-and-hygiene-wash#:~:text=Billions%20of%20people%20around%20the,UNICEF/UNI401765/Naftalin"&gt;undreds of children&lt;/a&gt; under 5 die from waterborne diseases caused by contaminated water. By killing bacteria, viruses, and parasites, the P&amp;amp;G Purifier of Water packet helps families stay healthier.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Education:&lt;/strong&gt; When children are healthy, they can stay in school. In many regions, it is young girls who shoulder the responsibility of securing and managing water. With clean water at home, they gain the opportunity to attend school consistently, building brighter futures.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Community Growth:&lt;/strong&gt; Access to clean water enables families to pursue economic opportunities. It reduces the disproportionate burden on women and girls, supporting broader community development and resilience.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reaching the 25 Billion Liter Goal&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
When P&amp;amp;G set the ambitious target of delivering 25 billion liters of clean water by 2025, it was more than just a numeric milestone — it was a bold statement of possibility. Through consistent innovation, tireless efforts from employees, and the unwavering dedication of local leaders and NGO partners, this goal has now been achieved ahead of schedule.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This achievement is about more than numbers — it’s about people. From the mother in rural Africa who can now give her child clean water to drink, to the child in Southeast Asia who can attend school instead of staying home sick, the program’s impact is measured in lives transformed.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What’s Next for CSDW?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
While 25 billion liters is a remarkable accomplishment, the journey is far from over. The reality remains that a significant portion of the world’s population still lacks access to clean water, and that figure is only increasing in the face of global crises.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Looking forward, the CSDW Program will continue to serve as a critical bridge during disasters and crises, delivering immediate relief until longer-term water solutions can be established. Together with partners, they are committed to expanding the reach of the program, ensuring that more families can benefit from access to the basic need that is clean water.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This milestone is not an end point — it’s a renewed call to action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Shared Achievement, A Shared Responsibility&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
P&amp;amp;G’s delivery of 25 billion liters through the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program demonstrates what is possible when innovation and collaboration come together. But it also highlights the ongoing responsibility we all share in addressing the global water crisis.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As P&amp;amp;G celebrates this milestone, it reaffirms its commitment: to keep transforming lives through the power of clean water.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:33:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-milestone-for-childrens-safe-water-program/</guid><category>Water &amp; Sanitation</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/60/0a/600a77ce-594c-49ce-b428-dd977e3d2328/d4_csdw_thailand_2149_1.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>This Simple Device is Making Maternal Health More Accessible in Kenya</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/this-simple-device-is-making-maternal-health-more/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;“Move it to the right… yes, hold it still there,” a calm voice says from a tablet propped on a counter inside Zackii Medical Clinic on Nairobi’s outskirts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the small clinic room, six months pregnant Stella Arikiriza lies on the examination bed for a routine ultrasound.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Beside her, a clinician adjusts the compact ultrasound probe against her belly, based on instructions coming from a video call on the tablet. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kendie Kauria Pierah is the calm voice on the video call. Through telehealth consultations, she sees ultrasound images in real time, guiding the clinician’s use of a handheld device. Pierah, the lead sonographer at Ilara Health — a Kenyan startup that connects clinics to expert sonography — sits in Nairobi, providing virtual support and reviewing scans to help diagnose patients. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I look at the fetus’ heartrate, position, and essential details such as their age and weight to monitor their growth. We also identify any abnormalities such as reduced fetal movement or heart rate," Pierah says. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;In a country where skilled sonographers are limited, many pregnant women receive ultrasounds from nurses or clinicians without specialized training in performing or interpreting scans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Most nurses have never used ultrasound equipment,” Pierah tells us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through &lt;a href="https://www.ilarahealth.com/"&gt;Ilara Health&lt;/a&gt;, a handheld device and virtual connection allow pregnant women across the country to access remote expert analysis of their ultrasounds. In &lt;a href="https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-025-13212-8"&gt;small clinical studies&lt;/a&gt;, such point-of-care devices in the hands of midwives have shown to improve diagnosis and management of pregnancy. Additional &lt;a href="https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-025-13212-8"&gt;research&lt;/a&gt; also shows benefits in maternity triage settings, enhancing clinical decision-making during delivery. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With 260 clinics across Kenya offering this service, Ilara Health’s four Nairobi-based sonographers analyze roughly 400 scans monthly from facilities nationwide. This is expected to rapidly scale, as the company aims to support 500,000 ultrasounds for women across Kenya over the next five years. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heightened Maternal Mortality Risks&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Arikiriza, a first-time mother, is one of thousands of women who have accessed Ilara Health’s ultrasound services with virtual analysis by trained sonographers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I was a little anxious. I wanted to know if the baby was alright,” Arikiriza says. “They told me the baby’s position was not [optimal] and advised me to massage my belly so the baby could turn.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It’s advice like this that helps women understand potential pregnancy complications, and enables them to make informed decisions about delivery. According to Pierah, many pregnant women lack this vital information, and “give birth [vaginally] when they should have a cesarean section,” putting them at risk.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Kenya ranks as the &lt;a href="https://nation.africa/kenya/health/kenya-ranks-fourth-in-africa-with-highest-maternal-mortality-burden-4710232"&gt;fourth-highest country in Africa&lt;/a&gt; for maternal deaths, with 594 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to USAID. To curb these figures, Kenya's national guidelines for obstetrics and perinatal care recommend women have a minimum of four antenatal visits per pregnancy — though those in remote areas often lack access to these services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Eric Mbuthia, Chief Technology and Medical Officer at Ilara Health, notes ultrasounds are an essential component of antenatal care. A properly conducted ultrasound can make all the difference for a woman in a high-risk pregnancy, particularly as it can help detect potential complications and enable early intervention. Ensuring access to all pregnant women is essential, Mbuthia explains. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Accessing these services — let alone from trained individuals — can be quite the challenge. Most pregnant women in Kenya receive ultrasounds at primary clinics, where clinicians are not required to have formal training on the procedure in interpreting the results. And while some trained sonographers work at public hospitals, it isn’t always feasible for pregnant women in remote areas to access this service. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;“Imagine a heavily pregnant woman from a remote village having to ride on the back of a motorcycle so she can go to the nearest government hospital 10 kilometers away [for an ultrasound],” Pierah notes. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This was the case in Namanga, a town on the Kenya–Tanzania border, where ultrasound services were limited. When a local clinician purchased a point-of-care device from Ilara Health, Pierah traveled to conduct in-person training on device use so local women could access the service.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Access to Sonography in Kenya&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“It’s stark what the difference is just 20 minutes from Nairobi,” says Mbuthia, reflecting on healthcare options on the outskirts of the country’s capital city. “The further away from the city you go, your options start dwindling as far as the number of clinics and their distance. Many women only have the option of a public hospital, and the concerns with public care are the same across Kenya — a large number of patients, sometimes understaffing, shortages of commodities, and equipment malfunctions.” &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;While Ilara Health predominantly works with private health clinics, the company has partnered with the regional government in Makueni County to increase accessibility of its virtual sonographer ultrasound service. The county now has 20 point-of-care ultrasound devices, up from two, serving a population of nearly &lt;a href="https://www.knbs.or.ke/2019-kenya-population-and-housing-census-results/"&gt;one million people.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While Kenya has a public healthcare system, it is often inaccessible — whether due to distance, staffing shortages, or resource gaps to name a few reasons. Data shows that &lt;a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7929743/"&gt;up to 47%&lt;/a&gt; of households with lower income seek care from private facilities, often because they are more reliable. Given this, the affordability of services at private clinics is a major factor in who can access these services. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;In Kenya, a traditional ultrasound can cost about $20 out of pocket, compared with about $10 using a point-of-care device. Traditional systems rely on bulky, stationary equipment, while point-of-care devices are mobile and more cost-effective.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Back at Zackii Medical Clinic, Arikiriza leaves as nine-months-pregnant Naomi Kwamboka arrives for a routine ultrasound. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I have two other children, but they’re older — a 19-year-old and a 15-year-old — both girls,” she says. “I’m pregnant with a boy now. They told me a long time ago, but every time I’m here, I ask them to confirm again. I just want to be sure,” she says, laughing. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a country where distance often affects outcomes, access to ultrasound helps people understand their pregnancies — and for many in Kenya, it is increasingly within reach.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Editor’s Note: &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;This article is part of a content series that was made possible with funding from the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Jacky Habib</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:35:18 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/this-simple-device-is-making-maternal-health-more/</guid><category>Health</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/14/4d/144d67c7-7a1e-4fb2-bc1c-53beaf4a9687/stbf_ilarahealth_kenya_edwinndekeforglobalcitizen-011.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Edwin Ndeke for Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia Welcomes Charlie Puth to Its Star-Studded Lineup</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/new-artists-join-the-all-star-line-up-for-global-c/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;We’re excited to announce that&lt;strong&gt; Charlie Puth &lt;/strong&gt;is joining the lineup for next week’s Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia! The festival takes over Belém’s Estádio Olímpico — known as Mangueirão — in Pará, Brazil, on Saturday, Nov 1. &lt;strong&gt;Alane Dias, Ricardinho&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Luiza Zveiter&lt;/strong&gt; will join as presenters, and &lt;strong&gt;Vivi Batidão&lt;/strong&gt; kicks things off with a special pre-show performance presented by &lt;strong&gt;Banco do Brasil&lt;/strong&gt;. They join &lt;strong&gt;Gilberto Gil&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Eric Terena&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Kaê Guajajara&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Djuena Tikuna&lt;/strong&gt; as part of the all-star lineup announced last week.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This will be the &lt;strong&gt;first-ever edition of the Global Citizen Festival held in Latin America&lt;/strong&gt;, celebrating the Amazon’s cultural richness and global significance. Our hosts — &lt;strong&gt;Regina Casé&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Mel Fronckowiak&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Hugo Gloss&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Isabelle Nogueira&lt;/strong&gt; — will guide audiences through an inspiring evening, with special appearances by &lt;strong&gt;Rodrigo Santoro&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Estêvão Ciavatta&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Quote: “I’m thrilled to be coming to Belém for the first Global Citizen Festival in Latin America,” said Charlie Puth. “As a Global Citizen Ambassador, I’m honored to be part of such an important cause for our planet and can’t wait to see you on Nov 1st.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Voices of Leadership and Collaboration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re honored to welcome some of Brazil’s leading voices to the festival stage: &lt;strong&gt;Sônia Guajajara&lt;/strong&gt;, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil; &lt;strong&gt;Célia Xakriabá&lt;/strong&gt;, Federal Deputy for Minas Gerais; and &lt;strong&gt;Helder Barbalho&lt;/strong&gt;, Governor of Pará State.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They’ll be joined by &lt;strong&gt;Samela Sateré Mawé&lt;/strong&gt;, biologist, artisan, Indigenous communicator, and advocate for environmental and Indigenous rights; and &lt;strong&gt;Juma Xipaia&lt;/strong&gt;, Chief of Kaarimã Village, Xipaya Indigenous Territory, Founder and Executive Director of the Juma Institute, and producer of the film ‘YANUNI'.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We also welcome &lt;strong&gt;Jean Ferreira da Silva&lt;/strong&gt;, Executive Director of Gueto Hub and Co-Creator of COP das Baixadas; &lt;strong&gt;José Kaeté&lt;/strong&gt;, communicator and Indigenous representative; &lt;strong&gt;Hugo Loss&lt;/strong&gt;, environmental analyst with IBAMA; &lt;strong&gt;Luene Karipuna&lt;/strong&gt;, young Indigenous leader from the Karipuna people; &lt;strong&gt;Priscila Tapajowara&lt;/strong&gt;, President of Mídia Indígena; &lt;strong&gt;Puyr Tembé&lt;/strong&gt;, Secretary of State for Indigenous Peoples of Pará; &lt;strong&gt;Úrsula Vidal&lt;/strong&gt;, journalist and Secretary of Culture of Pará; and &lt;strong&gt;Vanuza do Abacatal&lt;/strong&gt;, political and spiritual leader of Abacatal Quilombo.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Their insights and experience will strengthen the festival’s message of unity, environmental stewardship, and collaboration across communities.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Music for a Shared Purpose&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They join previously announced performers &lt;strong&gt;Gaby Amarantos&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Anitta&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Seu Jorge&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Chris Martin of Coldplay&lt;/strong&gt;, along with a special appearance by &lt;strong&gt;Chief Raoni Metuktire&lt;/strong&gt;. Together, these artists and leaders will unite to inspire global participation in protecting the Amazon.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Even before the official opening of Mangueirão’s doors, ticket holders will be able to enjoy a special program outside the stadium. Starting at 3:00pm, the area will feature an exclusive activation hosted by &lt;strong&gt;Banco do Brasil&lt;/strong&gt;, including live performances and interactive experiences, creating an atmosphere of celebration and engagement from the very first hours of the day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stadium doors will open at 4:00pm, and the live show will begin at 5:30pm with a special performance by &lt;strong&gt;Vivi Batidão&lt;/strong&gt;, presented by Banco do Brasil.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“In just a few weeks, the first ever Latin American edition of Global Citizen Festival will take place at the gateway to one of the world’s most important ecosystems, to raise funding to protect the Amazon and uplift the voices of its guardians right across the globe. It’s going to be unforgettable, as we celebrate the culmination of this important campaign, live from Belém to the world,” said &lt;strong&gt;Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact and Government Relations Officer, Global Citizen&lt;/strong&gt;. “Be sure to arrive early to secure a good spot — doors open at 4pm, and you don’t want to miss the start of the exciting program at 5:30.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One Year of Action for the Amazon &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia marks the culmination of our year-long &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;Protect the Amazon campaign&lt;/a&gt; — a global effort to generate funding, policy progress, and awareness for one of Earth’s most essential ecosystems.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To date, the campaign has secured over $345 million in commitments, including $135 million from Everland; $100 million from the Inter-American Development Bank; $26 million from the Jaguar Rivers Initiative; $20 million from a coalition of organizations including Rainforest Trust, Andes Amazon Fund, Art Into Acres, Liz Claiborne Foundation, and Re:wild; and $10 million from the Thistlerock Mead Company. Suriname pledged to pass the Sustainable Management of Nature Law and codified to preserve 90% forest coverage, approximately 15 million hectares. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join Us — Wherever You Are&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/events-broadcasts/global-citizen-festival-amazonia/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia&lt;/a&gt; will be broadcast across Brazil exclusively on &lt;strong&gt;Globo&lt;/strong&gt;, including live on &lt;strong&gt;Multishow&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Globoplay&lt;/strong&gt;, open to non-subscribers in Brazil, with free-to-watch highlights airing on &lt;strong&gt;TV Globo&lt;/strong&gt;, so viewers across Brazil can watch and take action in real time. Outside of Brazil, the festival will be live streamed globally on YouTube, and on ViX across the U.S., Mexico and Latin America.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia is presented by &lt;strong&gt;Banco do Brasil. &lt;/strong&gt;Supporting partner is &lt;strong&gt;Teneo&lt;/strong&gt;; organizing partner &lt;strong&gt;Re:wild&lt;/strong&gt;; policy partners &lt;strong&gt;Bezos Earth Fund &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;Open Society Foundations&lt;/strong&gt;, preferred payment partner &lt;strong&gt;BB Visa&lt;/strong&gt;, payment experience partner &lt;strong&gt;Cielo&lt;/strong&gt;, and location partner the&lt;strong&gt; State of Pará&lt;/strong&gt;. Production partners are &lt;strong&gt;Live Nation&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Rock World&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Earn Your Ticket by Taking Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tickets to Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia are available exclusively to the residents of Belém and Pará State, Brazil, and can be earned by taking action on the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/app/download/?utm_source=referral_pressrelease&amp;amp;utm_medium=traditional_media&amp;amp;utm_campaign=global_powerourplanet_sitesignup&amp;amp;utm_content=ctasignup_link"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/festival/amazonia/"&gt;website&lt;/a&gt;, or by sending a WhatsApp message to +55 (11) 4040-7099 to demand action to end deforestation, accelerate a just transition to renewables, and support communities on the frontlines of climate impacts. Eligibility will be confirmed through a residency verification process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To make Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia accessible to all, including those without smartphones or internet access, and ensure that historically underrepresented communities have equitable access to attend, Global Citizen has partnered with the State of Pará and a network of regional organizations to distribute tickets directly to Indigenous peoples, local communities, and young people from across the Amazon region — including &lt;strong&gt;Usinas da Paz&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;SEPI (Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of Pará)&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Mídia Indígena&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;COP das Baixadas&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;REPAM (Rede Eclesial Pan-Amazônica)&lt;/strong&gt;, and&lt;strong&gt; Grupo Funtelpa.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The agenda and impact strategy of the Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia campaign are being developed in consultation with a coalition of supporters, including leading social movements, foundations, and nonprofit organizations. Currently, there are over 190 civil society partner organizations from around the world, including Indigenous groups, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-quilombola-and-ribeirinho-communities-defend/"&gt;quilombola communities&lt;/a&gt;, and local organizations in Brazil, which have been and continue to be essential in raising and strengthening the issues related to the protection of the Amazon and other biomes. The full list of partners can be found on the official &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;campaign page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Protecting the Amazon, Protecting Our Future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Amazon is one of the planet’s most essential ecosystems — a living source of oxygen, biodiversity, and climate balance. Its protection is critical to addressing the global environmental challenges we all face.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/events-broadcasts/global-citizen-festival-amazonia/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia&lt;/a&gt; is an opportunity for us to come together — through music, culture, and collective action — to safeguard this remarkable region and support those who care for it every day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Join us in Belém, or tune in from anywhere in the world. Together, we can help protect the Amazon and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For more information, visit &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizenfestival.com/"&gt;globalcitizenfestival.com&lt;/a&gt;, download the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download/?_branch_match_id=1285626358955641877&amp;amp;utm_medium=marketing&amp;amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXT89JykkuqcrTS87XT8kvz8vJT0yxrytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUAfDvkaDYAAAA%3D"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt;, and follow us on &lt;a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@glblctzn"&gt;TikTok&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://instagram.com/glblctzn/"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3_C7BwcV0kBlJbBFHTPJQ"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/GLBLCTZN"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/GlblCtzn"&gt;Twitter,&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/globalcitizen"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:59:24 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/new-artists-join-the-all-star-line-up-for-global-c/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/a0/b3/a0b3360b-0d29-4ab0-8b09-d926753f8ec5/gcfa-2025-artist-cards-cp-16x9.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>How Engajamundo Is Redefining Youth Climate Leadership</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-engajamundo-is-redefining-youth-climate-leader/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;The acronym COP stands for &lt;em&gt;Conference of the Parties&lt;/em&gt;. The “parties” are the countries that signed the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/6-must-know-facts-about-cop21/"&gt;Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt;, represented mostly by high-level negotiators, the majority of whom are men from the Global North. In the negotiation rooms, silence dominates: only official delegates may speak, and only when it is their turn.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It was in this silence that, at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/and-thats-a-wrap-on-cop29-this-years-global-climat/"&gt;COP-29 in Baku (Azerbaijan)&lt;/a&gt;, a group of young people found a powerful way to be heard. The&lt;a href="https://genevasolutions.news/human-rights/whispers-self-censorship-and-crackdowns-on-free-speech-prevailed-at-cop29"&gt; “March of Whispers” &lt;/a&gt;highlighted both the strict UN rules and limitations on civic expression in the host country. Whispering in unison, participants found a creative way to use silence as expression, drawing attention to climate issues under discussion. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Among the organizers was &lt;a href="https://engajamundo.org/en/"&gt;Engajamundo&lt;/a&gt;, a Brazilian youth collective created in 2012 after Rio+20. For more than a decade, Engaja has connected Global South youth with the formal climate negotiations spaces, long dominated by older voices from the North. They combine public demonstrations and advocacy with long-term strategies of training and political engagement. From occupying the streets to occupying negotiation halls, the organization shows that both forms of action are vital, sparking attention, shifting narratives, and ensuring youth voices directly influence climate governance.&lt;/p&gt;
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“Engaja creates a space for testing, trial, and error,” says Larissa Moraes, director of Engajamundo. “It acts as an entry point for activism, offering a toolbox that young people can adapt to their own realities while fostering new leadership in their fields.” Beyond climate, the organization also engages youth in discussions on biodiversity, sustainable cities and housing, and gender — supported by rotating, affirmative leadership structures that ensure plurality and diversity of voices in its governance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Youth is often framed as “the future.” But in the face of the climate crisis, there is no time to wait. Around the world, young people are claiming the present—demanding seats at decision-making tables and proving that leadership is not limited by age.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/reports/youth-protests-and-polycrisis"&gt;UNICEF’s report “Youth, Protests and Polycrisis”&lt;/a&gt; illustrates this shift: from 1990 to 2019, youth participation in non-violent mass mobilizations grew consistently. Young people became central in efforts related to climate action, inclusion, and strengthening democratic processes. Often linking online and offline mobilization, they tend to prefer direct non-violent action — tactics that have generated significant impact, even if not always guaranteeing formal decision-making power.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That gap is exactly what Engajamundo seeks to bridge. The organization was born with the bold goal of speaking at a UN conference — a milestone achieved in just one year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 2011, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) had formally recognized YOUNGO, its youth constituency. Since then, Engajamundo has been Brazil’s pioneering youth group in this space, also helping build the &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/education-and-youth/youngo/coy"&gt;Conferences of Youth (COY)&lt;/a&gt; that precede each COP. By doing so, it ensures that the diversity of Brazilian youth perspectives is reflected not only in UN corridors but also in local communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Today, Engajamundo is a national network of more than 300 volunteers, organized in thematic groups and local hubs clustered by biomes in the Biomatic Houses (Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest). In Belém — host city of COP-30 — Engaja youth are already mapping initiatives and creating safety infrastructure to ensure that activities during the conference can take place peacefully and securely.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;At COP-30, Engajamundo plans bold, strategic interventions. The focus will be on three key agendas: adaptation, climate finance, and a just energy transition. The organization will launch high-impact communication actions aligned with the pace of negotiations, and establish a collaborative physical hub in Belém — part creative studio, part meeting point for advocates . A security framework will support safe participation, while an open channel will allow young people from across Brazil to join activities inside and outside the official UN zone. The highlight will be the march led by Peoples Summit's towards COP-30, where Brazilian youth intend to break years of silencing with a collective and powerful voice — “because this is the cry that civil society has been holding back for three years,” said Larissa Moraes, in reference to the conference being held in autocratic contexts.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;For those who want to support Engajamundo, there are several pathways. First, through collaboration and visibility: amplifying campaigns, building partnerships, and co-creating projects. Second, through financial support: direct donations sustain the volunteer base and programs like Rebuliço, which provides stipends to young participants from under-resourced backgrounds, reducing dropout caused by financial barriers. Launched in 2022 with 30 diverse youth, "Rebu" combined self-recognition, political education, and collective action, resulting in mobilizations across 18 cities. Engajamundo positions itself as a mobilization agent through advocacy and media in the face of the growing spread of climate disinformation. By focusing on key factors such as data integrity and fact-checking on the climate agenda, especially during the UN Climate Conferences, the organization creates spaces for people to follow negotiations closely and avoid falling into misinformation traps. Through education projects and narrative strategies, Engajamundo equips youth to understand these arenas as contested spaces, where shifting attention and framing are key to advancing just and science-based climate action.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The results are clear: Brazilian youth are no longer mere observers but protagonists in defining climate policies — both internationally and nationally. Their direct actions and policy engagement broaden democratic participation and highlight the challenges of global climate governance, reminding the world that climate justice is impossible without youth leadership.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The present may feel swampy and the future uncertain for the youth of the 21st century. Climate impacts, inequality, conflict , and rising living costs often fuel anxiety and uncertainty. That is why stories like Engajamundo's matter. They show that, faced with challenges, Global South youth can transform concern into collective strength — mobilizing, organizing, and advocating for their rights. And in doing so, they show that building a more just future begins now, in the present.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">João Pedro Galvão Ramalho</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 11:03:48 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-engajamundo-is-redefining-youth-climate-leader/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/c5/cd/c5cd6091-17d0-4356-b522-8468b481088b/screenshot_2025-10-14_at_125433.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Instagram</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>9 Must-See Moments From the 2025 Global Citizen Festival</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-must-see-moments-from-2025-global-citizen-fest/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Music, movement, and measurable impact on one unforgettable night. The Global Citizen Festival returned to the Great Lawn with 60,000 people in the park — and millions more watching worldwide — to prove, again, that pop culture can move policy when people act together. This year’s show blended show-stopping sets with concrete commitments for clean energy, rainforest protection, and children’s health and education. From surprise stage moments to phone-lit pledges, an Indigenous ceremony to a battery-powered stage, here are 10 moments that captured the spirit, scale, and joy of #GCF2025 — and why they matter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1) Europe Details $640M Plan for Clean Power Across Africa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The European Commission translated big promises into project blueprints. This included high-voltage lines, rural mini-grids, and nationwide electrification packages that will bring reliable power to communities across multiple countries. It was a standout policy reveal as it answered a nagging question on most people’s minds after large financial pledges are made: how will you make this happen, and by when? Turning the committed Euros into tangible plans makes “tripling renewables” a real — and trackable — goal.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2) Fogo Azul NYC’s 50 Drummers Thunder the Start&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The women-led samba-reggae ensemble rollicked down the runway and ignited the park’s collective heartbeat. It wasn’t just a burst of hype; it was a blueprint for how joy mobilizes. The line of blue drums, the call-and-response, the infectious dancing — it all said: participation is the point. When a movement feels like this, people join, stay, and act again tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3) Education Fund Surges Past $30 Million&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Onstage and at the&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/impact-sessions/"&gt; Impact Sessions&lt;/a&gt; (which took place a few days ahead of the festival), momentum built behind the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/"&gt;FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund&lt;/a&gt; — with contributions from MetLife, Bank of America, Cisco, the Government of Sierra Leone, and more — pushing the fund past the festival milestone of $30 million towards the path to $100 million by 2026. Quality education and football programs financed by this fund will reach tens of thousands of kids, pairing necessary life skills with learning. It’s a win you could feel in the crowd.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4) Tyla Takes NYC&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;South Africa’s Tyla transformed Central Park into a late-summer dance floor, proof that the Queen of Popiano knows how to command the global stage. Sleek, beat-driven, and effortlessly cool, her set echoed the festival’s African energy arc — from renewable power to cultural pride. The message between the basslines was clear: the clean-energy future we’re building in Africa is already powering creativity and lighting up the world.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5) Volunteer Power: Thousands Earned Their Tickets&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With every festival, tickets are earned — and this year that sentiment was taken to the next level with in-person community work. From Global Citizen Day with &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizens-day-at-the-bowery-mission-a-day-of/"&gt;The Bowery Mission&lt;/a&gt; to &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizens-clean-up-canarsie-pier/"&gt;beach cleanups&lt;/a&gt; and 40,000 mentorship signups, it was sensational to have citizens earn their tickets by showing up where it matters most — a feat that was shouted by advocates on stage, including Kristen Bell.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6) Ayra Starr &amp;amp; Rema Spark a Phone-Lit Pledge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In one of the night’s most unforgettable sights, Ayra Starr and surprise guest Rema asked the park to “shine a light,” and tens of thousands of phones rose like stars. The moment crystallized what Global Citizen stands for: participation is simple but powerful. A raised light becomes a petition signed, a representative called, a donation made. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7) Sustainability in Practice: SmartGrid Stage, Veg Menu, Offsets&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Each year Global Citizen Festival remains committed to making the event a sustainable affair. In 2025, the show walked its talk. The main stage ran on a SmartGrid battery system, all food was vegetarian with expanded vegan options, and biochar credits (which come from turning farm waste into a charcoal-like substance that locks carbon into the soil) helped offset the footprint while supporting smallholder farmers. Behind the scenes, surplus meals were donated, and cans were recycled through local partners. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8) Cardi B Ignites the Great Lawn&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A culture-defining, GRAMMY-winning force, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/cardi-and-shakira-lead-all-star-lineup/"&gt;Cardi B&lt;/a&gt; delivered a high-voltage, hit-packed set that turned Central Park into one giant Bronx block party — all swagger, precision, and pure joy. She commanded the stage with her razor-sharp charisma and effortless crowd control, reminding everyone why pop culture is one of the movement’s most powerful accelerants: when the energy spikes, so does the will to act.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9) Shakira’s Global Chorus Closes With “Waka Waka”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For the festival’s finale, Shakira transformed the Great Lawn into a nation of one, with voices lifted in unison on “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” It was a cathartic, joyful finale — and a passing of the torch. The song’s refrain, born as a World Cup anthem for the first African FIFA World Cup in 2010, doubled as a call to keep pushing toward the next major events on the advocacy calendar: Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia and the G20 meetings — this time for Africa’s energy future, for the protection of the Amazon’s forests, and for children’s education everywhere.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why These Moments Matter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The night traced Global Citizen’s signature arc — from values and participation, through policy and celebration, to accountability. Indigenous leadership framed the stakes; volunteers and audience pledges proved the model; governments and companies laid out concrete delivery plans; artists turned attention into energy. That formula has helped drive tens of billions in commitments since 2008 — and it’s still evolving as the movement grows.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What You Can Do Next&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Join the millions of Global Citizens turning moments into momentum. &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download/"&gt;Download the Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt;, take action on clean energy, rainforest protection, and children’s education and nutrition, and invite a friend to do the same. When voices rise together — in a park, online, or in your community — leaders listen, and lives change.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Angi Varrial</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:41:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-must-see-moments-from-2025-global-citizen-fest/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/8f/d2/8fd23d83-82de-4b35-b226-4f4770b2c56e/t_w26946_gmypyflq.jpeg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Getty Images</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>How Volunteerism Stood Out at the Global Citizen Festival This Year</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizens-clean-up-canarsie-pier/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;When over 120 volunteers gathered at &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/gate/learn/historyculture/canarsie-pier.htm"&gt;Canarsie Pier&lt;/a&gt; on Friday, September 19, they brought more than trash bags and enthusiasm. They brought a shared commitment to environmental action that transformed Brooklyn's waterfront while earning their place at the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/nyc/2025/"&gt;2025 Global Citizen Festival&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;
The beach cleanup represented a key moment in Global Citizen's environmental advocacy: proving that defending the planet requires hands-on action in our own neighborhoods. With gloves on and grabbers in hand, participants spent three hours removing debris from Jamaica Bay's shoreline, documenting pollution patterns, and protecting critical urban habitat.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Every confirmed volunteer earned free tickets to the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Sept. 27, where Cardi B,  &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/shakira/"&gt;Shakira&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/tyla/"&gt;Tyla&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/ayra-starr/"&gt;Ayra Starr&lt;/a&gt;, Mariah the Scientist, Camilo and Elyanna will perform alongside announcements of new environmental commitments from world leaders.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Partners in Coastal Protection&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The cleanup brought together environmental expertise from multiple organizations committed to protecting New York's waterfront. Global Citizen partnered with the &lt;a href="https://www.jbrpc.org/"&gt;Jamaica Bay Rockaway Parks Conservancy&lt;/a&gt;, which has spent years maintaining the ecological health of one of the city's most important natural areas. &lt;a href="https://www.goodera.com/"&gt;Goodera&lt;/a&gt; provided volunteer coordination support, while the &lt;a href="https://www.littoralsociety.org/"&gt;American Littoral Society's&lt;/a&gt; NY State Beach Cleanup Program ensured scientific rigor in data collection.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.youthconnectnyc.com/blacksurfingrockaway"&gt;Black Surfing Association&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://nyc.surfrider.org/"&gt;Surfrider NYC&lt;/a&gt; contributed specialized knowledge about coastal environmental challenges, connecting the cleanup to broader ocean protection efforts. These partnerships elevated the event beyond simple trash collection into comprehensive environmental advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Impact Through Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Volunteers tackled the "Dirty Dozen"—the most common debris items threatening marine ecosystems along shorelines. Working in teams across Canarsie Pier's waterfront, participants systematically collected and documented trash while learning about the connection between land-based pollution and ocean health.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The cleanup timeline struck a balance between efficiency and education. Morning setup led into intensive debris collection, with breaks for hydration and informal environmental education from partner organizations. Afternoon sessions focused on data compilation and reflection on the day's environmental impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Corporate volunteer groups organized through Goodera worked alongside individual Global Citizens who registered online. &lt;a href="https://www.bigsnyc.org/"&gt;Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC&lt;/a&gt; brought mentorship pairs, turning environmental service into intergenerational learning opportunities. The mix of participants created natural conversations about environmental responsibility across different communities.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From Shoreline to Main Stage&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The path from Canarsie Pier to Central Park reflects Global Citizen's strategy of connecting grassroots environmental action with high-profile advocacy platforms. Volunteers who spent their Friday morning protecting Jamaica Bay will join 60,000 other Global Citizens at the festival, bringing firsthand experience of environmental stewardship to the broader policy conversations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This progression from local action to global platform demonstrates how individual environmental choices contribute to systemic change. Festival attendees will include people who have personally removed pollution from New York waterways, creating authentic voices for environmental protection in Global Citizen's advocacy work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Environmental Education in Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The cleanup provided real-time learning about urban ecosystem challenges. Participants discovered how debris travels from city streets to waterways, learned to identify invasive species affecting Jamaica Bay, and understood connections between local environmental health and broader climate resilience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Partner organizations shared expertise throughout the day, explaining how coastal cleanups contribute to scientific understanding of pollution patterns. The American Littoral Society's data collection protocols ensured that volunteer efforts generated useful information for environmental researchers and policymakers.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Continuing the Work&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Environmental protection requires sustained effort beyond single events. The Jamaica Bay Rockaway Parks Conservancy offers ongoing volunteer opportunities for participants interested in regular environmental service. Global Citizen provides platforms for continued advocacy on environmental policies affecting communities worldwide.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The beach cleanup created connections between participants that extend beyond the event itself. Volunteers exchanged information about other environmental initiatives, creating networks for continued environmental action across New York City.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Urban Nature, Global Impact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jamaica Bay represents a critical piece of New York's environmental infrastructure, providing habitat for hundreds of bird species while offering recreation opportunities for urban communities. The cleanup addressed immediate threats to this ecosystem while raising awareness about the ongoing challenges facing urban natural areas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Climate change intensifies these challenges, making events like the Canarsie Pier cleanup increasingly important for community resilience. Protecting urban ecosystems contributes to broader climate adaptation strategies while providing immediate benefits for local communities.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building Environmental Community&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The diversity of participants — from environmental science students to families introducing children to conservation — created powerful examples of environmental commitment across generations and communities. Seeing neighbors take direct action for environmental protection inspires continued engagement beyond single volunteer events.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Environmental advocacy becomes more effective when grounded in practical experience. Volunteers who have personally witnessed the impacts of pollution on local waterways bring authentic perspectives to broader environmental policy discussions.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Next Steps to Defending the Planet&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The success at Canarsie Pier builds momentum for continued environmental action leading up to the Global Citizen Festival. Participants leave with concrete experience of environmental service, connections to ongoing opportunities for engagement, and earned access to Global Citizen's largest annual advocacy event.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When these volunteers gather in Central Park on Sept. 27, they will represent the intersection of local environmental stewardship and global advocacy. Their experience protecting Jamaica Bay contributes to Global Citizen's broader mission of mobilizing citizens for environmental protection worldwide.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The festival will amplify their voices alongside performers and world leaders, demonstrating how grassroots environmental action scales into policy change. From Brooklyn's shoreline to Central Park's main stage, the path runs through citizen engagement and community action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ready to defend the planet? Download the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download/"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt; and discover opportunities for environmental action in your community.&lt;br/&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Angi Varrial</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 09:28:43 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizens-clean-up-canarsie-pier/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/4d/ab/4dab2277-d485-4a78-a333-2db05cfd21bf/250919-gc_beach_clean_up-3238.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Supplied</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Militarization Took The Home I Knew — Here’s Why I’m Fighting Back with Words</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/militarization-micronesia-siobhon-rumarang-uafan/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Siobhon Rumurang is writer and educator based in Guåhan (or Guam) working for &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nihiguam.org/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Nihi Indigenous Media&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt; — a production house she describes as building “power and community through narrative strategy and storytelling in the Marianas and Micronesia”. Despite civic space being open in &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://monitor.civicus.org/country/micronesia/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Micronesia&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;, Rumurang reflects on the impact of militarization on her people and the land as a result of Guåhan being an unincorporated territory of the United States. In her own words she shares how war has shaped her home and how she uses her writing to capture and challenge that reality. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I’m Siobhon Rumurang, an Indigenous Chamoru-Palauan writer and educator.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was born and raised in Guåhan, where my father’s family is from. Though every few years we make sure to be with my mother’s family in Belau, I’ve lived all my life here in the North Pacific islands of Micronesia. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I grew up in a crowd as the youngest of five kids with our maternal grandma living with us. I’m the child of working class teachers and ministers. I spent a lot of time around schools, community events, and service projects. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By the time I was born, my mom was over a decade into her career in special education. My grandma would help watch me at home and I remember following her into the yard where she farmed taro, sugarcane, and banana. I also come from a family of musicians and artists. My childhood was humid, loud, and full — family gatherings outside in the backyard of a cousin’s house, singing for funerals and holidays and graduation parties. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;In some ways the seeds of advocacy were planted in childhood, by parents who have always had a strong love for the village. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They didn’t have a lot of money but they had skills and time. I watched them care for our community with what they had — volunteering at prison rehabilitation programs, starting an affordable adult high school, working in suicide prevention with our youth, and teaching courses at the public library for our unhoused communities. I don’t know if I would’ve cared about activism later on without this foundation. Before I developed my own critical understandings of justice and liberation, I knew my love for my home was rooted in seeing community needs and pushing for a reality that was better for all of us. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;q&gt;In occupied territory, writing for me is a second homeland. It’s where I reflect on the impacts of militarization.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Advocacy became more personal for me during my college years. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was spending a lot of time in postcolonial literature classes, reading Pacific histories, learning about the scale of US militarization in my home. I’d come home for the summer break and get into political discourse with my dad, a history teacher at the time. My brother enlisted for the army. I was 19 years old and reading &lt;i&gt;Microchild&lt;/i&gt;, a collection of poetry written by my grandpa’s brother reflecting on Palau’s violent struggle for independence from the US. I was also spending hours on social media feeds following the news of state violence and protests across the nation — Trayvon Martin, Ferguson, Black Live Matter, No DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline), Standing Rock. Anti-war demonstrations after US airstrikes across the Middle East. I began to see Guåhan’s struggles beneath the heel of militarization in connection with other movements for justice.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When I finished college and returned home permanently, I remember being overwhelmed with news of military expansion plans in Guåhan: mass deforestation, threats to our main water source in the north, sacred sites turned into firing ranges and weapons testing grounds, thousands of marines relocated to our island. So much development, so much money being poured into our island just for our people to be complicit in global war regimes, just to benefit the wealthiest class. The Department of Defense preying on our people in poverty, enlisting them in droves. It was unbearable. All while our hands remain tied as a US territory with no voting power or agency over our own lands. I began working on demilitarization issues because I understood the way war destroys Indigenous homelands and families — here and across the world. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I’m currently a writer and program coordinator at Nihi Indigenous Media&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A production house here in Guåhan that supports community storytelling and cultural preservation. in the Marianas and Micronesia. Nihi was established back in 2013 by Cara Flores, founder and Director, after several years of organizing to protect our island and community from the severe impacts of US military expansion and operations on Guåhan and throughout the Pacific that disproportionately impact our Indigenous peoples. Through everything from educational campaigns to animated biographies, short documentary work to music videos and Indigenous language immersion — I get to have a small hand in helping uplift our people’s stories, joy, culture, and collective liberation movements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Most of my days are spent writing or researching. Working in community-based media is an extremely collaborative environment. When I’m not drafting scripts or pulling references for a project, I’m coordinating with our wide network of Indigenous artists, traditional elders, youth, and community leaders. When I’m not writing for work, I’m making slow but steady progress on my essays and other nonfiction projects. In occupied territory, writing for me is a second homeland. It’s where I reflect on the impacts of militarization and the resilience of Indigenous communities as the land shifts beneath us. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My modes of writing often move between historian, witness, and futurist; it seeks to offer Indigenous peoples a place of reckoning — to exhume what’s been erased, to grieve what can’t return, and to imagine where we will continue beyond futility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;&lt;b id="docs-internal-guid-3620968f-7fff-3daf-8548-4f9d14ddb9de"&gt;Changemakers need the rest of the world to resist futility, to resist wholesale despair. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;This year, I co-wrote an animated series for Nihi called Heroes of Micronesia. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It’s a celebration of influential elders and leaders from our region who were fierce defenders of our homelands, cultures, and peoples. From traditional knowledge keepers and teachers, to activist attorneys and poets, our people come from heroes who addressed the challenges of militarization, colonialism, occupation, and climate change — and loved us enough to protect our homes, to build a different world, and to move us toward liberated futures. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’ve been able to screen this series in islands all across Micronesia and the broader Pacific, and in classrooms globally. For many of our island audiences, they’re hearing these stories for the first time. And it’s a gift, to be able to empower our people with our own living histories of resistance and revitalization through impossible times. It’s a reminder that we come from greatness, from the beauty and strength of old lands and courageous people.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Currently, Nihi is working on a documentary following the indigenous leaders…&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…behind the largest case in the International Court of Justice’s history, where islanders took climate change to the world’s highest court and secured a landmark advisory opinion. In the world of environmental justice, this has changed the future of what’s possible for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. And we get to be part of telling the story of Indigenous attorneys and frontline voices who led this movement. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Back in 2023, Urgent Action Fund (UAF) was one of the first funders to send relief aid to our organization&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This came after super Typhoon Mawar devastated whole villages in the northern part of Guam. Since then, the UAF Sister Funds in the Pacific have given me incredible opportunities to gather in transnational spaces with other organizers and activists across the globe. Because the UAF convenings are built by, and for, the grassroots world, there’s a real power in the solidarity and knowledge-sharing that takes place in these gatherings. There’s no politics of diplomacy or couching issues in neutral or obfuscating language. We meet and we can be clear about the challenges posed by militarization and violence to our homelands. We can speak directly to funders and explain what needs to change in the colonial process of getting resources to frontlines. UAF has worked hard to create gathering spaces that foster real strength between our movements and I feel so honored to get to be part of this community.  &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Under the current US administration, I’ve seen how efforts for peace and demilitarization have become increasingly challenging.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Not just in Guåhan but across the US  and all its territories. Here in the Marianas and Micronesia, we are working in one of the most militarized places in the world. In 2014, 1 in 8 Chamorus was active or retired from the military. Since then, thousands of Marines have been relocated to the island and hundreds of acres have been cleared for base expansions. We’ve witnessed our homes be turned into testing grounds. And there is no organizing here without navigating strong cultural and national ties within our communities.. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s an economic and social risk when you choose to be outspoken against militarism — jobs that may not hire you, government grants that won’t fund you, veteran family members that feel ashamed of you. When the US military presence is so interwoven into daily life, disentangling their presence within our communities and trying to reduce our island’s dependence on military-related industries becomes a huge challenge. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many of the people I’ve worked with are low-income or working class; they are caretakers of large intergenerational families, survivors of violence, and often they are having to hold up their communities with very little resources or access to healthcare. I see my commitment to advocacy as an extension of our obligations to the island and her people — it’s my responsibility to care about the material conditions that threaten our future. We’re part of this work because we can’t opt out. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Community leaders and advocates need liveable wages and access to healthcare.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They also need stable housing, institutional support, genuine safety, and connection to the wider world of liberation movements. Activism is long and lonely work if you’re doing it tired, underresourced, and isolated. I’ve had the privilege to become part of grassroots alliances, Indigenous organizations, and transnational support networks that believe our communities most affected need holistic care and resources.. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Changemakers need the rest of the world to resist futility, to resist wholesale despair. There’s a kind of cowardice I despise in national conversations around what we can’t bear to witness. That we don’t have the language to hold the scale of global violence. That we couldn’t possibly articulate pathways in, through, or out of this era of political instability. That we’re reaching points of no return. It’s half true and mostly escapism. As an advocate who has benefited from transnational movements and communities, I don’t waste the privilege of sometimes sitting at the world’s grassroots tables — of glimpsing a hundred different possible futures — of progress, setbacks, or adaptation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s always more to lose. There is no finality. What’s still left is not nothing. Someone stays, someone moves money to the frontlines, someone hides, someone else hides them, someone claims the land back, someone trades secrets of escape or infiltration. Somewhere, new forms of life form.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Find out more about Siobhon’s work &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.siobhonrumurang.com/"&gt;&lt;i&gt;here&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;i&gt;This article, as narrated to Gugulethu Mhlungu, has been slightly edited for clarity.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The 2025-2026 In My Own Words series is part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Siobhon Rumurang</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:44:39 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/militarization-micronesia-siobhon-rumarang-uafan/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/e4/16/e41627b1-1b8c-4208-af59-7f9bab68fe26/imow_siobhanrumurang_guam_camiegurrolaforglobalcitizen-header.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Cami Diaz Egurrola for Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Deforestation Is Pushing the Amazon to Collapse — Here's How We Can Stop It and Why We Need Your Help</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/deforestation-is-pushing-the-amazon-to-collapse-he/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Picture this: you're reading this article, maybe sipping your coffee or on your way to work. In the minute it takes to get to the end of this piece, the world will have lost rainforest land equivalent to &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/forests"&gt;10 football (soccer) fields&lt;/a&gt;. It’s hard to wrap your head around, isn’t it? But that’s the stark reality. The world’s tropical rainforests are the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-amazon-rainforest-our-planets-lungs-at-risk/"&gt;lungs of our planet&lt;/a&gt;, but they’re being pushed to a point of no return. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Amazon: More Than Just a Rainforest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Amazon is more than a stretch of green on a map. It’s the beating heart of our planet’s climate system — storing billions of &lt;a href="https://research.noaa.gov/deforestation-warming-flip-part-of-amazon-forest-from-carbon-sink-to-source/#:~:text=The%20Amazon%20is%20estimated%20to,helping%20to%20moderate%20global%20climate."&gt;tons of carbon&lt;/a&gt;, regulating rainfall from the Andes to the Midwest, and helping keep the planet’s temperature in check. Unfortunately, we know that one of the most effective ways to combat climate change is to protect the world’s rainforests, including the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon. It is home to over &lt;a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-amazon-in-crisis-forest-loss-threatens-the-region-and-the-planet?utm_"&gt;45 million people&lt;/a&gt;, many of whom are Indigenous and local communities whose traditions, stories, and ways of life are rooted in the forest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But today, it is under threat — from deforestation, industrial exploitation, and a lack of political will. Scientists now warn we are approaching a &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/14/amazon-rainforest-could-reach-tipping-point-by-2050-scientists-warn"&gt;tipping point&lt;/a&gt; — a moment when the rainforest could suffer irreversible damage, turning into a drier savannah-like ecosystem with devastating consequences for the global climate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here’s what’s happening — and what we can all do to stop it.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why Global Citizen Launched “Protect the Amazon”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In November 2025, the world’s eyes will turn to Belém, Brazil — a city at the edge of the Amazon — as it hosts &lt;a href="https://cop30.br/en"&gt;COP30&lt;/a&gt;, the UN’s annual climate summit. It’s a once-in-a-generation chance for leaders to come face to face with the forest they’ve made so many promises to protect.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It’s also symbolic. COP30 will be held a decade after the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/6-must-know-facts-about-cop21/"&gt;Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt;, where the world’s nations promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support vulnerable countries to adapt to the effects of climate change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But ten years after the historic agreement, we’re still falling short. Emissions are rising. Forests are falling. And the &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/degrees-matter"&gt;1.5°C target&lt;/a&gt; — the line between a livable and an unlivable planet — is slipping away. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;COP30 offers a powerful opportunity to change course. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;COP30 and NDCs: The World’s Climate Plans Are Due&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/24/nx-s1-5157789/climate-change-emissions-greenhouse-gases-united-nations"&gt;No country in the world is on track&lt;/a&gt; to meet their targets needed to cut sufficient emissions and curb the worst impacts of climate change. We need them to urgently strengthen their commitments to the planet — and this is where &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/02/cop29-ndcs-and-why-they-matter"&gt;Nationally Determined Contributions&lt;/a&gt; (NDCs) come in. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Under the Paris Agreement, each nation must establish a new or updated strategy to reduce emissions and prepare for a warming planet. These strategies, known as NDCs, are submitted to the UN and then locally implemented. In 2025, Paris signatories are expected to turn in their third round of NDCs ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November this year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Considering how far off track we are in the fight against the climate crisis, the NDCs that nations submit this year need to be ambitious — &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/news/shaping-the-next-five-years-of-global-climate-action"&gt;particularly since what’s decided in Belém will set the pace for climate action until at least the 2030s&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With this in mind, COP30 is a pivotal stage for the climate summit — a country on the doorstep of the Amazon, whose trees are being hacked away this very, and every, second. It is a stark reminder that protecting and restoring rainforests, securing Indigenous land rights, and investing in sustainable development (that does not hinge on the mutilation of the Amazon’s resources) must be central to these new commitments.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To take advantage of this moment, Global Citizen launched &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;Protect the Amazon&lt;/a&gt;, a global mobilization and advocacy campaign driving action in the lead-up to COP30. We’re leveraging major cultural moments, political convenings, and citizen-led mobilization to build pressure for climate commitments — from governments, financial institutions, and corporations. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These efforts will culminate in the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/amazonia/"&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia&lt;/a&gt;, the first-of-its-kind impact concert in Belém during COP30, that will &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-global-citizen-festival-heads-to-brazil/"&gt;harness the power of culture&lt;/a&gt; to spotlight the Amazon and drive millions of citizens to action. Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will also be one of the most sustainable and lowest impact large-scale events ever to take place in South America.&lt;br/&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What We’re Asking For&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re asking for commitments totalling at least $1 billion in new investments from wealthy countries, philanthropies, companies, and major financial institutions to protect and restore the Amazon. These funds will support existing financial mechanisms like the &lt;a href="https://www.amazonfund.gov.br/en/home/"&gt;Amazon Fund &lt;/a&gt;and the &lt;a href="https://www.filac.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Brochure-FILAC-ingles-1.pdf"&gt;Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re also mobilizing the private sector to invest in community-based solutions. This includes supporting the &lt;a href="https://eq-earth.com/"&gt;Equitable Earth Coalition&lt;/a&gt;, which directs climate finance directly to forest communities leading conservation efforts on the ground, as well as supporting projects from campaign partner Re:wild, which works with communities across the Amazon to restore forests, and advance sustainable development. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finally, we're advocating for something that often gets overlooked: land rights.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Indigenous peoples and local communities are the most &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/whats-the-best-way-to-save-our-rainforests/"&gt;effective stewards of nature&lt;/a&gt;, consistently protecting forests and biodiversity across generations. But without formal rights to their lands, they often lack the power and autonomy needed to continue this protection, and are left vulnerable to displacement, exploitation, and violence. Recognizing and strengthening their rights is one of the most impactful ways to protect forests and to ensure long-term climate resilience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We're calling on governments across the Amazon Basin — including Brazil — to accelerate the process of recognizing and demarcating Indigenous territories in line with international human rights standards. This includes rejecting harmful policies like the "&lt;a href="https://amazonwatch.org/news/2024/0118-indigenous-rights-battle-resumes-in-brazilian-supreme-court"&gt;Marco Temporal&lt;/a&gt;" thesis, which threatens to roll back hard-won land rights, and ensuring that Indigenous peoples and local communities are allowed to meaningfully participate in decision-making, including at international policy negotiations like COP30.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What Can Global Citizens Do?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At a time when forests are nearing a point of no return, frontline communities are bearing the brunt of climate impacts, and renewable energy remains inaccessible, the stakes have never been higher. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;COP30 must be a turning point.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As Global Citizens, we can take action — by raising our voices, applying pressure where it counts, and standing in solidarity with the communities on the front lines of climate change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This isn’t just about Amazon. It’s about food security, clean air, safe water, and a livable future — especially for the generations coming after us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The clock is ticking. But there’s still time to choose a different path.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We know the problem. We have the solutions. Now, we need the will to act. We can &lt;strong&gt;Protect the Amazon,&lt;/strong&gt; and take action now to create change tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu, Mara Ranville and Global Citizen Staff</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:22:44 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/deforestation-is-pushing-the-amazon-to-collapse-he/</guid><category>Forests</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/e4/a3/e4a36cda-9da6-4efa-b349-a0465790487d/projeto-cafe-gato-mourisco-8aikmjf57yy-unsplash.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Projecto Cafe Gato Mouriso/Unsplash</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Financing Africa’s Clean Energy Future: Outcomes from the 2025 Climate Summit in Addis Ababa</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/africa-climate-summit-2025-outcomes/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;In early September 2025, all eyes in the climate advocacy space were on Africa for the  second edition of the &lt;a href="https://africaclimatesummit2.et/about/"&gt;Africa Climate Summit&lt;/a&gt;. This time the summit was hosted by Ethiopia, and took place at the Addis International Convention Center in Addis Ababa. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The inaugural summit, held in Kenya in 2023, saw leaders &lt;a href="https://www.dw.com/en/africa-climate-summit-concludes-with-nairobi-declaration/a-66736413?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;adopt the Nairobi Declaration&lt;/a&gt;, which urged wealthy nations to meet climate finance pledges, reform global lending, and support new measures such as taxing fossil fuels put in place. The Nairobi summit also &lt;a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/07/africa/billions-pledged-at-africa-climate-summit-scn-spc-intl"&gt;secured around $23 billion USD in climate commitments&lt;/a&gt;; however, it fell short on adaptation financing and addressing Africa’s debt burdens. The Ethiopian summit picked up where the last one left off.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;In Addis Ababa, the summit convened under the theme "&lt;a href="https://www.undp.org/africa/events/undp-africa-climate-week-2025-and-second-africa-climate-summit"&gt;Accelerating Global Climate Solutions: Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development&lt;/a&gt;.” Hosted by the Government of Ethiopia in collaboration with the African Union, it brought together African and global leaders, financiers, policymakers, innovators, civil society, youth, and the media.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The three-day event explored &lt;a href="https://sdg.iisd.org/events/second-africa-climate-summit/"&gt;nature-based and technology-driven solutions&lt;/a&gt;, climate adaptation, &lt;a href="https://africaclimatesummit2.et/about/"&gt;renewable energy, sustainable food systems, green cities, e-mobility, indigenous knowledge&lt;/a&gt;, and community-led solutions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, in &lt;a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/declaration-caps-africa-climate-summit-2-with-call-for-investment-justice/3684054"&gt;closing the summit&lt;/a&gt;, said the gathering had shown that “Africa is not a victim of a crisis it did not create but rather a global center for climate solutions.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen was on the ground in Addis Ababa — here’s what you need to know about the 2025 summit and its outcomes: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the Africa Climate Summit?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Africa Climate Summit is Africa’s leading political platform for shaping the climate agenda. It provides a space for governments, financiers, innovators, and communities to align strategies on climate resilience, adaptation, financing, and green growth. Importantly, it amplifies Africa’s collective voice in global climate negotiations, ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Major Announcements and Outcomes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. The Addis Ababa Declaration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;African leaders adopted the &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/declaration-caps-africa-climate-summit-2-with-call-for-investment-justice/3684054"&gt;Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call for Action&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;. The declaration positions Africa as a renewable energy hub and also emphasizes the importance of fair international climate financing, with a focus on grant-based — money that doesn’t need to be paid back — rather than loans that push Africa’s countries into debt.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Launch of the Africa Climate Innovation Compact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The continent’s leaders unveiled the &lt;a href="https://witnessradio.org/africa-adopts-the-africa-climate-innovation-compact-acic-declaration-to-drive-the-continent-towards-innovative-climate-solutions/"&gt;Africa Climate Innovation Compact&lt;/a&gt;, pledging to deliver 1,000 homegrown climate solutions by 2030 in areas including energy, water, agriculture, transport, and resilience. The Compact aims to raise &lt;a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202509120056.html"&gt;$50 billion annually in catalytic finance&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Green Industrialization Push&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;African financial institutions — including AfDB, Afreximbank, Africa50, and AFC — signed a &lt;a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202509120056.html"&gt;Cooperation Framework for the Africa Green Industrialization Initiative (AGII)&lt;/a&gt;, backed by $100 billion USD, to transform Africa’s industries into climate-smart growth engines.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. A New International Pledge&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Government of Denmark &lt;a href="https://africaclimatesummit2.et/news-detail/Joint-Press-Statement-For-Immediate-Release"&gt;committed $79 million USD&lt;/a&gt; to support agricultural transformation, signaling commendable international engagement in Africa’s green agenda.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What Else Happened at the Summit?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Panels, side events, and negotiations shaped the summit’s discussions, with a strong emphasis on renewable energy, food security, and climate finance.&lt;br/&gt;
One key highlight was Global Citizen’s high-level side event, “Bridging the Gap: Public-Private Investment for Africa’s Renewable Transition.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This event brought together senior leaders from governments, development finance institutions, philanthropic organizations, and the private sector to explore actionable pathways for unlocking capital. Organized by Global Citizen’s Fellows under the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa (SURA)&lt;/a&gt; campaign, the event became a milestone in youth-led climate advocacy, with discussions on joint financing priorities, investment-ready opportunities, and mechanisms to de-risk renewable energy initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Youth Voices at ACS2&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen Fellows Hope Dlamini and Lungile Magagula reflected on the summit, emphasizing the significance of youth leadership in shaping Africa’s climate future.&lt;br/&gt;
“Attending the summit in Addis Ababa was a transformative experience for me as a Global Citizen Fellow. It was not only an opportunity to engage in high-level conversations but also to represent youth voices in spaces where climate, development, and justice intersect,” said Dlamini. “What stood out most,” she continued, “was how the summit repositioned Africa from being seen as climate-vulnerable to being recognized as a solutions hub, and I felt proud to be part of the momentum toward that narrative shift.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Her key takeaways included:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Raising Africa’s share of global renewable investment from 2% to 20% by 2030.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensuring women and youth as decision-makers, not tokens.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Designing Afrocentric, context-specific financing models.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On financing, she noted: “For me, the most important shift was the demand for finance as justice, not debt, with leaders explicitly calling for grants instead of loans.”&lt;br/&gt;
Her message to Global Citizens: “Africa is ready, the youth is energized and the willpower exists but it cannot do this alone. Global Citizens across the world must demand that world leaders honor climate finance commitments, push for loss, and damage frameworks to be operationalized, and support the development of core African principles to govern carbon markets.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Magagula added: “It was powerful to see Africa shift the global climate narrative from being seen as climate-vulnerable to positioning itself as a driver of global solutions.”&lt;br/&gt;
Magagula’s top takeaways included financial reform, inclusivity, and solutions implementation. “Financing reform is urgent – Africa needs financing systems that reflect its realities, including shifting from debt-heavy loans to grant-based finance.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;He also highlighted: “What stood out the most was the emphasis on shifting from climate finance promises to project-level financing, ensuring money actually reaches communities and entrepreneurs on the ground.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Magagula's call to action is clear: “Africa is not just a victim of climate change, it is a solutions hub. The commitments made show that if financing, inclusivity, and accountability are prioritized, Africa can lead the world in building a renewable-powered, equitable future.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What’s Next?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Africa Climate Summit 2025 was more than a meeting — it was a turning point. Building on the momentum of the Nairobi summit that came before it, the critical event resulted in ambitious declarations, major financing commitments, and youth leadership at the forefront. It also laid a foundation for Africa’s renewable-powered future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The challenge now lies in translating these commitments into tangible action. Africa (which has contributed a tiny share of  historic emissions) &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/africa-looks-raise-50-bln-year-new-climate-solutions-initiative-2025-09-10/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;still faces vast adaptation needs and a persistent finance gap&lt;/a&gt;. Though the summit saw major wins in the name of policy pledges, its ultimate success will depend on &lt;a href="https://scienceafrica.co.ke/2025/09/12/second-africa-climate-summit-ends-with-addis-ababa-declaration/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;timely international follow-through, transparent accountability, and actual finance delivery&lt;/a&gt; — otherwise Addis Ababa risks joining a line of political declarations with bold language but weak implementation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As Dlamini reflected: “We can model new ways of thinking, pushing for Afrocentric financing models, for cross-sector collaboration, and for climate action that truly reflects the realities of the people it is meant to serve.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And as Magagula emphasized: “Impact will be determined by whether commitments are translated into projects that improve lives on the ground.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Africa Climate Summit 2025 affirmed Africa’s role as a global center for solutions. From Addis Ababa, a clear narrative has emerged: Africa’s future is renewable, inclusive, and resilient. Achieving this future will require continuous collaboration, implementation, and accountability.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Global Citizen Staff</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:58:37 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/africa-climate-summit-2025-outcomes/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/3e/46/3e4673b2-a611-4176-afc2-9ae850c79d13/0b2a9932.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Genaye Eshetu for Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Powered by the Sun: This Entrepreneur is Leading the Way for Solar-Powered Transport in Benin</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/femi-tankpinou-solar-powered-transport-benin/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;In Benin,&lt;a href="http://ongolo.com/2024/01/09/benins-economic-outlook-growth-challenges-2024/#:~:text=Despite%20the%20projected%20growth%20of,for%20businesses%20to%20operate%20efficiently."&gt; limited transportation options &lt;/a&gt;have long affected daily life and economic opportunities. Recently, road transport has expanded, but this growth has created new challenges. The sector’s rapid expansion, driven largely by reliance on road networks, has outpaced the country’s capacity to introduce effective emissions regulations and develop efficient public transport. As a result, environmental impacts have increased, including &lt;a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725001989#sec5"&gt;higher levels of road-related pollution.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Fèmi Tankpinou, a Beninese entrepreneur saw an opportunity to intervene. Tankpinou is the CEO and founder of &lt;a href="https://vc4a.com/ventures/ecozem/"&gt;ECOZEM&lt;/a&gt;, an eco-friendly transportation company that is on a mission to transform the way people commute in his home country. By recycling metal waste to create locally-made, &lt;a href="https://vc4a.com/ventures/ecozem/"&gt;solar-powered&lt;/a&gt; electric vehicles — including Tuk-Tuks, tricycles, bikes, and cars — this initiative meets the urgent need for affordable and reliable transport for everyday citizens, while also being sustainable through the use of renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Growing up, Tankpinou experienced the difficulties many students and workers in rural and peri-urban areas faced in reaching school and work. Limited access to transport created barriers to education and daily life. As a student, he often walked long distances because transport was not readily available or affordable for his family. On rare occasions, he could take a local motorcycle taxi, known as a “zémidjan.” These experiences shaped his commitment to developing affordable, reliable, and safe transport solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We spoke with Tankpinou about his business innovation. Here’s what he shared:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can you share your journey to founding ECOZEM? What inspired you to focus on sustainable and solar-powered transportation solutions in Benin?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “The idea came when I realized how deeply dependent we are on fossil fuels, and how that dependency creates both economic and environmental challenges. Benin, like many African countries, has abundant sunlight, yet our transport still relies on imported fuel. I wanted to turn this challenge into an opportunity. That’s how ECOZEM was born; it was born to provide affordable, clean, solar-powered transportation that reduces emissions and gives people better access to essential services.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How do ECOZEM’s solar-powered tuk-tuks work and what makes them beneficial for rural and peri-urban transportation?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “Our tuk-tuks are electric vehicles powered by batteries, which are recharged using solar energy. This makes them completely independent from fossil fuels. They’re small, efficient, and adapted to local road conditions. For rural and peri-urban areas, they’re ideal because they are affordable, easy to maintain, and can operate even in places where fuel stations are scarce.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Why is the reliance on fossil fuels in the transportation sector a major issue in Africa, including Benin?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “Relying on fossil fuels creates three big problems: economic, environmental and social. African countries spend billions importing fuel, which drains resources; transport emissions [as we know] worsen climate change and air pollution; lastly, fuel price fluctuations make transport unaffordable for many. ECOZEM is addressing this by offering solar-powered electric tuk-tuks. They don’t depend on fuel imports, they are powered by clean energy, and they reduce both costs and emissions. It’s a model that is sustainable for people and the planet.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What impact have your electric vehicles had on students?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “We’ve been able to serve students who would otherwise walk long distances or miss classes due to unreliable transport. Many now arrive on time, more focused, and more motivated. In some communities, we’ve seen school attendance rise because students finally have a safe and dependable way to get to school and parents do not need to worry every day about how their children get to school.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;How does ECOZEM empower local youth?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “We train young people in solar vehicle maintenance, battery systems, and basic operations. These are skills that prepare them for the future green economy. One of our success stories is a young man who started as a trainee and now manages a small team of drivers operating our tuk-tuks in Abomey-Calavi. He’s not only employed but also creating opportunities for others. We have a big potential in job creation and youth empowerment in Africa, the bigger we grow the more we can offer jobs to the youth and the training. “&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “Some challenges include raising funds, changing mindsets about new technology, and dealing with infrastructure gaps. We’re overcoming them by building strong partnerships, being persistent in educating communities, and creatively financing our projects through grants and startup competition prizes. Each challenge has taught us resilience and adaptability.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Why do you think that local ownership and African-led solutions are important? &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “If we keep importing solutions we will never be independent, so the main point is not that the solution solves our problems, but are we able to control the solution? Are we able to control the production, the making, the malfunction? Because if we are solution-consumers and not solution-producers. At some point, yes, we will have our daily needs in terms of transportation and in terms of food and everything else, they will be covered; but we will not be sovereign. At the end of the day nothing will change. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Africa will use its money, resources, the aid we receive will always go back, outside the continent because we are not spending to put infrastructure here. African-led solutions are crucial for development and for the future of the continent — not just in transportation, but in all sectors, they are crucial. For ECOZEM, for example, we are currently buying most of our vehicles and equipment from China, all we do here is assemble the vehicles, but the vision is that in five years from today we should be able to at least make the vehicles locally. The technology exists, it is there, it just requires funding and the skills and expertise to do it locally. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We should be able to do this because if we want to scale up, if we need to go from Benin and scaling up to across Africa, we can’t keep relying on China, we have to be able to source locally and produce locally, and this will increase our capacity to create new job opportunities, training opportunities for youth and really localizing the capacity of production is crucial for the development in all sectors in Africa.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the government of Benin doing in the transition to clean energy within the transportation sector and what more needs to be done?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “In my sector, we don’t pay taxes when we import our vehicles, for electrical vehicles there is a tax acceleration and this is a very encouraging measure that the government implemented three years ago. The government has [also] encouraged people to invest in electrical mobility, it’s something we are really proud of. There are a lot of parliament programmes by the government, there is an agency that has been set up, created just last year to promote youth entrepreneurship that is doing great and every year recruits projects. There are a couple of initiatives in the country that have been set up, not just on entrepreneurship but also sustainability because in every programme put in place the main focus is put on sustainability, across all sectors, they make sure to promote sustainability and renewable energy. One thing that could be improved, Benin, like most West African countries, doesn’t have a clear transportation system. Transport is operated by private companies and there is no clear transport plan in the country, no railroads, no trains, no public transportation, no subway, no public transport passes, nothing that is structured by the government or by the national administration to say: ‘this is what we want transportation to be done in our country’ or at least in our main cities. So this is something that is really lacking in the country. When you come to Porto-Novo, on our roads everybody drives how they want and that is a big challenge we have to face.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;What are your future plans for ECOZEM? Do you plan to expand to other African countries?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “Yes, absolutely. In the near term, we plan to scale within Benin, adding more vehicles and expanding to new cities. In the long term, we aim to replicate the model in other African countries facing similar transport challenges. Our vision is to become a leading African company in sustainable mobility.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;strong&gt;How do you envision the future of sustainable transport in Africa, and ECOZEM’s role in it?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou: “I envision a future where Africa is not just catching up, but leading in sustainable solutions, with locally manufactured solutions turning African innovators' ideas into tangible solutions in the transport sector. Transport should be clean, affordable, and accessible to everyone. ECOZEM’s role is to pioneer this shift, to prove that solar-powered mobility is not only possible, but practical and scalable. We want to show that African solutions can solve African problems, while contributing to the global fight against climate change.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tankpinou's journey with ECOZEM highlights a vital shift in Benin’s transportation sector, showing that innovative, locally-driven solutions are essential in  addressing local issues. By providing affordable, solar-powered transportation, ECOZEM not only enhances mobility but also empowers communities and fosters youth training in renewable energy and green jobs. This initiative sets a precedent that could inspire similar projects across Africa, leading to a greener and more equitable future.&lt;br/&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Fadeke Banjo</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:24:56 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/femi-tankpinou-solar-powered-transport-benin/</guid><category>Finance &amp; Innovation</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/9a/55/9a5502f4-3f65-424b-a735-148ce65f7cca/diapo_3-1.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Fèmi Tankpinou</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen Festival 2025: Record-Breaking 4.3 Million Actions to Protect the Amazon, Secure Clean Energy for Homes in Africa, and Support Children’s Education Worldwide</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-impact/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Leaders Stepped Up for Renewable Energy, Protecting Rainforests, and Life-Saving Support for Children:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Protect the Amazon (PTA) campaign raised $280 million in September to protect and restore 25 million hectares of the Amazon rainforest&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;4.6 million homes across Africa will be powered by 2030, thanks to commitments from the European Commission, Pele Energy Group, Globeleq, and Energea &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;More than $140 million was mobilized for children’s education and nutrition, including more than $30 million for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Global Citizen Festival Campaign Continues to Drive Action, Looking Ahead to What’s Coming Up Next: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Momentum is building for Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia on November 1, as Global Citizen continues driving investments toward its $1 billion goal to protect the rainforest, with $345.5 million raised to date so far&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign is charging ahead towards Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg and the G20 Summit in late November, where Global Citizen will push for more transformative commitments for Africa’s clean energy future.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Global Citizen is well on its way to meeting the $100 million goal for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ensuring access to education and football for 30,000 children in need worldwide&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, September 27, Central Park’s Great Lawn once again became a rallying ground for action as the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen Festival&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; returned to New York City. The event united 60,000 Global Citizens with world-renowned artists, leaders, and philanthropists to close out a powerful week of action. Now in its 13th year, the Festival coincided with both the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/unga-what-is-the-united-nations-general-assembly/"&gt;United Nations General Assembly&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.climateweeknyc.org/?gad_source=1&amp;amp;gad_campaignid=18508738920&amp;amp;gbraid=0AAAAADxBv6sMC6Qr_bpvD37FemgWgJ2cM&amp;amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw0NPGBhCDARIsAGAzpp16QBmk5QOKLjB2yeWqVYo6tQsdC4KT40ofLdblTuTbTZbputuOVTkaAvgdEALw_wcB"&gt;Climate Week NYC&lt;/a&gt;, amplifying urgent calls for leaders across all sectors to take bold steps to end extreme poverty. The momentum built throughout the week — including pledges announced at &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/impact-sessions/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; just days earlier on September 24 — carried onto the Festival stage for an unforgettable night of music and advocacy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year’s Festival served as a rallying point for some of Global Citizen’s most ambitious goals yet. Over the past year, and intensively in the months leading up to the Festival, Global Citizens mobilized around three core campaigns: expanding renewable energy access across Africa, protecting and restoring the Amazon rainforest, and broadening education and football opportunities for children. Specifically, the 2025 Festival campaign set clear targets: to mobilize $200 million to safeguard 30 million hectares of the Amazon, provide quality education and football access for 30,000 children worldwide in partnership with FIFA, and deliver energy access to 1 million people across Africa, all of which serve Global Citizen’s greater mission to end extreme poverty within a generation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Along the way, these campaigns took Global Citizen all over the world, with stops in &lt;a href="https://www.moveafrika.org/kigali-2025"&gt;Kigali&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.moveafrika.org/lagos-2025"&gt;Lagos&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/gavi-the-vaccine-alliance-has-saved-billions/"&gt;Brussels&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/in-sevilla-global-citizen-now-envisions-a-new-era/"&gt;Sevilla&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/unmissable-moments-from-global-citizen-now-detroit/"&gt;Detroit&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-amaz%C3%B4nia-heads-to-bel%C3%A9m-to-ampl/"&gt;Belém&lt;/a&gt;, and, for the first time ever, Southeast Asia with &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-heads-to-singapore-for-impact-week/"&gt;Global Citizen Nights: Singapore&lt;/a&gt;, held in partnership with Tsao Pao Chee and the No.17 Foundation. Together, these moments delivered momentum across campaigns at a time of mounting global urgency. With several countries’ official development assistance (ODA) declining and aid gaps widening, both Impact Sessions and Global Citizen Festival helped set the stage for greater ambition and solidarity in the lead-up to &lt;strong&gt;COP30&lt;/strong&gt; in Belém, Brazil and the &lt;strong&gt;G20 Summit&lt;/strong&gt; in Johannesburg, South Africa, both in November 2025.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This week of events was also a celebration of the impact of Global Citizen’s millions-strong movement of action takers. Continuing its legacy of blending the power of music and pop culture with impactful advocacy, Global Citizen transforms festival stages into platforms where world leaders can make policy and financial commitments that drive real change. As always, tickets were free and earned by attendees by taking action — including signing petitions, making calls, and writing messages — reinforcing the notion that when people raise their voices together, change inevitably follows. From the 2025 stage, global superstars including &lt;strong&gt;Shakira&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Cardi B&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Tyla&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Ayra Starr&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Mariah the Scientist&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Camilo&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Elyanna&lt;/strong&gt;, with a special appearance by &lt;strong&gt;ROSÉ&lt;/strong&gt; and surprise performances by &lt;strong&gt;Evaluna Montaner&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Rema,&lt;/strong&gt; stood alongside advocates, philanthropists, business leaders, and government officials to rally around shared priorities for people and the planet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Global Citizen Festival is strategically timed to coincide with United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Week, the foremost global convening of world leaders. By aligning with major summits such as UNGA and the G20, Global Citizen ensures that the voices of the world’s most vulnerable and underrepresented populations remain firmly on the global agenda. This timing also enables world leaders to take the Global Citizen stage to deliver announcements and commitments before a global audience that amplify the same urgent issues being debated just miles away at the UN.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2025 carries particular significance as it marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations — a milestone that poses a pressing question: What must the next era of international cooperation look like if the world is to meet today’s most urgent challenges? To help frame that conversation, Global Citizen convened the third annual &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/impact-sessions/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions&lt;/a&gt;, a high-level summit designed to foster dialogue, strengthen international solidarity, and mobilize collective action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hosted by &lt;strong&gt;Sabrina Dhowre Elba&lt;/strong&gt;, Chair of the Global Citizen European Board, the day-long program featured keynote addresses, fireside chats, and dynamic panels that elevated diverse voices from the frontlines of global challenges. Discussions centered on concrete solutions, innovative partnerships, and forward-looking policy frameworks to reimagine global systems so they serve people and the planet, not the other way around.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year’s Sessions built on momentum from earlier Global Citizen NOW summits, held in &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-returns-to-new-york-city-bolder/"&gt;New York City in April&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/in-sevilla-global-citizen-now-envisions-a-new-era/"&gt;Sevilla in June&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/unmissable-moments-from-global-citizen-now-detroit/"&gt;Detroit&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-amazonia/"&gt;Belém&lt;/a&gt;, both in July — which advanced major progress in our Protect the Amazon and Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaigns. Global Citizen NOW is the organization’s premier thought leadership conference series, first launched in 2022. As a continuation of that work, the 2025 Sessions acted as both a checkpoint and a catalyst, aligning commitments with the global milestones ahead, from COP30 in Brazil to the G20 in South Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Impact Sessions convened an extraordinary coalition of partners, including corporations investing in sustainability, governments advancing policy reform, and NGOs delivering services to those most in need on the ground. Speakers included &lt;strong&gt;Ursula von der Leyen&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the European Commission; &lt;strong&gt;Julius Maada Bio&lt;/strong&gt;, President of Sierra Leone; &lt;strong&gt;Jennifer Geerlings-Simons&lt;/strong&gt;, President of Suriname; &lt;strong&gt;Ralph Gonsalves&lt;/strong&gt;, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and &lt;strong&gt;Francia Márquez&lt;/strong&gt;, Vice President of Colombia. Other high-level participants included &lt;strong&gt;The Rt Hon Baroness Chapman of Darlington&lt;/strong&gt;, UK Minister of State for Development; &lt;strong&gt;Pemmy Majodina&lt;/strong&gt;, Minister of Water &amp;amp; Sanitation, South Africa; &lt;strong&gt;Sara Beysolow Nyanti&lt;/strong&gt;, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia; &lt;strong&gt;Puyr Tembé,&lt;/strong&gt; Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of the State of Pará, Reforest Our Minds; &lt;strong&gt;Thani Mohamed Soilihi&lt;/strong&gt;, France’s Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships; and a keynote address by &lt;strong&gt;Ban Ki-moon&lt;/strong&gt;, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Beyond that, inspiring advocates and public and private sector leaders included &lt;strong&gt;James C. Deutsch, &lt;/strong&gt;CEO, Rainforest Trust; &lt;strong&gt;Esther Kimani, &lt;/strong&gt;CEO &amp;amp; Founder, Farmer Lifeline Technologies; &lt;strong&gt;Alvaro Lario&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); &lt;strong&gt;Caroline Hyde, &lt;/strong&gt;Bloomberg TV Anchor, &lt;strong&gt;Rémy Rioux&lt;/strong&gt;, Director General of the Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD) and Chair of the Finance in Common Coalition; &lt;strong&gt;Yasmine Sherif&lt;/strong&gt;, Former CEO, Education Cannot Wait; &lt;strong&gt;Michael Gaffey, &lt;/strong&gt;Director General of Irish Aid; &lt;strong&gt;Omar Abdi, &lt;/strong&gt;UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director for Programs; &lt;strong&gt;Anna Hakobyan, &lt;/strong&gt;Chief Impact Officer &amp;amp; Executive Director Nutrition of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and many more. Several former Global Citizen Prize winners returned to share their perspectives, including &lt;strong&gt;Valeriia Rachynska, &lt;/strong&gt;Director of Human Rights, 100% Life&lt;strong&gt;; Lydia Amenyaglo,&lt;/strong&gt; Creative Director of the Ghana Food Movement, and&lt;strong&gt; Omowumi Ogunrotimi, &lt;/strong&gt;Executive Lead, Gender Mobile Initiative&lt;strong&gt;. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A series of dynamic panels put different sectors, industries, and perspectives in conversation to unpack some of the world’s most pressing issues, with insights into how Global Citizen’s campaigns seek to address them. One such discussion, “Energizing Africa: The Role of the Private Sector,” spotlighted the pivotal role Africa is posed to play in the global energy transition. The high-level dialogue explored how African and global energy leaders are driving renewable infrastructure, mobilizing capital, and expanding equitable access to power. Speakers showcased the continent’s leadership in clean energy while surfacing the policy, financing, and partnership innovations needed to accelerate progress and contribute to the global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. The panel featured &lt;strong&gt;Chebet Chikumbu, &lt;/strong&gt;Managing Director of Growth Strategy and Stakeholder Management at &lt;strong&gt;Harith General Partners&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Jonathan Hoffman, &lt;/strong&gt;CEO of &lt;strong&gt;Globeleq&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Mike Silvestrini&lt;/strong&gt;, Co-Founder of &lt;strong&gt;Energea&lt;/strong&gt;, who highlighted opportunities, challenges, and the private sector’s vital role in catalyzing new commitments from governments, investors, and companies to scale renewable energy across Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At its core, the day challenged speakers and attendees to reimagine solutions to the interlocking crises of climate change, public health, multilateralism under threat, and supplementing financing for both humanitarian needs today and long-term investments in fair financing and equitable development, charting a roadmap for turning urgent dialogue into meaningful progress. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Everything To Know About This Year’s Global Citizen Festival&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Just days later, on September 27, Global Citizen Festival returned to Central Park, building on the urgency and vision set earlier in the week to transform policy-heavy dialogue into a rallying cry of thousands — the definition of &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPHOR3lD8yk/"&gt;amplifying the movement&lt;/a&gt;. Headlined by &lt;strong&gt;Cardi B &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;Shakira, &lt;/strong&gt;with show-stopping performances by &lt;strong&gt;Tyla&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Rosé, Ayra Starr&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Mariah the Scientist&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Camilo&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Elyanna, &lt;/strong&gt;with surprise appearances by &lt;strong&gt;Evaluna Montaner &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;Rema, &lt;/strong&gt;Global Citizen Festival 2025 was hosted by longtime Global Citizen Ambassador &lt;strong&gt;Hugh Jackman&lt;/strong&gt;, joined by co-hosts &lt;strong&gt;Bill Nye&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Adam Lambert&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Danai Gurira&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Liza Koshy&lt;/strong&gt;. The evening was studded with appearances by inspiring advocates and changemakers, including &lt;strong&gt;Kristen Bell&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Tony Goldwyn&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Laurie Hernandez&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Vladimir Duthiers&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Lydia Kekeli Amenyaglo&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Ramesh Ferris&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Taily Terena&lt;/strong&gt;, with Global Citizen Prize Winners &lt;strong&gt;Kimani, Ogunrotimi, &lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt; Rachynska &lt;/strong&gt;joining once again.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a Festival first, the show opened with &lt;strong&gt;Solstice Unites&lt;/strong&gt;, who hosted a historic Global Powwow honoring the land and its ancestral stewards, symbolically passing the torch to Indigenous leaders in Brazil who will host the next upcoming &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/amazonia/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in Belém on November 1, presented by &lt;strong&gt;Banco do Brasil&lt;/strong&gt;. The ceremony transitioned to a special performance by the women-led samba reggae marching band &lt;strong&gt;Fogo Azul NYC&lt;/strong&gt;, who kicked off the show with a powerful drumline performance featuring 50 drummers who set the tone for an unforgettable day of music and action. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For those unable to attend, the festival was broadcast to millions worldwide across 75 countries and territories, with livestreams via YouTube, Apple Music and the Apple TV app, the Amazon Music En Vivo channel on Twitch, the Amazon Live FAST channel on Prime Video and FireTV, Brut, DITU, iHeartRadio, Mediacorp, Veeps, ViX, VIZIO WatchFree+, the &lt;a href="http://www.globalcitizen.watch"&gt;Global Citizen website&lt;/a&gt;, and the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt;. For the first time, audiences in India were also able to watch the festival on the big screen, with PVR INOX Cinemas showing it in theaters the next day on Sunday, September 28. The Festival was proudly presented by &lt;strong&gt;Cisco&lt;/strong&gt;. Major partners included &lt;strong&gt;Authentic Brands Group, Bridgewater Associates, Delta Air Lines, MetLife, PayPal and Venmo,&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;P&amp;amp;G&lt;/strong&gt;; &lt;strong&gt;Live Nation&lt;/strong&gt; served as Production Partner; &lt;strong&gt;iHeartMedia&lt;/strong&gt; as Exclusive U.S. Audio Partner; and &lt;strong&gt;New York City Parks&lt;/strong&gt; as Location Partner. The festival was also supported by the &lt;strong&gt;PepsiCo Foundation.&lt;/strong&gt; The event was produced by Emmy Award-winning companies &lt;strong&gt;Done+Dusted&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Diversified Production Services&lt;/strong&gt;. Global Citizen is also grateful for the support of leading media companies, including &lt;strong&gt;adFUZE, Atmosphere TV, Branded Cities, Captivate, Digital Mobile Media, Grocery TV, GSTV, Interstate Outdoor, New Tradition, NYC Tourism + Conventions, Orange Barrel, Outfront Media, PMC: Penske Media Corporation, Secret NYC, Seen Media, TouchTunes, Trooh,&lt;/strong&gt; and the &lt;strong&gt;Wall Street Journal&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen’s Three Priority Policy Campaigns&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rather than a standalone moment, Global Citizen Festival 2025 marked the midway point in a year of sustained campaigning powered by millions of actions from everyday citizens around the world. This collective effort built momentum, generated public pressure, and helped secure early commitments from world leaders before the Festival stage was set.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The campaign established ambitious, measurable goals. These included expanding energy access for 1 million people across Africa, setting out to provide quality education and football opportunities for 30,000 children worldwide, and mobilizing $200 million to protect the Amazon rainforest — an area roughly the size of Italy, home to more than 20 billion trees, and critical to global climate stability. Closer to the Central Park Great Lawn, Global Citizen also sought to engage 40,000 New Yorkers as volunteers, supporting communities across all five boroughs. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mobilizing Millions to Protect the Amazon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Amazon rainforest, one of Earth’s most vital ecosystems, remained at the heart of Global Citizen’s 2025 campaign. Building on the launch of the year-long climate action effort in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, Global Citizen is spotlighting three key priorities: ending deforestation by 2030, accelerating a just energy transition, and supporting communities on the frontlines of climate change. The campaign is driving momentum toward COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and will culminate with Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia on November 1. Its ultimate ambition? To mobilize $1 billion to protect and restore the Amazon. The moment couldn’t be more urgent, as &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/deforestation-is-pushing-the-amazon-to-collapse-he/"&gt;deforestation across the Amazon&lt;/a&gt; threatens the ecosystem’s stability, with 10 soccer fields worth of rainforest land &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;lost every minute&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Citizen action has been central to sustaining progress. Partnering with &lt;strong&gt;Coldplay&lt;/strong&gt;, Global Citizen mobilized more than 350,000 actions worldwide demanding stronger Amazon protections. This collective pressure led directly to Norway’s $60 million recommitment to the Amazon Fund, announced by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at &lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro&lt;/strong&gt;. The campaign reached its halfway milestone at &lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Amazônia&lt;/strong&gt; in July 2025, where the startup Axcell announced a $4.5 million investment in conservation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To accelerate progress, the 2025 Global Citizen Festival issued urgent calls to world leaders. Specifically, Global Citizen is continuing to urge the governments of Germany, France, and Norway to double down on their recognition of their responsibility to safeguard the shared future of the planet. With COP30 taking place in the heart of the rainforest, renewed international leadership is critical to ensuring that one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems is preserved for generations to come.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This campaign also builds on significant progress secured in earlier years. At the 2023 Global Citizen Festival, Pará State Governor &lt;strong&gt;Helder Barbalho&lt;/strong&gt; pledged to protect 1 million hectares of land by 2025. Returning in 2024, he confirmed that 500,000 hectares had been officially designated as protected lands, further announcing that 200,000 hectares of illegally occupied Indigenous lands would be returned to their rightful stewards. Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara also pledged to remove illegal loggers, miners, and farmers from seven Indigenous territories and to implement 10 new territorial and environmental management plans before COP30. Meanwhile, Colombia’s Minister of Environment Susana Muhamad announced new restrictions on oil and gas expansion in the Amazon, confirmed they would be enshrined in Colombia’s &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-heck-are-ndcs-the-climate-plans-that-coul/"&gt;Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt;, and pledged to convene a historic first dialogue among all Amazon nations on phasing out fossil fuel activity. Together, these commitments showed how political leadership, and international cooperation, sharpened by citizen engagement, can drum up momentum toward substantive climate action. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Major commitments to protect the Amazon advanced even further this year. At Impact Sessions, &lt;strong&gt;Suriname&lt;/strong&gt; reaffirmed its commitment to remaining the most forested nation on Earth — and set a bold new standard for climate leadership. With 90% forest coverage across 14 million hectares, it is one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks (an area that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits). Though Suriname has the highest forest cover of any country in the world, most of which is untouched, it faces increasing ongoing threats from mining and other extractive industries. In response, at Impact Sessions &lt;strong&gt;President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons&lt;/strong&gt; committed to adopt the &lt;strong&gt;Sustainable Nature Management Act &lt;/strong&gt;by the end of 2025, a landmark piece of legislation that will enable the country to strengthen its domestic forest protection and enforcement measures. &lt;strong&gt;President Geerlings-Simons&lt;/strong&gt; put it simply: “We have 90% forest coverage — we want to keep it that way. Citizens have always got to take action. Politicians and businesses alone will not do the job.” The new law will allow for stronger legal mandates and mechanisms to protect Suriname’s forests, while also providing a path towards recognizing and protecting Indigenous and Tribal peoples’ ancestral land rights. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Backing this historic pledge, a coalition of philanthropies — including the &lt;strong&gt;Rainforest Trust&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Re:wild&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Andes Amazon Fund&lt;/strong&gt;, the &lt;strong&gt;Liz Claiborne Foundation&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Art Into Acres&lt;/strong&gt; — announced $20 million to help fund the creation and management of new conservation areas. These organizations will work directly with in-country partners to establish and manage protected and conserved areas, with a focus on bringing sustainable jobs for Indigenous and traditional communities through ventures such as ecotourism. With this unique combination of legal reform and financial investment, Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs &lt;strong&gt;Melvin W. J. Bouva &lt;/strong&gt;announced on the Global Citizen Festival stage that the country will be able to permanently protect 90% of its forests. With this action, Suriname is raising the bar for global climate ambition, showing what it looks like to balance conservation with economic development and how a small nation can lead the way in protecting our planet’s future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)&lt;/strong&gt; announced a landmark $100 million pledge channeled through its Amazonia Forever Program to support conservation and sustainable development across the Amazon region. This commitment is designed to both empower local communities and address climate resilience needs. Of the total pledge, $25 million will strengthen Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and riverine communities by supporting bio-businesses and adaptation projects that sustain both livelihoods and biodiversity. The remaining $75 million will be directed through the Water Security Fund, increasing water security and resilience in some of the poorest communities of the Amazon. Announcing the pledge during his keynote at Impact Sessions, IDB President &lt;strong&gt;Ilan Goldfajn&lt;/strong&gt; emphasized both the regional and global importance of this investment: “Global Citizens, come, let’s work together. Amazonia is very important for all of us.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Also at Impact Sessions, &lt;strong&gt;Everland&lt;/strong&gt; broke the breaking news that it had successfully secured $135 million to help provide long-term, stable financing for Indigenous-led forest conservation efforts in the Amazon. This landmark funding will strengthen community-driven initiatives, preserve vital ecosystems, and ensure that Indigenous peoples on the frontlines of the rainforest have the resources they need to safeguard their lands for generations to come. This kind of direct investment in frontline communities is vital because although Indigenous people make up just 6% of the world's population, they protect &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;80% of Earth's remaining biodiversity&lt;/a&gt;. Additionally, &lt;strong&gt;Thistlerock Mead Company&lt;/strong&gt; — the US’ first net-zero honey winery — demonstrated how even small businesses can drive impact in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. The company pledged to protect 1 million acres of the Amazon rainforest by 2027 and raise $10 million for Amazon conservation funding in partnership with Global Citizen, Re:wild, and a coalition of worldwide food and beverage partners.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Over on the Global Citizen Festival stage, a groundbreaking alliance was announced: the &lt;strong&gt;Jaguar Rivers Initiative&lt;/strong&gt;, launched by &lt;strong&gt;Rewilding Argentina&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Onçafari&lt;/strong&gt;. Backed by an initial pledge of $26 million, this mechanism will protect, restore, and reconnect ecosystems across more than 250 million hectares of the Paraná River Basin and the Pantanal, spanning countries including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Investments include the permanent protection of the 66,000-hectare Santa Tereza Reserve in Brazil, restoration and community development across Argentina’s 750,000-hectare Iberá Park, and strengthened engagement in communities in Bolivia’s Pantanal, Chaco, and cloud forests. By reconnecting rivers and creating wildlife corridors, the Initiative aims to give wildlife the space they need to roam again, while simultaneously supporting livelihoods and protecting one of the largest freshwater systems on Earth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Adding to this momentum, the &lt;strong&gt;City of Rio de Janeiro&lt;/strong&gt; unveiled plans for a new Rio Nature &amp;amp; Climate Week, a five-year initiative in partnership with Global Citizen, Re:wild, and local partners, that will convene leaders across sectors to accelerate climate and biodiversity action, ensuring the Global South is at the forefront of shaping solutions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, the commitments announced this year under the Protect the Amazon campaign represent a powerful step forward: more than $280 million mobilized to safeguard 25 million hectares of rainforest. In total, Global Citizen and its partners have now secured $345.5 million toward the campaign’s ultimate goal of $1 billion, setting a clear path of ambition ahead of COP30 in November. The Protect the Amazon campaign is not just driving urgent protection today, but laying the foundation for transformative change in the years ahead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ensuring Quality Education for Children Globally&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At last year’s 2024 Global Citizen Festival, Global Citizen and &lt;strong&gt;FIFA&lt;/strong&gt; formally launched the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a bold initiative with the goal of raising $100 million by the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final. The Fund is designed to expand access to quality education and football in underserved communities across more than 150 countries by providing grants for community-based programs and FIFA’s Football for Schools initiative, which focuses on fostering learning, life skills, and community development through the power of sport. As part of the partnership, Global Citizen produced &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/video/j-balvin-performs-mi-gente-at-fifa-club-world-cupt/"&gt;FIFA’s first-ever Club World Cup Final halftime show,&lt;/a&gt; featuring performances by &lt;strong&gt;J Balvin&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Tems&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Doja Cat&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Emmanuel Kelly&lt;/strong&gt;, and a surprise appearance by &lt;strong&gt;Coldplay&lt;/strong&gt; at MetLife Stadium. Looking ahead, Global Citizen will return with another halftime show in July 2026 at the FIFA World Cup Final. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The urgent need for efforts like this are undeniable. According to UNESCO, 250 million children worldwide lack basic literacy skills. Without access to basic building blocks for a successful life including safe classrooms, essential nutrition, and adequate healthcare, children cannot achieve the foundational basics they need to learn and thrive. In response, the 2025 Global Citizen Festival campaign is calling on governments, philanthropies, and Fortune 500 companies to step up with investments to help 30,000 children gain essential reading and writing skills while enriching their education through access to football.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On the road to next year’s deadline, this campaign set a short-term target of $30 million by Global Citizen Festival, a milestone that was exceeded through new investments, donations, and ticket contributions toward the Fund, putting Global Citizen and FIFA more than 30% of the way towards its final goal. The campaign successfully mobilized contributions from organizations including $9 million from &lt;strong&gt;MetLife Foundation&lt;/strong&gt;, a founding donor, as well as contributions from Bank of America and Cisco, as well as the Republic of Sierra Leone, with every financial contribution matched to organizations based in the country as well. In addition, France has indicated its strong support for the Fund, its mission, and values. At Impact Sessions, &lt;strong&gt;Rémy Rioux&lt;/strong&gt;, the Director General of Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD), explained that the agency has already invested in more than 200 youth education programs but is determined to take this commitment further by engaging directly with the Fund. He said, “While I cannot yet share the exact details, as this is the beginning of our common journey, I want to emphasize how excited we are about what you are seeking to achieve with the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. You can count on the French Development Agency — and on France — to stand with you in advancing the education and sport agenda."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Supplementing these contributions were proceeds worth more than $2.4 million from tickets sold to some of the biggest live music and entertainment events in the world today, including The Weeknd’s “After Hours til Dawn Tour,” the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and FIFA Collect, an initiative devoted to expanding access to quality education and football for children around the world. The journey to securing the Fund’s final goal of $100 million remains ongoing, however. To reach it, the campaign is continuing to urge world leaders — including French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever — to step up, invest in children’s education, and commit to providing the essential services that make learning possible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To that end, at the Impact Sessions, leaders from governments, philanthropies, and foundations announced major new commitments to &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/a-bold-new-fund-could-help-end-childhood-undernutr/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UNICEF’s&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Child Nutrition Fund (CNF)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, a groundbreaking financial mechanism to end undernutrition worldwide, coordinate international funding streams in one place, and scale proven, life-saving solutions for mothers and children. Today, &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition"&gt;nearly half&lt;/a&gt; of all child deaths under five worldwide are caused by malnutrition, while more than &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/nutrition/publication/investment-framework-nutrition"&gt;148 million children&lt;/a&gt; are stunted and &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/nutrition/publication/investment-framework-nutrition"&gt;45 million&lt;/a&gt; suffer from wasting, facing lifelong developmental setbacks. However, the challenge to overcoming the world’s undernutrition crisis is not discovering solutions, but rather delivering them, with the coordination and financing to match the scale of the challenge at hand. CNF, a global effort designed to fast-track proven interventions to undernutrition everywhere, aims to outmaneuver the obstacles in place to scaling nutrition solutions by pooling donor funds together to better reach the highest-need countries, matching national investments dollar-for-dollar from a CNF-managed fund, and strengthening local production of nutrition interventions within the countries facing the most severe food insecurity and undernutrition needs in the world today. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And right now, a match program launched at last year’s UNGA is enabling contributions up to $500 million to the CNF to be matched, doubling every donation for a total of $1 billion. With this funding, the CNF would be even better equipped to achieve its goal of reaching &lt;a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/UNICEF_Child_Nutrition_Fund_2024_AnnualReport.pdf"&gt;320 million&lt;/a&gt; women and children every year by 2030 with the nutrition they need to survive and thrive, scaling its impact and accelerating its reach. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Some countries are already answering this call to action. At Impact Sessions, Ireland pledged €10 million, with Irish Aid Director-General &lt;strong&gt;Michael Gaffey &lt;/strong&gt;stressing the importance of citizen action in driving accountability. “Citizen action is much more important now than it has ever been,” he explained. “Ireland is not cutting its [aid] budgets, we're working to increase the budgets, but that's because we have the support of our citizens and we need to continue to earn that support and to do so by showing the impact of what we do, and that is something that Global Citizen does brilliantly.” Canada followed shortly afterwards with a C$78 million commitment. Canadian Secretary of State for International Development&lt;strong&gt; Randeep Sarai&lt;/strong&gt; highlighted the vision behind the pledge, stating, “Every child deserves the chance to grow, to dream, and to reach their full potential. When we invest in child nutrition, we invest in a more prosperous world for us all.” Both of these contributions were fully matched for double the impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And as other countries around the world shrink their aid budgets, some philanthropies are stepping up. &lt;strong&gt;The ELMA Relief Foundation&lt;/strong&gt; increased a pledge it had made previously by $4 million, bringing its total contribution to $10 million. CEO &lt;strong&gt;Thomas McPartland&lt;/strong&gt; cited the Fund’s singular ability to catalyze domestic government investment in nutrition and reach those most in need as the primary reason behind the decision to up its financial support. In addition, the &lt;strong&gt;Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)&lt;/strong&gt; pledged nearly $40 million to the CNF in the interest of strengthening nutrition systems and expanding access to evidence-based interventions, from fortified supplements and foods to ready-to-use therapeutic treatments in humanitarian settings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In another one of the evening’s most powerful moments, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights &lt;b&gt;Volker Türk&lt;/b&gt; took the stage alongside Global Citizen Prize recipients &lt;b&gt;Omowumi Ogunrotimi&lt;/b&gt; of Nigeria and &lt;b&gt;Valeriia Rachynska&lt;/b&gt; of Ukraine, joined by award-winning actor, playwright, and Global Citizen and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador &lt;b&gt;Danai Gurira&lt;/b&gt; to highlight the urgent need to protect women peacebuilders and human rights defenders working on the frontlines of conflict. Türk’s remarks in particular underscored the core of Global Citizen’s mission and the universal centrality of human rights, telling the crowd, “Human rights are the glue that binds us together. They nurture justice, development, and peace.” He closed with a call to action that resonated across Central Park: “Tonight, we call on every government to do more for our human rights, not less — so that no defender ever stands alone. Together with you, Global Citizens, human rights can overcome poverty, war, and inequality, and create a better world for everyone." &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scaling Up Renewable Energy Access for Millions in Africa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Last year, Global Citizen also launched its year-long campaign &lt;a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/it/ip_24_5881"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scaling up Renewables in Africa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (SURA) alongside European Commission President&lt;strong&gt; Ursula von der Leyen&lt;/strong&gt; and South African President &lt;strong&gt;Cyril Ramaphosa&lt;/strong&gt;, with the support of the &lt;strong&gt;International Energy Agency&lt;/strong&gt;. The campaign will culminate in a pledging conference on the sidelines of the&lt;strong&gt; G20 Summit&lt;/strong&gt; in Johannesburg in November 2025. This conference will aim to secure commitments from governments, the private sector, and multilateral banks towards the COP28 objective of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. The challenge is clear: today, 675 million people across Africa still live in energy poverty and lack access to electricity. With the continent’s population set to boom, so will its demand for power — but still, too many communities lack reliable access. To address this issue head-on, the SURA campaign seeks to mobilize at least $1.5 billion to train 50,000 young workers with the skills they need to secure jobs in the energy industry, such as solar installation, grid maintenance, and regular energy services. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If successful, this effort has the potential to deliver clean, reliable power to 1 million people. More than just providing the tech infrastructure to achieve this, this campaign also seeks to build up economic opportunity and resilience across the continent, creating jobs, supporting nascent renewable industries, reducing emissions, and ultimately accelerating Africa’s green transition equitably to unlock further investment and build up the continent’s clean energy future. Specifically, Global Citizen is calling on the governments with the tools to help African businesses build up clean energy systems, like Denmark, Norway, and the UK, as well as private companies to back these efforts. In parallel, the Rockefeller Foundation, in partnership with the World Bank and the African Development Bank alongside other partners, is also working to advance energy access across the continent through its &lt;a href="https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/initiatives/mission-300/"&gt;Mission 300&lt;/a&gt; initiative, which aims to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030 by combining support across infrastructure investments and policy reforms to strengthen entire energy supply chains.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At Impact Sessions and Global Citizen Festival, those calls were answered. Pledges for new renewable energy projects and investments across the continent were officially revealed. Together, they total enough to connect more than 4.6 million households with power across Africa by 2030 — far exceeding the Festival’s initial target of securing commitments to provide just 1 million people with energy access. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First, the South African energy company &lt;strong&gt;Globeleq&lt;/strong&gt; announced at Impact Sessions that it would commit to delivering 1.3 gigawatts of new renewable power generation across Africa, enough to power the equivalent of 1.5 million households. Via a video announcement played at Global Citizen Festival, CEO Jonathan Hoffman explained the transformative impact, stating “Power generation is like building the foundation of the house,” or creating the base from which economies can grow. “You can build on more when you have more power generation. So we think what we are able to do at Globeleq in delivering this power generation in Africa will help build the economy.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Additionally, &lt;strong&gt;Pele Energy Group&lt;/strong&gt;, another South African-based energy company, announced one of the largest renewable energy commitments ever made on a Global Citizen stage: a pledge to deliver 10 gigawatts of new renewable power generation over the next 10 years. This ambitious expansion will electrify 3.1 million households within five years and ultimately reach 6.25 million households across 11 countries in Africa within a decade (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Mozambique, and Angola). In a video announcement, CEO &lt;strong&gt;Gqi Raoleka&lt;/strong&gt; reflected on the hope for both an energy and social transformation embedded within this pledge. “For us as an organization, meeting an organization such as Global Citizen is a continuation of our purpose, of our ethos, and a perfect alignment of entities who are preoccupied with a social imperative that…fundamentally leads to the change that we all want to see in eradicating global poverty.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;During Impact Sessions, &lt;strong&gt;Energea&lt;/strong&gt;, an impact-focused energy investment platform, announced a bold new commitment of $250 million over the next five years to expand renewable energy projects across Africa. Focused predominantly on building up solar power capacity, this investment will go directly into building new, on-the-ground assets that bring clean, reliable electricity to communities that need it most. For Energea, the priority is turning pledges into real progress. “There’s been so much money pledged to energize the unenergized in Africa, but very little of it is actually making its way into real assets — the steel in the ground that’s generating electricity,” explained Mike Silvestrini, Co-Founder of Energea. “That’s really our specialty.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By setting concrete targets and providing public accountability measures, Global Citizen is pushing private companies to contribute to the Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign transparently while also creating enabling environments for bold commitments to really take hold — ensuring that capital flows where it needs to go into making real, measurable progress. These commitments set the stage for the grand finale of the campaign at the G20 in Johannesburg later this year, where governments and more businesses like &lt;strong&gt;Harith General Partners &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;Transenergy Global&lt;/strong&gt; will come together to scale up renewables in Africa.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At Impact Sessions, the &lt;strong&gt;European Commission&lt;/strong&gt; announced how a package to fund clean energy projects across Africa in support of the SURA campaign will be allocated, building on its €3.4 billion pledge first made at COP28 in 2023. Speaking via video message to the crowds at Central Park, European Commission President &lt;strong&gt;Ursula von der Leyen &lt;/strong&gt;emphasized the urgency of these investments, saying “Today, 600 million people in Africa still live without access to electricity. Children do their homework by candlelight. Hospitals operate in the dark. Friends, we can no longer tolerate this. Africa needs access to power, and together, we can provide it.” Specific projects include a €350 million high-voltage transmission line in Côte d’Ivoire, €33 million towards mini electrical grids in rural areas of Madagascar, and nearly €60 million to expand rural electricity access for 2.5 million people across 687 Cameroonian communities, among other projects in Somalia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Lesotho, and Central Africa, altogether totaling $640 million. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is still just the beginning of what the SURA campaign hopes to accomplish. The stage is being set for its grand finale at the G20 in Johannesburg later this year in November, where governments and businesses will come together to mobilize new financing and scale bold climate and development commitments, hopefully delivering real progress for the world’s most vulnerable communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Commitments From Global Citizen Festival 2025 &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The 2025 Global Citizen Festival united global artists, world leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, marking the 13th anniversary of impact straight from the Great Lawn in Central Park in the fight to end extreme poverty.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://admin.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2024-impact/?edit"&gt;In 2024, Global Citizens&lt;/a&gt; took 3.4 million actions (the previous record during a Festival campaign), helping drive commitments worth more than $1 billion. Key highlights included new pledges from the UK, Denmark, and Spain toward the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), advancing its $120 billion funding target to provide grants and concessional financing for 77 of the world’s most vulnerable countries. Brazil and Colombia also announced new efforts to protect oceans, forests, and biodiversity, while more than $500 million was committed to support global vaccination initiatives and humanitarian aid worldwide. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/13-years-in-13-global-citizen-moments/"&gt;Over the last 13 years&lt;/a&gt;, Global Citizen has helped deploy &lt;strong&gt;$49 billion in commitments&lt;/strong&gt;, impacting &lt;strong&gt;1.3 billion lives&lt;/strong&gt; worldwide. These milestones prove that while Global Citizen’s mission to defeat poverty and defend the planet is bold, tangible progress can be achieved when people campaign collectively, act strategically, and demand bold actions from our leaders. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At this year’s Festival, that momentum only grew stronger. Global Citizens took 4.3 million actions — the most in the New York Festival’s history — calling on world leaders, philanthropists, corporations, and organizations to step up with bold commitments to end extreme poverty. The results were clear: the commitments announced this week represent a new wave of ambitious financial and policy pledges, proving that citizen action has the power to shift global winds and drive real change:&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CANADA &lt;/strong&gt;announced a significant contribution of C$78 million to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund (CNF). Fully matched to double its impact, the pledge will expand life-saving nutrition initiatives in vulnerable communities, from ready-to-use therapeutic foods to fortified staples and improved maternal nutrition.&lt;br/&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Reflecting on the motivation behind this commitment, Canada’s Minister of International Development Randeep Sarai said, “Every child deserves the chance to grow, to dream, and to reach their full potential. When we invest in child nutrition, we invest in a more prosperous world for us all.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE CHILDREN’S INVESTMENT FUND FOUNDATION (CIFF) &lt;/strong&gt;committed nearly $40 million to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund, strengthening systems and delivering proven interventions to prevent malnutrition among children and mothers.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE ELMA RELIEF FOUNDATION&lt;/strong&gt; increased an initial commitment to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund by $4 million, bringing its total to $10 million. This expanded pledge will enable the Fund to deliver evidence-backed nutrition solutions in some of the world’s hardest-hit communities.&lt;br/&gt;
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			“The most compelling aspect of the Fund is how it catalyzes domestic governments’ own spending on nutrition for their communities,” said Thomas McPartland of the ELMA Relief Foundation.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ENERGEA&lt;/strong&gt;, an impact-focused investment platform, committed $250 million over five years to Scaling Up Renewables in Africa. This will finance new solar energy assets across multiple countries, powering homes, schools, and clinics. “You won’t find many organizations that believe in the power of global community more than Energea,” explained Mike Silvestrini, CEO and co-founder, “and we certainly resonate with the Global Citizen mandate.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION &lt;/strong&gt;detailed how it will deploy clean power financing allocations across projects in Africa. These include expanding rural electrification in Cameroon, building high-voltage transmission lines in Côte d’Ivoire, unlocking renewable potential in Lesotho, and scaling solar in Ghana, among others, putting its pledge of $640 million to good use.&lt;br/&gt;
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			“Today, 600 million people in Africa still live without access to electricity. Children do their homework by candlelight. Hospitals operate in the dark. Friends, we can no longer tolerate this,” said President Ursula von der Leyen in her remarks before the Festival. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVERLAND &lt;/strong&gt;announced it has secured more than $135 million to provide long-term, stable financing for Indigenous-centered forest conservation projects across the Amazon. This landmark investment will sustain projects safeguarding one of the planet’s most critical ecosystems while empowering the Indigenous and local communities who serve as its frontline guardians. By ensuring predictable, lasting resources, this commitment helps protect biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and uphold the rights of those most directly connected to the forest.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE FIFA x GLOBAL CITIZEN EDUCATION FUND &lt;/strong&gt;received more than $30 million from governments and the private sector, exceeding its goal and driving progress toward its mission of expanding access to quality education worldwide. Commitments included contributions from &lt;strong&gt;Bank of America&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Cisco&lt;/strong&gt;, and the &lt;strong&gt;Republic of Sierra Leone&lt;/strong&gt;, alongside a $9 million pledge from founding donor &lt;strong&gt;MetLife Foundation&lt;/strong&gt;, highlighting the collective effort to ensure more children can learn, thrive, and build brighter futures no matter where in the world they’re born.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;FRANCE, &lt;/strong&gt;through the French Development Agency (AFD), confirmed its intention to engage with the FIFA x Global Citizen Education Fund, exploring dedicated resources — including potential financial support — to advance education and youth empowerment through sport. &lt;/p&gt;
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			"Education and youth empowerment through sport are truly at the heart of AFD’s priorities,” explained Rémy Rioux, Director General of AFD. “You can count on the French Development Agency — and on France — to stand with you in advancing the education and sport agenda."&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GLOBELEQ &lt;/strong&gt;committed to deliver 1.3 gigawatts of new renewable power generation across Africa, enough to power 1.5 million households through solar, wind, hydro, and storage. Via a video announcement played at Global Citizen Festival, CEO Jonathan Hoffman explained the transformative impact: “Globeleq is taking bold steps. And we hope this inspires others — governments, businesses, and individuals — to join us in powering a cleaner, brighter, more inclusive future.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GERMANY, &lt;/strong&gt;via a video recording aired during Global Citizen Festival, had Reem Alabali-Radovan of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development reinforce their commitment to advocating for global equity by announcing its policy support for the UN’s International Labor Organization Global Coalition for Social Justice,. She called on members of the private sector and people alike to step up in order to support the fight for social justice. “Governments can't do it alone. We need companies to step up. And we need all of you … Young voices make a difference in international politics. So keep showing up.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (IDB) &lt;/strong&gt;pledged $100 million through its Amazonia Forever Program. $25 million of this pledge will be invested in programs and projects designed to strengthen Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and riverine communities primarily via bio-businesses and adaptation projects. $75 million of this pledge meanwhile will contribute to increasing water security and resilience in the poorest Amazon communities through its Water Security Fund. As President Ilan Goldfajn announced, it’s time for more leaders to “walk the talk.” &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) &lt;/strong&gt;announced two commitments in Sub-Saharan Africa. First, 30,000 families will receive seeds, training, and tools to grow food, earn income, and build their futures. Second, IOM will advance financial literacy and digital inclusion, enabling secure banking and cross-border transactions for about 3 million internally displaced people and more than 2 million diaspora members in the region.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IRELAND &lt;/strong&gt;pledged €10 million to UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund, matched for double impact. Irish Aid Director-General Michael Gaffey announced the commitment, reminding attendees of Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions and Global Citizen Festival via video of the power of collective action, stating that “Citizen action is much more important now than it has ever been … Ireland is not cutting its [aid] budgets, we're working to increase the budgets, but that's because we have the support of our citizens. We need to continue to earn that support and to do so by showing the impact of what we do, and that is something that Global Citizen does brilliantly.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THE JAGUAR RIVERS INITIATIVE &lt;/strong&gt;was launched by Rewilding Argentina and Oçasafari with $26 million to protect, restore, and reconnect ecosystems across the Paraná River Basin, including permanent protection of the 66,000-hectare Santa Tereza Reserve in Brazil, restoration and community development in Argentina’s 750,000 hectare Iberá Park, and strengthened protection and community engagement in Bolivia’s Pantanal, Chaco, and cloud forests.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PELE ENERGY GROUP &lt;/strong&gt;announced plans to build 10 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity across Africa, electrifying 3.1 million homes in five years and ultimately impacting 6.2 million lives over the next 10 years. “We are literally bringing light to individuals with no access to electricity as we speak,” said CEO Gqi Raoleka passionately, “Meeting an organization such as Global Citizen is a continuation of our purpose, of our ethos.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PLANTVILLAGE+ &lt;/strong&gt;offset the entire Global Citizen Festival carbon footprint through surplus carbon credits. The contribution included 932 tonnes of biochar applied across 625 hectares of farmland, improving soil health, reducing fertilizer use and emissions, and supporting 1,420 smallholder producers with long-term benefits.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RIO DE JANEIRO, &lt;/strong&gt;in partnership with Global Citizen, Re:wild, and local partners, announced the launch of Rio Nature &amp;amp; Climate Week — a five-year initiative that will place the Global South at the forefront of the global climate agenda. The first gathering will take place from June 1-6, 2026, convening leaders across sectors to address the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;SURINAME &lt;/strong&gt;committed to maintain 90% of its forest cover in perpetuity and to adopt the Sustainable Nature Management Act by the end of 2025, which will strengthen its legal mandate to manage and protect its remarkable nature. President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons put it simply: “We have 90% forest coverage — we want to keep it that way.” &lt;/p&gt;
			 

			&lt;p&gt;A coalition of philanthropies — including the Rainforest Trust, Re:wild, Andes Amazon Fund, the Liz Claiborne Foundation, and Art Into Acres — committed $20 million in support. Backed by a coalition of philanthropies pledging $20 million, this landmark initiative will protect about 14 million hectares of forest — the highest coverage of any nation on Earth.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THISTLEROCK MEAD COMPANY &lt;/strong&gt;pledged, in partnership with Global Citizen and Re:wild, to protect 1 million acres of the Amazon by 2027, mobilize 5 million citizen actions to protect bees and pollinators, and generate $10 million for conservation funding. As an enterprise with sustainability woven throughout its operations, CEO John Kluge noted, “If we can be intentional about designing our businesses and our operations differently, then anyone else can do that. So if we could do it, the big companies that we all support and consume products from can also do it. And we encourage you to ask them to get in the game and bring back the buzz.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Everything Beyond the Stage&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In addition to driving global commitments, this year’s Festival campaign also sought to activate hundreds of New Yorkers to &lt;a href="http://globalcitizen.org/en/involved/volunteering"&gt;take action right at home in their own communities&lt;/a&gt;. For the second year in a row, Global Citizen mobilized volunteers for environmental clean-ups across the city. On September 13, Global Citizen partnered with &lt;strong&gt;The Bowery Mission&lt;/strong&gt; to host Global Citizen Day, where volunteers served meals and provided care for neighbors experiencing poverty. A week later, on September 19, Global Citizen organized a beach cleanup at Canarsie Pier in partnership with the &lt;strong&gt;Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy&lt;/strong&gt;, with support from &lt;strong&gt;Goodera&lt;/strong&gt; and in collaboration with the &lt;strong&gt;Black Surfing Association East Coast Chapter&lt;/strong&gt;, helping protect New York City’s coastline in line with Global Citizen’s overall mission of inspiring people to take action to defend the planet, starting locally in their own backyards. Global Citizen also partnered with Goodera to drive 40,000 sign-ups for volunteer opportunities to provide career development mentorship for young people around the world, including resume and interview guidance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Beyond these events, Global Citizen also supported mission-aligned nonprofits including &lt;strong&gt;South Bronx Unite&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Breaking Ground&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Citymeals on Wheels,&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Covenant House&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Expecting Relief&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Henry Street Settlement&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;South Asian Youth Action (SAYA)&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;South Bronx Unite&lt;/strong&gt;, and &lt;strong&gt;Women in Need, Inc.&lt;/strong&gt;, across all five boroughs. Volunteers who joined these efforts earned free tickets to the Global Citizen Festival in exchange for their time, emphasizing how in-person action can be the most impactful driving force behind lasting change in our communities. .&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year’s Global Citizen Festival was also the most sustainable to date. Thanks to a generous surplus of carbon credits donated by PlantVillage+, the Festival’s entire carbon footprint was offset, removing the equivalent emissions from the atmosphere while also generating long-term climate and agricultural benefits. These credits support the application of biochar, which improves soil health and water retention, reduces reliance on resource-intensive fertilizers, lowers emissions, and enhances food security for smallholder farmers. And with our continued partnership with Everland, our emissions were effectively offset twice over. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On the Festival grounds, sustainability was embedded into every detail. For the second year running, the main stage was fully powered by the SmartGrid battery system pioneered on Coldplay’s &lt;em&gt;Music of the Spheres&lt;/em&gt; world tour. Indigenous tree saplings were planted on site and later donated to the Central Park Conservancy. All food offerings were entirely vegetarian, with an expanded menu of vegan options, and served in compostable packaging. To minimize waste, surplus meals were donated to local organizations such as &lt;strong&gt;RePlate&lt;/strong&gt; and &lt;strong&gt;Friendly Fridge BX&lt;/strong&gt;, while leftover aluminum cans were recycled through &lt;strong&gt;Sure We Can&lt;/strong&gt;, a nonprofit recycling center and community hub in Brooklyn. Together, these efforts turned the Global Citizen Festival into a real-life demonstration of putting words into action when it comes to prioritizing the climate. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year, Global Citizen also joins &lt;strong&gt;Colossal&lt;/strong&gt; as the official charity partner of their America's &lt;a href="http://tophitmaker.org"&gt;Next Top Hitmaker&lt;/a&gt; competition, where one standout performer of over 65,000 participants took the stage at the Global Citizen Festival pre-show. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What’s Coming Up Next for Global Citizen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen is the world’s leading international advocacy organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty NOW. Powered by a worldwide community of everyday advocates raising their voices and taking action, the movement is amplified by campaigns and events that convene leaders in music, entertainment, policy, philanthropy, media, and the private sector. Since its founding in Australia in 2008, more than $49 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms have been deployed, improving the lives of 1.3 billion people. Today, Global Citizen teams work across New York, Washington, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Geneva, Melbourne, Toronto, Johannesburg, Lagos, and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The festival lights may have shut down in Central Park this year, but there’s much more action to come in 2025. On November 1, Global Citizen will bring the Festival to Latin America for the first time ever with &lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia &lt;/strong&gt;in Belém, featuring headliners &lt;strong&gt;Anitta&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Seu Jorge&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Gaby Amarantos&lt;/strong&gt;, and Coldplay’s &lt;strong&gt;Chris Martin. &lt;/strong&gt;There, we expect bold new commitments from partners like Energea and Everland, further strengthening the Protect the Amazon campaign and driving momentum into the year’s final milestone: &lt;strong&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg &lt;/strong&gt;coinciding with the G20 Summit, a historic gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies who will be pressed to deliver on climate finance and commit to a fairer global financial system — critical steps toward ending extreme poverty and safeguarding the planet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Moving into 2026, Global Citizen will again return to Africa to expand its &lt;strong&gt;Move Afrika&lt;/strong&gt; initiative, the first-of-its-kind touring circuit with the intention to create jobs, strengthen local economies, and drive investment across the continent by building up its capacity to host world-class entertainment and touring events. Building on this year’s stops in Rwanda and Nigeria with &lt;strong&gt;John Legend&lt;/strong&gt; headlining and partners &lt;strong&gt;pgLang&lt;/strong&gt; and the &lt;strong&gt;Rwanda Development Board&lt;/strong&gt;, the tour will continue with a new stop added to Johannesburg, South Africa. In Asia, Global Citizen made history with its first-ever Southeast Asia event, Global Citizen NOW: Singapore, closing out Impact Week in partnership with TPC and the NO.17 Foundation. Global Citizen looks forward to expanding its worldwide presence even further next year by forging new cross-continental partnerships and bringing its message to more stages and communities across the world. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen’s campaigns continue long after the Festival stage lights dim. These milestones on the road ahead prove that The Global Citizen Festival is more than just a celebration; it serves as a powerful coalescing point across campaigns benefiting people and the planet by providing a platform for individuals to unite, raise their voices, and demand meaningful change from those in power. By taking action with Global Citizen, individuals have the chance to voice their views, hold world leaders accountable, and advocate for meaningful change, proving that systemic change is possible when people everywhere act with urgency and purpose.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen is the world's largest movement of action-takers and impact-makers dedicated to ending extreme poverty. We post, tweet, message, vote, sign, and call upon those who can effect change — government leaders, businesses, philanthropists, artists, and civil society — to come together to improve lives. We need everyone to join us. Download the Global Citizen app, take action, and add your voice. Because when millions of us speak in unison, world leaders cannot ignore us. To learn more, visit &lt;a href="http://globalcitizen.org"&gt;globalcitizen.org&lt;/a&gt;, and follow &lt;a href="https://x.com/GlblCtzn"&gt;@GlblCtzn&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://x.com/GlblCtznImpact"&gt;@GlblCtznImpact, &lt;/a&gt;as well as on &lt;a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@glblctzn"&gt;TikTok&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://instagram.com/glblctzn/"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3_C7BwcV0kBlJbBFHTPJQ"&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/GLBLCTZN"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/globalcitizen"&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 19:03:22 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-impact/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/f2/65/f265eef2-ca76-475a-8fdd-c10f5dabd4ed/2237877329.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen.</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen’s Day at The Bowery Mission: A Day of Service for New Yorkers in Need</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizens-day-at-the-bowery-mission-a-day-of/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, something extraordinary happened at&lt;a href="https://www.bowery.org/"&gt; The Bowery Mission&lt;/a&gt; in Lower Manhattan. More than 50 Global Citizens from across New York City came together for a day of service that proved a simple truth: efforts to end extreme poverty begin in our own communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This wasn't just another volunteer day. It was a rallying cry ahead of the&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/nyc/2025/"&gt; 2025 Global Citizen Festival&lt;/a&gt; in Central Park, where Global Citizens will gather on Sept. 27 to witness performances from Cardi B&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/shakira/"&gt;, Shakira&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/tyla/"&gt;Tyla&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/ayra-starr/"&gt; Ayra Starr&lt;/a&gt;, Mariah the Scientist, Camilo and Elyanna while world leaders announce new commitments to defeat poverty and defend the planet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The volunteer day at The Bowery Mission embodied Global Citizen's&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/about/who-we-are/"&gt; core belief&lt;/a&gt; that when everyday people take action, extraordinary change follows. Participants served meals, organized clothing donations, and prepared food while earning points toward festival tickets through concrete community action.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Service Meets Global Citizenship&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The partnership between Global Citizen and The Bowery Mission, supported by Goodera, represents more than charity: it's community-building, dignity-restoration, and poverty alleviation in action. For over 150 years, The Bowery Mission has been a beacon of hope in Lower Manhattan, providing essential services to those experiencing homelessness and poverty, serving hundreds of meals daily, and creating pathways to permanent housing and employment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As part of Global Citizen's 2025 campaign to mobilize 40,000 volunteers worldwide, this event demonstrated how taking practical action in our communities earns Global Citizens points toward festival tickets while creating real impact for those who need it most. The message was clear: grassroots service isn't separate from global advocacy, it's the foundation of the movement to end extreme poverty.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Day of Impact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizens volunteered across multiple shifts at The Bowery Mission, participating in meal service and food preparation activities. Volunteer roles included breakfast service, lunch preparation, clothing room operations, afternoon meal prep, and dinner service.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Throughout the day, Global Citizen volunteers served 687 people across breakfast, lunch, and dinner services, while also prepping approximately 650 meals. The volunteer shifts ensured consistent meal provision and food preparation support for The Bowery Mission's ongoing operations.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connecting Local Action to Global Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Each participating Global Citizen earned points toward free tickets to the 2025 Global Citizen Festival through their volunteer service. Tickets were distributed on-site throughout the day to ensure accessibility for all participants, including those without smartphone access or reliable internet. This approach links direct community service with participation in Global Citizen's larger advocacy platform, where festival attendees witness policy commitments from world leaders alongside musical performances.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The volunteer day provided participants with direct experience in community service within the broader context of Global Citizen's mission to end extreme poverty. Volunteers who served at The Bowery Mission will attend the Central Park festival having participated in the type of local action that Global Citizen positions as essential to global change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building Toward the Festival&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Sept. 13 volunteer day built momentum toward the 2025 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, where 60,000 Global Citizens are expected to gather. The festival represents the culmination of various actions taken by participants throughout the year, including volunteer service, such as the Bowery Mission event.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen's model connects individual acts of service with larger policy advocacy. When participants take action through volunteering, advocacy campaigns, or other initiatives, the organization leverages this engagement to demonstrate public support for policy changes that address the underlying drivers of poverty.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pathways for Continued Engagement&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Bowery Mission continues to offer volunteer opportunities for those interested in ongoing community service. Global Citizen provides various ways for participants to advocate for policy changes addressing poverty worldwide, including future volunteer shifts that allow people to earn festival tickets while creating community impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Sept. 13 event exemplified Global Citizen's approach: connecting everyday people with concrete actions that contribute to the broader movement to end extreme poverty. Whether through local volunteering or global advocacy, the organization offers multiple pathways for people to create change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The volunteer day at The Bowery Mission demonstrated how community service can serve as both a direct impact and a foundation for larger advocacy efforts. As Global Citizen continues its campaign to mobilize volunteers globally, events like this connect local action with the organization's mission to end extreme poverty through coordinated citizen engagement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The 2025 Global Citizen Festival will bring together participants from events like the Bowery Mission volunteer day, creating a platform where local service connects with global policy advocacy. When Global Citizens gather in Central Park, they will include volunteers who have taken concrete action in their communities as part of the broader movement for change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Join us as we come together for a day of inspiring performances, impactful conversations, and collective action for a better world. For more information, download the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download/?_branch_match_id=1356642309049677772&amp;amp;utm_medium=marketing&amp;amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXT89JykkuqcrTS87XT8kvz8vJT0yxrytKTUstKsrMS49PKsovL04tsnXOKMrPTQUAfDvkaDYAAAA%3D"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt; and follow us on social media.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;See you on Sept. 27 — let’s make history together!&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Angi Varrial</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:05:07 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizens-day-at-the-bowery-mission-a-day-of/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/20/7d/207d6f7c-387b-46a6-837c-585926608c0f/250913-gc_bowery_mission-3124.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Maryanne Gichanga Is The Farmer’s Friend: Meet The 2025 Global Citizen Waislitz Disruptor Award Winner</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-maryanne-gichanga-agritech-analytics-waislitz/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Maryanne Gichanga refers to her company, AgriTech Analytics as the “farmer’s friend”. Considering the smile that radiates across her face and the go-getter attitude that motivates everyone around her, we think it’s an apt description for this year’s Global Citizen Waislitz Award-winner and the company she co-founded.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Feeding the World, Yet Left Behind&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’d like to take it one step further. It’s not just that AgriTech Analytics is the “farmer’s friend” — it is, in fact, the farmer’s champion, and hearing Gichanga, the company’s CEO, discuss the importance of smallholder farmers proves just that.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“It is important for us to recognize the hard work that the smallholder farmers put in. If the smallholder farmers were to retire or quit, then there would be no food. They've been ignored, yet they're the majority,” she said. “I mean these farmers contribute to over 80% of the food consumed, but they're the poorest. Nobody really seems to think about them. Even when people sit at big tables, or when there are COP meetings, there's no representative who's a smallholder farmer there.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is the foundation on which the company was built. Gichanga’s work on AgriTech Analytics is dedicated to smallholder farmers and their commitment to feeding our societies. The Kenyan start-up is designed to benefit every person who cultivates, eats, and feeds within a community. The aim is to alleviate hunger by empowering rural farms and ensuring that the food produced is wholesome and nutritious — all while helping farmers and their families achieve more stable livelihoods.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is largely done by equipping small-scale agriculturalists with the knowledge and tools they need to enhance their work and adapt to the impacts of climate change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We help them walk the journey with everything that they need to know about farming,” explained Gichanga. “We are there telling them it's time to water, or if there’s too much water. We tell them to reduce the fertiliser, or if they do not need fertiliser. We say: ‘I think it's time to uproot the weed or it's time to plant this instead.’”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Harnessing Tech for the Fields&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And how do they acquire the knowledge to provide such solutions? Through innovative technological interventions. Gichanga went on: “We’ve been able to incorporate IoT and satellites so we can have historic data and present-day data, and we are able to predict three weeks of what is going to happen in terms of the weather. We are also able to understand what was happening on a farm before and to see and study the soil degradation and how it's going.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What’s more, the company uses its own AI solutions to further understand the issues that farmers are facing, adapting the AI to comprehend region-specific issues that their crops might have.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;“We have a team that does AI training. We train our own AI models because we want it to be as practical as possible for the smallholder farmers that we are working with,” she told Global Citizen. “There's a lot of free data out there, but if you just plug in from the [existing] free data, it most probably is not from our region and it means that the solutions the device is going to recommend are not going to be actionable for the smallholder farmers. So we do our own AI training.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;I mean these farmers contribute to over 80% of the food consumed, but they're the poorest.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;From Farmer’s Daughter to AgriTech Innovator&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Gichanga knows the tribulations that small-scale farmers experience all too well, as both her parents are smallholder agriculturalists. She grew up with an understanding of financial instability as a result of their profession, but also a sense of frustration in knowing that the work her parents and other farmers do is critical to our food systems, yet is highly unpredictable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I am a farmer's daughter. Growing up, I witnessed good yields and seasons where the farms were doing well. And I was also there when the farm's yields were reducing,” Gichanga told Global Citizen. “There were a lot of issues. There were a lot of pests and diseases that were new and nobody knew how to manage them. In fact, there was a time when my father took out a loan to pay for my education and he was auctioned because the yields failed that season.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She continued: “So for me it's personal. The persistence with which I saw my parents take me through school is what pushes me [to continue my work] because I know there are so many kids who are in the same situation. Their parents are farmers. They are not sure whether there's going to be money for school fees next year so their education is on the line. They are not sure whether they can get access to good health care because their parents are relying on unpredictable weather. You know, they do not understand the changes that are happening in farming but farming is their source of livelihood.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When she forayed into agriculture, in the footsteps of her parents, initially they didn’t quite understand her career choice. However, they quickly turned their opinions around and have become Gichanga’s biggest cheerleaders.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Team To End Hunger&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;AgriTech Analytics has a dedicated team behind it, including 15 permanent employees and a vast number of contractors all working to fulfil the needs that farmers have. Gichanga lists researchers, engineers, agronomists, marketers, salespeople, customer relations, and community leaders among the bricks that build the AgriTech Analytics team — a team that not only provides farmers with solutions, but assists them every step of the way in implementing these solutions in their day-to-day work. To this team she has one message:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I want to encourage them to keep doing whatever it is that they're doing, it is actually making an impact and they're not wasting their time — they're building onto solving poverty in the world.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She added: “The problems they're solving are not only affecting people in Africa, but globally. We could even scale globally and that for us is an encouragement. I know that they work so hard and I am so proud of them, we can do this. I mean, the sky is the limit. So we keep improving, we keep growing, and we keep reaching as many farmers as we can because that is our mission.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Smallholder farmers feed the world and are the key to ending hunger, yet they remain some of the most vulnerable members of society. Through AgriTech Analytics, their work is strengthened  and given the resources needed for farms and communities to thrive; a feat fully deserving of the Global Citizen Waislitz Disruptor Award. &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Khanyi Mlaba</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:22:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-maryanne-gichanga-agritech-analytics-waislitz/</guid><category>Food &amp; Hunger</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/c5/ad/c5adb472-c6b4-4172-a6fe-12a782b0aa8f/resized_maryanne_gichanga_waislitz_2025.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">supplied/AgriTech Analytics</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>A Bold New Fund Could Help End Childhood Undernutrition for Good — Here’s How</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/a-bold-new-fund-could-help-end-childhood-undernutr/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Undernutrition is a silent global crisis — far less visible than war or natural disaster, but just as devastating. The stats are staggering: it contributes to &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malnutrition"&gt;nearly half&lt;/a&gt; of all child deaths under five worldwide. Today, more than &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/nutrition/publication/investment-framework-nutrition"&gt;148 million children&lt;/a&gt; are stunted, facing lifelong developmental setbacks. About &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/nutrition/publication/investment-framework-nutrition"&gt;45 million&lt;/a&gt; are wasting, or dangerously thin for their height and at high risk of starvation. And nearly &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anaemia"&gt;one in three women&lt;/a&gt; of reproductive age is anemic, endangering their own health and babies’ survival.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;More than anything though, what should stop us cold is this: this crisis is solvable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’ve already cracked the case on how to solve undernutrition on an individual level. The challenge isn’t discovering solutions; it’s delivering them, with the money and plan to match the scale of the challenge at hand.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That’s where the &lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/documents/child-nutrition-fund"&gt;Child Nutrition Fund&lt;/a&gt; (CNF) comes in. This global effort is designed to fast-track proven interventions so that every child, everywhere, has the chance to grow up healthy. The task ahead is immense — but so is the CNF’s ambition. If successful, it could help make childhood undernutrition a crisis of the past.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here’s everything you need to know about how it plans to do just that. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What Exactly is the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF)? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/documents/child-nutrition-fund"&gt;Child Nutrition Fund (CNF)&lt;/a&gt; is the world’s largest mechanism dedicated to ending child undernutrition. Launched by UNICEF and partners in 2023 and guided by a global steering committee including the &lt;a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/"&gt;Gates Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="https://ciff.org/"&gt;Children’s Investment Fund Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, and the &lt;a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office"&gt;UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office&lt;/a&gt;, the CNF has a bold mission: to help &lt;strong&gt;reach &lt;a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/UNICEF_Child_Nutrition_Fund_2024_AnnualReport.pdf"&gt;320 million&lt;/a&gt; women and children every year by 2030&lt;/strong&gt; with the nutrition they need to survive and thrive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The CNF focuses on countries with the highest rates of stunting and wasting. Today, &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/where-we-work"&gt;63 countries&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; are either active or eligible for CNF support across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It focuses on &lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/focus-areas"&gt;five key areas&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Maternal nutrition&lt;/b&gt;, ensuring women have the proper care they need during pregnancy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Breastfeeding support&lt;/b&gt;, helping families give infants the healthiest possible start in life.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Complementary feeding&lt;/b&gt; so children get safe, nutrient-rich support as they grow.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Micronutrient supplements&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;and deworming&lt;/b&gt; to prevent hidden hunger and illness.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Emergency treatment&lt;/b&gt; for severe wasting, including RUTF.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the CNF is not just another pot of money. It’s a seismic shift in how we finance nutrition — uniting governments, donors, and communities behind proven solutions with one platform. It’s also turning the traditional fundraising model on its head by incentivizing countries to amp up their own spending with the support they need to transition away from international donors. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Problem Isn’t Complicated — It’s Coordination &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Without proper nutrition, entire societies — and people’s very lives — fall apart. &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/data/nutrition/nlis/info/malnutrition-in-children"&gt;Children struggle&lt;/a&gt; to learn, fall victim to deadly diseases more often, and earn less as adults. Families sink deeper into poverty, and over time, that leads to the global economy losing &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/nutrition/overview"&gt;at least a trillion dollars&lt;/a&gt; annually — money that could have lifted people out of poverty towards healthier, happier lives instead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But this crisis is eminently solvable. We already have the means to do so: &lt;a href="https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/why-multiple-micronutrient-supplements-are-key-to-combat-malnutrition-106694"&gt;micronutrient supplements&lt;/a&gt; for mothers, breastfeeding support for infants, &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/essential-programme-on-immunization/integration/linking-with-other-health-interventions/vitamin-a"&gt;vitamin A campaigns&lt;/a&gt;, and emergency nutrition care known as &lt;a href="https://www.unicef.org/supply/stories/saving-lives-rutf-ready-use-therapeutic-food"&gt;ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)&lt;/a&gt; all stock the world’s toolkit. And the payoff is enormous. Every $1 invested in nutrition delivers up to &lt;a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices/investing-in-nutrition-is-smart-economics"&gt;$23 in health, education, and economic returns&lt;/a&gt;. In other words, investing in nutrition is one of the smartest, most cost-effective investments any country can make in its future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So what’s the problem? These tools &lt;a href="https://eleanorcrookfoundation.org/evidence-matters/ready-to-use-therapeutic-food"&gt;aren’t prohibitively expensive&lt;/a&gt; or especially high-tech — but in many countries grappling with undernutrition, domestic budgets are stretched thin, donors are fragmented, and lengthy international supply chains get tangled, meaning aid can be &lt;a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-03/rutf-the-miracle-food-against-malnutrition-blocked-by-the-usaid-debacle.html"&gt;delayed by red tape&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/children-gaza-critical-risk-famine"&gt;blocked at borders&lt;/a&gt;, or shipped from &lt;a href="https://www.childwasting.org/supply-chain"&gt;halfway around the world&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How the CNF Works — Three Windows, One Strategy&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The CNF exists to make sure these toolkits reach those who need them most. Before, there were limited avenues for global nutrition donors to work together, leaving them in silos. The result? Some countries would receive more support than others, leaving distribution uneven and children in limbo. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The CNF model tackles some of these barriers head-on with three financing “windows” that work together to maximize impact:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/programme-window"&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Program Window&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — Pools donor funds together for nutrition programs in the highest-need countries. By putting investments in one place, this window avoids duplication, identifies critical gaps, and provides reliable funding where it matters most.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/match-window"&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Match Window&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; — Acts as a catalyst for even more government action, matching national investments for specific supplies, dollar-for-dollar, from a CNF-managed fund — doubling donors’ impact. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/supplier-window"&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Supplier Window&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;— Strengthens local production of nutrition tools like RUTF. This window supports manufacturers closer to where needs are greatest, lowering costs and reducing delays all while creating jobs that boost economies. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Why is this approach so noteworthy? Traditional aid can often be fragmented, unpredictable, or too slow. The CNF flips that script. Together, these windows build a system where care reaches children faster, aid is shifted, and donors know their contributions go further than ever before.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What Has the CNF Already Achieved? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The fund may be young, but it’s already &lt;a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/UNICEF_Child_Nutrition_Fund_2024_AnnualReport.pdf"&gt;racked up major victories on-the-ground&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In &lt;strong&gt;Cambodia&lt;/strong&gt;, 324,000 children were screened for malnutrition and more than 10,000 received life-saving treatment thanks to the CNF.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In &lt;strong&gt;Ethiopia&lt;/strong&gt;, 214,000 children under five received vitamin A and deworming — essential for growth and survival — while 85,000 were vaccinated through a &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/gavi-the-vaccine-alliance-has-saved-billions/"&gt;partnership with Gavi&lt;/a&gt;, the Vaccine Alliance.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In &lt;strong&gt;Pakistan&lt;/strong&gt;, 716,000 mothers and caregivers received nutrition counselling, equipping families with the know-how to prevent malnutrition before it starts. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The zoomed-out impact is just as striking. Through the Match Window, the CNF has unlocked &lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/match-window"&gt;$74 million for 18 countries&lt;/a&gt; and has funded treatment for &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/child-nutrition-fund_did-you-know-the-cnf-match-window-is-unlocking-activity-7336017176954372101-urzT/"&gt;1.2 million children with severe wasting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, the Supplier Window has supported &lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/supplier-window"&gt;16 local manufacturers across 11 countries&lt;/a&gt; — contributing to broader efforts to reach &lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/supplier-window"&gt;7.9 million children&lt;/a&gt; with treatment they might otherwise have not received.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What’s Next on the CNF’s Agenda? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The international community is facing &lt;a href="https://betterworldcampaign.org/peace-and-security/understanding-famine-declarations"&gt;two concurrent famines&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.wfpusa.org/news/report-reveals-worsening-hunger-13-hotspots/"&gt;surging hunger hotspots&lt;/a&gt; worldwide. Needs are skyrocketing. That’s why by 2030, the CNF aims to ensure 320 million children and women every year have access to essential nutrition, with the goal of mobilizing an estimated &lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/media/1361/file/CNF%20Strategic%20Results%20Framework%202025-2030.pdf"&gt;$2 billion&lt;/a&gt; to help achieve that goal.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That may sound steep, but it’s a fraction of the cost of inaction given undernutrition could drain the global economy of &lt;a href="https://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ICAN-UK-recommendations-to-the-FCDO-for-N4G-2025.pdf"&gt;$41 trillion in the next decade&lt;/a&gt;. Momentum is already building. Right now, the Bezos family is matching contributions &lt;a href="https://www.childnutritionfund.org/stories/how-bezos-matching-challenge-helps-donors-double-their-nutrition-impact"&gt;up to $500 million&lt;/a&gt;, doubling every donation for a total of $1 billion. This means that government and philanthropic spending can go twice as far, making it one of the best deals in global health and humanitarian aid today. And anyone can support the CNF’s work. Visit their &lt;a href="http://fund/"&gt;donation page here&lt;/a&gt; to contribute directly to its work yourself. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Solvable Tragedy&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The truth is simple: every person deserves the chance to survive and thrive. Undernutrition should never be the reason a life is cut short, or a future is stolen. It’s too solvable a problem, and too heartbreaking a consequence, for the world to allow it to continue. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The CNF offers a path forward, providing concrete solutions to end undernutrition once and for all. We have the science, and we have the tools. Now, through the CNF, we also have a plan. All that’s left is finding the will to make it happen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Related Stories - 1148604 " id="1148604" title="Related Stories - 1148604"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:11:51 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/a-bold-new-fund-could-help-end-childhood-undernutr/</guid><category>Food &amp; Hunger</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/e5/06/e506504f-55f7-49b9-988c-c43080aed811/cnf_hero_image.jpeg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions Heads to NYC During UNGA &amp; Climate Week</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-impact-sessions-heads-to-nyc-du/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, September 24, we’re returning to New York City for &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/impact-sessions/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, coinciding with the &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/ga/"&gt;United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.climateweeknyc.org/"&gt;Climate Week NYC&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year’s event arrives at an important moment for the international advocacy community: 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the UN. As we celebrate this milestone and reflect on what the next chapter of international cooperation will look like, an urgent question arises: &lt;b&gt;What should the next era of international cooperation look like if we are to meet today's challenges and achieve the &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals"&gt;&lt;b&gt;UN's Global Goals&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From adequately addressing the climate crisis and its subsequent impacts, to advancing global health, to safeguarding human rights and economic development, we need institutions and partnerships that will build systems that truly work for people and the planet. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We can do that by truly listening to diverse voices at the frontlines of these challenges, and platforming the ideas that are at the forefront of the future. Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions is just the place to do that. Here’s everything you need to know, and how you can be a part of it.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What’s Happening At Impact Sessions? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen NOW is our trademark, action-oriented platform meant to inspire action and drive real change, not someday, but in the moment. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions is designed to mobilize action, capital, and momentum across our campaigns during one of the world’s most influential weeks. The day-long event’s agenda features a schedule of keynote addresses, fireside chats, and dynamic panels. We’ll bring together leaders and advocates across various sectors to focus on concrete solutions, building new partnerships, and crafting new policies — drumming up action where it matters most in the world. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This marks the latest installment in &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW’s&lt;/a&gt; legacy of thought-leadership engagement between world leaders and civic society members, building off of our previous sessions this year in &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-returns-to-new-york-city-bolder/"&gt;NYC&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/in-sevilla-global-citizen-now-envisions-a-new-era/"&gt;Sevilla&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/unmissable-moments-from-global-citizen-now-detroit/"&gt;Detroit&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-amazonia/"&gt;Belém&lt;/a&gt;. Our ultimate goal? Setting the stage for significant policy and financial commitments in time for COP30 in the Brazilian city of Belém and the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, both in November this year. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What We’re Calling For&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year, the spotlight falls on three major campaigns: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Protect the Amazon (PTA)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;:&lt;/b&gt; Ratcheting up climate action through concrete commitments worth $1 billion to safeguard and restore the Amazon rainforest, the lungs of the Earth.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa (SURA)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Expanding renewable energy production across the African continent to power a just transition and triple renewable capacity by 2030. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-fifa-global-citizen-education-fund-everything/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Raising $100 million in partnership with FIFA to ensure 30,000 children worldwide have the chance to learn and play that they deserve. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With multiple countries reducing their official development assistance (ODA) and international aid gaps widening worldwide, Impact Sessions will serve as a rallying point for greater ambition alongside UNGA — and beyond. To that end, we’ll also be highlighting ways to secure fair financing reforms and adequate investment in essential human rights and climate action work, along with building fair and inclusive educational opportunities — all of which are critical to eradicating extreme poverty within our lifetimes. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Who’s Going to Be There? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hosted by Sabrina Elba, Chair of the Global Citizen European Board, Impact Sessions will bring together a vibrant coalition of heads of state, ministers, business leaders, civil society, and young advocates. Gathering diverse perspectives on stage together, we’ll unlock new ideas and exciting cross-sector opportunities, spotlighting grassroots voices and groundbreaking ideas side-by-side.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
Confirmed speakers include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Heads of State&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;strong&gt;Ursula von der Leyen&lt;/strong&gt;, President of the European Commmission;&lt;b&gt; Julius Maada Bio&lt;/b&gt;, President of Sierra Leone;&lt;b&gt; Jennifer Geerlings-Simons&lt;/b&gt;, President of Suriname;&lt;b&gt; Ralph Gonsalves&lt;/b&gt;, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; &lt;b&gt;Gaston Browne&lt;/b&gt;, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda; and more.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Private Sector&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;b&gt;Fran Katsoudas&lt;/b&gt;, Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy &amp;amp; Purpose Officer, Cisco; &lt;b&gt;Gqi Raoleka&lt;/b&gt;, CEO of Pele Energy Group; &lt;b&gt;Jonathan Hoffman&lt;/b&gt;, Chief Executive Officer, Globeleq; &lt;strong&gt;Roger Martella&lt;/strong&gt;, Chief Corporate Officer, GE Vernova, and more.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;International Organization Leaders&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;b&gt;Ilan Goldfajn&lt;/b&gt;, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (keynote speaker); &lt;b&gt;H.E. Ban Ki-moon&lt;/b&gt;, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations (keynote speaker); &lt;b&gt;Volker Türk&lt;/b&gt;, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and more.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Advocates&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;b&gt;Taily Terena&lt;/b&gt;, Global Citizen Prize Winner, and Indigenous Brazil leader; &lt;b&gt;Esther Kimani&lt;/b&gt;, Global Citizen CISCO Youth Leader Award Winner; &lt;b&gt;Valeriia Rachynska&lt;/b&gt;, Global Citizen Prize Winner, Ukraine; &lt;b&gt;Dr. Katherine Hayhoe,&lt;/b&gt; Director, Carbon Markets at Work: How Business Is Hitting Climate Goals; &lt;b&gt;Puyr Tembé&lt;/b&gt;, Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of the State of Para; and more. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Join Us and Be Part of the Change&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions isn’t just about talk — it’s about turning ideas into tangible action that the world can seize. To do that, we need to amplify Global South leadership, translate policy commitments into significant capital flows, and demand accountability of governments, businesses, and international leaders. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At a time when the foundations of multilateralism are under strain, this gathering seeks to reaffirm the power of true leadership and global cooperation. It’s also a clarion call challenging us to build a future where systems serve people and the planet, not the other way around. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stay tuned as we release more details on programming, partnerships, and action opportunities. You can join the movement now by downloading the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt;, checking out our website, and following our social channels for updates. And don’t forget to secure your spot for Impact Sessions now — &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/impact-sessions/"&gt;register your interest here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Related Stories - 1146738 " id="1146738" title="Related Stories - 1146738"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 17:33:37 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-impact-sessions-heads-to-nyc-du/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/22/fd/22fd4fb7-635f-4fe1-95a2-c698003db231/new-york-city-skyline.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Jonathan Riley/Unsplash</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>8 Questions with Kristen Bell: Championing Peace Through Collective Action</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/8-questions-with-kristen-bell-championing-peace/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Kristen Bell, celebrated actor and advocate, will join the&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/nyc/2025/"&gt; Global Citizen Festival&lt;/a&gt; stage in New York City this September. As a&lt;a href="https://wphfund.org/our-global-advocate-kristen-bell/"&gt; Global Advocate&lt;/a&gt; for the&lt;a href="http://www.wphfund.org/"&gt; United Nations  Women’s Peace &amp;amp; Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)&lt;/a&gt;, she has championed the voices of women leading change in their communities. At this year’s festival, she will spotlight both WPHF and Global Citizen’s combined missions to take bold steps toward a world where women and girls, no matter where they are born, have equal access to opportunity and lasting peace.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To celebrate the launch of the&lt;a href="https://wphfund.org/peaceis/"&gt; WPHF “Peace Is” Global Campaign,&lt;/a&gt; we interviewed Kristen ahead of this month’s International Day of Peace and the 80th&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; session of the United Nations General Assembly to find out what peace means to her.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. As Global Advocate of the United Nations Women's Peace &amp;amp; Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), what has inspired you most about the women you've met who are driving change in their communities?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What inspires me most is their resilience, their courage, and their creativity. These women are working in some of the toughest places, often with very little resources, and yet they don't just survive: they step up and lead. They're finding local solutions, keeping their communities safe, making sure girls go to school, start businesses, and proving that when women have support, it benefits everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Teaming up with WPHF as their Global Advocate over the years, I've had the privilege to meet some of these incredible local women activists and see their impact firsthand. That's also why I'm so proud to be part of the&lt;a href="https://wphfund.org/peaceis/"&gt; WPHF "Peace Is" Campaign&lt;/a&gt;, which is launching this month ahead of the International Day of Peace.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. The Global Citizen Festival's mission is bold: to end extreme poverty within our lifetime and create a world where every child has access to education and opportunity. As WPHF Global Advocate, why does this mission resonate with you personally?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Because I'm a mom, I want every child to have the chance to dream and build a future. Poverty — especially in conflict and crisis — takes that away. It reduces education, opportunity, and the promise of peace gives it back. What I've seen through the work of my friends at WPHF is that when women get the support they need, they pour it right back into their families and communities, and that's exactly the kind of goal worth showing up for.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Education is one of the most powerful tools for change. How do you think storytelling — whether through entertainment or your advocacy for peace — can help inspire more people to see education as a right for every child, everywhere?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stories connect us. They help us see ourselves in someone else's shoes. That's what I love about&lt;a href="http://www.wphfund.org/peaceis"&gt; WPHF's "Peace Is" Campaign&lt;/a&gt;. It's about connecting us all, amplifying real stories, and showing the world that progress and peace are possible through collective action.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. The entertainment industry has incredible influence. What progress have you seen in the way women are portrayed on screen, and why is authentic representation important for young audiences?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I've seen such a big shift toward showing women as real people. They're not just secondary characters anymore: they're leading, they're funny, they're messy, they're complex and powerful. We can all relate! And that's huge because young people deserve to see themselves reflected honestly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's also what I see through my work with WPHF: women showing up authentically as leaders, changemakers, peacebuilders, and first responders in crises. These women deserve support and to be portrayed as the powerful agents of change that they are, and WPHF is making that a reality for women leaders across the globe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Through your work with WPHF, you've witnessed women leading and creating brighter futures for others. Can you share a story that illustrates the ripple effect of opportunity?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There are so many stories… It's impossible to pick just one! Through WPHF, I've met women working in conflict and crisis zones who set up safe spaces in their communities, helped girls stay in school, taught other women new skills, and built shelters with their own hands after an earthquake. Every little thing they do sparks a ripple effect — when women are supported, change spreads way beyond what they ever imagined. The&lt;a href="http://www.wphfund.org/peaceis"&gt; "Peace Is" Campaign&lt;/a&gt; shows that when you invest in one woman, you're really investing in an entire community, and that momentum is unstoppable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. At the Global Citizen Festival, millions will be tuning in around the world. What message do you hope to share with the next generation of changemakers who care deeply about fairness, opportunity, and education?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I want them to know their voices and actions matter. Everyone needs to be the change they wish to see in the world. You too can make a difference and be a part of the&lt;a href="http://www.wphfund.org/peaceis"&gt; "Peace Is" Global Movement&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Your career has combined creativity with purpose. How do you see artists and public figures helping to spark hope and inspire people to take part in building a more equal world?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Art has a way of opening hearts, and public figures can shine a light where it's needed most. When we use our platforms to share stories of resilience, of women leading peace and keeping their communities safe, that sparks hope. And hope is always the first step toward action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. Looking ahead, what gives you the most hope about the future, especially for women and children who deserve the chance to learn, grow, and shape their own path?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Young people are fearless — they refuse to be beaten down by the rules the world has given them. They can still imagine peace everywhere, and they know it's attainable. We need to remember that kind of hope. If we keep supporting them and keep investing in women and girls everywhere, the future has the potential to be brighter and more peaceful than we can imagine.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Global Citizen Festival takes place in New York City this September, bringing together artists, advocates, and global citizens to take action on the world's most pressing issues. Learn more about the UN Women's Peace &amp;amp; Humanitarian Fund and the "Peace Is" Global Campaign at their official websites.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Angi Varrial</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:55:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/8-questions-with-kristen-bell-championing-peace/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/e3/d4/e3d4a810-6dcf-4d40-a4f7-3bd7cd603707/screenshot_2025-09-19_at_123727.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>What the Heck Are NDCs? The Climate Plans That Could Make or Break the Paris Agreement</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-heck-are-ndcs-the-climate-plans-that-coul/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;There’s no &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/a-beginners-guide-to-climate-finance-what-you-need/"&gt;shortage of jargon&lt;/a&gt; when it comes to understanding the fight against climate change. But one of the most important — and least catchy — acronyms to keep in mind is NDCs, or Nationally Determined Contributions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It may sound technical, but NDCs are central to our planet’s survival. In 2025, every country that signed the &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement"&gt;Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt; (which is to say, nearly all of them) is expected to submit a new or  updated NDC, which means in other words, nations must deliver their plan to deliver climate action covering the next few years. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These plans will determine how quickly the world moves away from fossil fuels, cut down emissions, and whether we can keep the most catastrophic impacts of global warming at bay.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There’s a lot on the line, and the stakes could not be higher. We’re going to walk you through it — here’s everything you need to know to understand NDCs today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Background on NDCs&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, it marked the first time nearly every country agreed to work together to limit global warming. The target: keep temperatures &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/paris-agreement"&gt;“well below” 2°C&lt;/a&gt;, while aiming for 1.5°. That difference might sound tiny, but when it comes to measuring climate change, every fraction of a degree matters. At 1.5°C, we stand a chance of preventing key ice sheets from collapsing; &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/whats-difference-between-15c-2c-global-warming-2021-11-07/"&gt;at 2°C, that chance could disappear&lt;/a&gt;, along with &lt;a href="https://earth.org/what-2c-of-warming-will-look-like-a-comprehensive-assessment/"&gt;heatwaves intensifying&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08042020/global-warming-ecosystem-biodiversity-rising-heat-species/"&gt;ecosystems collapsing&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/climate-change-cuts-global-crop-yields-even-when-farmers-adapt"&gt;crops failing&lt;/a&gt;. (We’ve got &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-difference-in-global-warming-levels-explained"&gt;a full explainer on the difference a degree makes right here&lt;/a&gt; for you to get the full grasp of it all.) &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Paris Agreement is undeniably a landmark step forward, but its major weakness is that it isn’t legally binding. Countries set their own targets voluntarily, with no penalties for failing to meet them. Progress depends on public pressure and political will — and as anyone paying attention to politics today knows, steering everyone toward a common goal is no easy feat.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That’s where NDCs come in. While the Paris Agreement set the ambition, these plans are where rubber meets the road with concrete actions. Every five years, governments are meant to submit an updated NDC reflecting their current “&lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs"&gt;highest possible ambition.&lt;/a&gt;” In theory, each round should raise the bar and prevent countries from sticking to business as usual.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What’s In an NDC Anyway? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To the uninitiated, NDCs might look like dry, bureaucratic documents stuffed with numbers and technical language. But they’re much more consequential than busy paperwork. They set out how a country will reduce carbon emissions — often by cutting emissions, scaling up renewable energy, cutting back on fossil fuels, or improving overall energy efficiency. They also detail how nations plan to adapt to a hotter planet by protecting communities from rising seas, bolstering agricultural resilience, and preparing health systems to handle the effects of extreme heat.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Basically it comes down to &lt;a href="https://earth.org/all-or-nothing-why-we-need-both-climate-adaptation-and-mitigation/"&gt;two elements&lt;/a&gt;: mitigation (cutting emissions) and adaptation (preparing for impacts), and these form the backbone of every NDC policy. Done right, NDCs don’t just prevent disaster, but also create a &lt;a href="https://globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-climate-crisis-is-here-so-its-time-to-rethink/?edit"&gt;roadmap for cleaner, stronger economies&lt;/a&gt;. They help shape national laws and regulations, steer investment, and facilitate industries’ green transitions while getting communities the resources they need to survive. They also signal to observers that a country is serious about climate action, indicating that others should be, too.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why 2025 Could Be a Turning Point&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The first NDCs &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/all-about-ndcs"&gt;arrived in 2015&lt;/a&gt;, with the next round landing in &lt;a href="https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/ndc-update-report-december-2020-come-together"&gt;2020 and 2021&lt;/a&gt; amid the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in 2025, countries are entering their third cycle, and the timing couldn’t be more urgent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The UN’s recent &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/topics/global-stocktake"&gt;Global Stocktake&lt;/a&gt; — essentially, its report card on climate action — shows that while some progress has been made, we’re still far off track. &lt;a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152519/emissions-from-fossil-fuels-continue-to-rise"&gt;Emissions continue to rise&lt;/a&gt;, and current commitments &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/news/new-un-climate-change-report-shows-national-climate-plans-fall-miles-short-of-what-s-needed"&gt;fall well short&lt;/a&gt; of what’s needed. Nations must urgently do more now to take their commitments to the planet seriously. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yet glimmers of hope persist. Electric vehicle sales are &lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2025/trends-in-electric-car-markets-2"&gt;soaring&lt;/a&gt;. Renewable energy accounted for more than &lt;a href="https://e360.yale.edu/digest/renewable-capacity-irena-2024"&gt;90% of new power capacity&lt;/a&gt; in 2024. Communities everywhere are experimenting with &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-indigenous-communities-power-clean-energy/"&gt;innovative solutions&lt;/a&gt; for reducing emissions. It’s far from nothing, but it’s definitively still not enough: we’re currently on track for a &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uynhvHZUOOo"&gt;world that’s 3°C hotter&lt;/a&gt;, which will mean mass displacement, collapsing food systems, and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-is-biodiversity-and-why-the-amazon-needs-us-t/"&gt;irreversible biodiversity loss&lt;/a&gt; within our lifetimes. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The science is blunt. Keeping 1.5°C within reach means cutting emissions &lt;a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/"&gt;almost in half by 2030 &lt;/a&gt;and reducing them by &lt;a href="https://climateanalytics.org/publications/latest-science-on-the-1-5-c-limit-of-the-paris-agreement"&gt;60% by 2035&lt;/a&gt; compared to 2019 levels. That means that this round of NDCs are one of our last make-or-break chances to set the world on that path.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Are NDCs Currently Doing Enough? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The short answer: so far, it’s a resounding no. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Commitments made in the last round of NDCs would put the planet on course for &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/assessing-2025-ndcs"&gt;2.6 to 2.8°C of warming&lt;/a&gt;. What’s worse is that even those pledges are not being met, pushing potential warming &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/assessing-2025-ndcs"&gt;closer to 3.1°C&lt;/a&gt;. This year, the original February deadline for new NDCs flew by, and &lt;a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-95-of-countries-miss-un-deadline-to-submit-2035-climate-pledges/"&gt;most countries missed it&lt;/a&gt;. The UN extended the deadline to September, giving governments more time — but also raising question marks about how seriously they’re taking their climate pledges. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So far, &lt;a href="https://icphub.org/files/250917-ndc-state-of-play.pdf"&gt;35 countries, accounting for about one-fifth of global emissions&lt;/a&gt;, have submitted their NDCs. &lt;a href="https://www.e3g.org/news/ndc-tracker-2025/"&gt;Analysis by the think tank E3G&lt;/a&gt; found that most include stronger renewable targets and mention improving energy efficiency, and many also reference phasing out coal — all of which is great news. Yet very few commit to firmly moving away from oil and gas by a clear deadline, a glaring gap that puts the 1.5°C goal out of reach. Right now, only five G20 countries — which are typically among the world’s &lt;a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/interactive-chart-shows-changes-worlds-top-10-emitters"&gt;top polluters&lt;/a&gt; — have submitted their NDC in this round, but more are expected to share during this year’s &lt;a href="https://www.un.org/en/ga/"&gt;UN General Assembly&lt;/a&gt; in late September.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’ll be on the lookout to see what some big players, such as the EU, China and India, will ultimately share. That’s because ambition can span a wide spectrum. &lt;a href="https://earth.org/understanding-saudi-arabias-resistance-to-environmental-policy-change/"&gt;Saudi Arabia&lt;/a&gt;, despite being one of the sunniest places on Earth, still burns oil for most of its electricity. Meanwhile, the US — the world’s largest historic emitter — has &lt;a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48504"&gt;initiated the process to withdraw&lt;/a&gt; from the Paris Agreement altogether. But some examples of leadership abound: &lt;a href="https://earth.org/the-uruguay-way-achieving-energy-sovereignty-in-the-developing-world/"&gt;Uruguay&lt;/a&gt; now runs almost entirely on renewables, while &lt;a href="https://www.renewableinstitute.org/renewables-supplied-a-staggering-71-of-portugals-electricity-in-2024/"&gt;Portugal&lt;/a&gt; is rapidly expanding its renewable energy portfolio and Chile is among the fastest-growing &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/01/how-chile-is-becoming-a-leader-in-renewable-energy/#:~:text=How%20Chile%20is%20becoming%20a%20leader%20in%20renewable%20energy%20%7C%20World%20Economic%20Forum"&gt;wind and solar markets&lt;/a&gt; in the world. Meanwhile the UK announced a &lt;a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/05/ban-on-new-drilling-confirmed-as-ministers-consult-on-north-sea-clean-energy-future"&gt;ban on new oil and gas drilling licenses&lt;/a&gt; as part of its plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the first major G7 country to take such a bold step. Progress is happening, just not as far and wide as we need to see it. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What Does Ambition Actually Look Like?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So glad you asked us. At minimum, NDCs this year need to establish clear 2030 and 2035 targets that make maintaining 1.5°C possible. They should set timelines to phase out coal and fossil fuels altogether, while scaling up renewable energy at a record pace and cutting emissions across all sectors. They must strengthen adaptation measures, build resilient infrastructure, protect forests, and safeguard the food systems we all rely on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Adequate financing is also critical, especially for developing countries. At COP29, nations pledged $300 billion annually for climate action by 2035. But that’s still a trillion short of what’s actually needed. Wealthy individuals and high-polluting industries have to &lt;a href="https://www.pollutingelite.earth/"&gt;pay their fair share&lt;/a&gt; to ensure those hit hardest by the current crisis have the resources they need to survive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What Comes Next?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Without ambitious NDCs, the Paris Agreement risks becoming little more than empty words. They might be written by governments, but climate action is in the hands of everyday citizens and advocates, too. By demanding bold plans, pressing for renewable energy, and phasing out fossil fuels for good, we can hold leaders accountable to keep people — not polluters — their priority. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Paris Agreement was borne out of the idea that climate action is a global undertaking. And every individual has a role to play by keeping pressure on those in power to use it wisely. One of the best ways to do that is to stay informed and keep paying attention. Follow updates on NDC submissions through platforms like &lt;a href="https://www.climatewatchdata.org/ndcs-explore?ap3c=AGg_HN2dTjtPtkUCAGi4Wf4C69Dahe-UIa40EeujsU_cGjk38A"&gt;World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Climate Watch&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://unfccc.int/NDCREG"&gt;UN tracker&lt;/a&gt; to make sure that leaders are fulfilling their promises. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The clock is ticking. It’s time for all countries to act like it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Related Stories - 1145145 " id="1145145" title="Related Stories - 1145145"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 09:29:34 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/what-the-heck-are-ndcs-the-climate-plans-that-coul/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/1c/36/1c36a2ce-dd6a-40bd-ba69-7cedb1945e0d/g20-climate-finance_3.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Image: IMF Photo/Lisa Marie David</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Osei Boateng Wins 2025 Global Citizen Waislitz Grand Prize for Expanding Health Care Access in Ghana</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/boateng-wins-2025-global-citizen-waislitz-prize/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;When Global Citizen announced that Osei Boateng&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;had won the 2025 &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/programs/waislitz-award/"&gt;Global Citizen Waislitz Grand Prize&lt;/a&gt;, it recognized an effort that grew from personal loss into a national model of health care delivery. As founder of the &lt;a href="https://www.okbfoundation.org/"&gt;OKB Hope Foundation&lt;/a&gt;, Boateng leads mobile health initiatives and school-based wellness programs that reach communities with limited access to care.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“I was born and raised in Ghana.  I grew up in a community where access to health care was a challenge,” he said. “I grew up seeing a lot of my community members struggling to get access to health care and for those who were able to get to the care, it wasn’t always guaranteed that once they got to the health facility there was a doctor or the medication that they needed available.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Mission Shaped by Family&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Boateng’s grandmother played a central role in his upbringing. When she became seriously ill, the family could not find a provider in time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We all tried our best to get her to the nearest health care facility and we didn’t get a doctor or a health care provider in time to take care of her; by the time we got one it was too late,” he recalled. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“When this happened and we were not able to get a health care provider and eventually lost her that was when I said to myself: ‘when I become of age, this is what I want my life’s purpose to be, to ensure that people in the rural and underserved communities don’t go through the same thing that my family and I went through.’”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From Cornell to Community Outreach&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After his family moved to the United States in 2014, Boateng began pre-medical studies at Raritan Valley Community College and continued at Cornell University. During a physiology course, he realized how different Ghana’s reality was from what he was studying.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“They were talking about different diseases — especially cardiovascular diseases [like] hypertension and diabetes — and how these have silent symptoms. If people don’t know about them they can die so you need to be at the health care facility to get your pressure checked… For me it was like wait, we don’t even have blood pressure monitors… it’s a struggle to go to [a] health care facility let alone get your blood pressure checked.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In December 2017, Boateng organized his first outreach mission. “We did the screening and we saw a lot of people. One thing that stood out was that a lot of people had high blood pressures that they didn’t even know of,” he said. He went on to explain that a woman who was checked at the screening had a blood pressure over 200 and was sent straight to emergency care. “If the woman hadn’t come around this time we wouldn’t even know what would have happened afterwards.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mobile Health Vans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through these experiences, Boateng recognized that many people delay seeking care because of the economic trade-offs involved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Most of them are in the informal sector. Whatever they sell in the market determines the money that they earn at the end of the day, and that determines the food that they can put on the table,” he explained. “So it becomes a very difficult decision for them to leave their place of work to go to the hospital and hope that there is someone who is going to take care of them.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To close this gap, OKB Hope Foundation launched mobile health vans that bring consultations, diagnostic testing, and medication directly to communities. Before visits, the team works with district health offices and surveys residents. “On average we see 150 to 200 people daily. Some we’ve done… upwards of 500 in a day,” Boateng said.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The foundation also began to address mental health after hearing concerns about livelihoods, crops, and uncertainty.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“It wasn’t only about physical health. There was a mental health component to it,” Boateng explained. The team launched symposiums in schools and then introduced wellness clubs to provide regular support. “Now we are also trying to leverage technology like AI to be able to fill the gap created by the shortage of mental health care providers by being an assistant 24/7 for these students.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stories from the Field&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 2022, the team traveled to a remote community in Ghana where most children tested positive for malaria.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We were just wondering, wait, what’s going on in this particular community? We asked the community members, if a woman is pregnant what would you do? They said that if they know she’s going to deliver, they’d just take a motorcycle and take her to the hospital or the nearest health care center sometimes days or even weeks before she actually delivers… because if anything happens at a community level the likelihood of her survival is low.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On another visit, the team identified a child with kidney disease, transported her to the city, and supported treatment before returning her home. “Always being able to give one person a second chance to life is really priceless,” Boateng reflected.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;However, the demand often exceeds what the team can provide. "I remember one day we planned for about 200 to 250 people, but instead, 500 showed up. We had no choice but to prioritize those who were really sick. Moments like that remind us why we believe so strongly that knowledge is power. Even if we can’t treat everyone, when we educate and give people the knowledge, they can carry it with them and use it to make better decisions for their health."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The foundation currently manages operations with what Boateng calls: “one and a half vans” — one aging and one active van. A small permanent staff is supported by volunteers who relish the challenge of treating unpredictable cases with minimal equipment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But winning the Global Citizen Waislitz Grand Prize provides resources to expand. Boateng’s first goal is to secure another van. He also plans to partner with local institutions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“In every community we visited, even though there wasn’t a health care facility, there was always a church. We saw an opportunity: what if the church could become more than just a place of worship, but also a hub for health? Imagine a centralized station right inside the church where, after Sunday service, people could stop by, check their blood pressure, and take charge of their health.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The foundation has also applied for national health insurance accreditation so that services can be reimbursed. “That is the plan for the government to reimburse for the service that we are delivering for the rural and underserved communities.”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Looking Ahead&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Boateng describes his long-term goal as shifting health care culture.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“One of my visions is to be able to change the culture of reactive health care to a more proactive one. Right now, people are not seeking health care until that’s their last option. The goal is how do I now get people to really think about care before they get to that point.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He is realistic about the timeline. “It might not happen in my generation. Because you know it takes a new generation to come up with this mindset, but I think what I would love to be remembered for is at least being able to play a role in changing the mindset of people from being reactive when it comes to health care to more of a proactive one.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From losing his grandmother in rural Ghana to leading a foundation that has reached more than 100 communities and served 15,000 lives, Boateng’s journey shows how personal experience can inform sustainable solutions. With the support of the Global Citizen Waislitz Grand Prize, the OKB Hope Foundation is positioned to expand mobile services, strengthen mental health initiatives, and build a framework that allows people to access care earlier and more effectively.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Mel Ndlovu</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:53:20 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/boateng-wins-2025-global-citizen-waislitz-prize/</guid><category>Health</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/3b/c8/3bc8e522-137d-4d78-875c-1f049d5d2cfc/okb_hope_foundation_1.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Supplied</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>10 Reasons the World Needs UN Human Rights Now More Than Ever</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-we-need-un-human-rights-ohchr/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Think back to a time when you visited a public clinic, sat in a classroom, or clocked out of work knowing you’d have the weekend free. Or perhaps consider the simple comfort of sharing a meal with loved ones, knowing that good, nutritious food was always within reach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These aren’t just privileges — &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/english"&gt;they are fundamental human rights&lt;/a&gt;, even if we don’t always think of them that way. While most countries recognize the&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/universal-declaration-of-human-rights-anniversary/"&gt; Universal Declaration of Human Rights&lt;/a&gt;, which outlines these freedoms, many people around the world still cannot count on them. That’s where the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), or UN Human Rights, comes in.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;“People have this perception that human rights are just about protests, but protests have been part of [their] broader evolution,” Abigail Noko, regional representative of OHCHR in Southern Africa, told Global Citizen. “They’re really about those everyday things that might feel abstract but are at the heart of what it means to be a human being.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Over the years, as political instability, wars, and new technologies have threatened or stalled progress, UN Human Rights has stepped in to sound the alarm on violations and work closely with governments, civil society, and individuals to protect our ability to live with dignity, security, and opportunity every day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Very often our work goes unnoticed because most of what we do happens behind the scenes,” Carlos Rodriguez Osorio, public information officer at OHCHR’s Regional Office for Central America, told Global Citizen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This often-unseen work is how the office creates meaningful change. At any given moment, it may encourage local governments to &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-education/privatisation-and-commodification-education"&gt;fund public education&lt;/a&gt;, advocate for inclusive workplace practices, or track conflicts and crises that could give rise to human rights violations — while also helping affected groups recover from past harm.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;UN Human Rights’ work tends to happen in the background so that people can go about their lives without worrying about whether their rights are accessible — as it should be. Unfortunately, this vital work is now at risk of backsliding due to donor funding cuts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year alone, the United States has &lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/03/nx-s1-5285696/trump-un-human-rights-council-withdrawal"&gt;withdrawn from the Human Rights Council&lt;/a&gt;, restructured the &lt;a href="https://www.usaid.gov/"&gt;US Agency for International Development (USAID)&lt;/a&gt;, and reduced funding for UN entities responsible for peacekeeping and human rights. Meanwhile, other major contributors — including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico — have &lt;a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163901"&gt;underpaid their annual dues&lt;/a&gt;, deepening the financial crisis.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Several European countries, such as France, Finland, and Germany, have also reduced funding for official development assistance — intergovernmental aid that supports human rights initiatives in developing nations. On top of that, the UK has announced plans to &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-uk-is-the-latest-country-to-slash-its-foreign/"&gt;cut its foreign aid budget by 40%&lt;/a&gt; by the 2027–2028 fiscal year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When the world’s most powerful mechanism for preventing human rights violations &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/funding-and-budget"&gt;faces a funding shortfall&lt;/a&gt;, its ability to protect and promote rights everywhere is threatened.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For some wealthy nations, reducing donations allows them to prioritize military spending or minimize deficits. For the world, however, these cuts mean that much-needed prevention work cannot continue, victims of arbitrary arrest may receive less support, governments may lack guidance to create fairer policies and infrastructure, and discrimination and bullying — both online and offline — may go unaddressed.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A bit of history about UN Human Rights&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Reeling from the devastation of two world wars, the Holocaust, and the atomic bomb, world leaders came together in 1945 to prevent such destruction from happening again.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The creation of the United Nations, and later the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, became the primary mechanisms for maintaining global peace and protecting fundamental rights. In December 1993, &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/brief-history-un-human-rights"&gt;UN Human Rights&lt;/a&gt; was established to ensure all 30 articles of the Declaration were upheld worldwide.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“UN Human Rights really stands on the foundation of the world’s greatest historical lessons relating to some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity and violations, such as slavery, torture, and genocide,” Noko said. “It’s important for us to continue this work so that wars and conflicts can no longer weaponize civilians or harm ordinary people.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Human rights have never been separate from the world’s biggest challenges, such as ending extreme poverty or addressing the climate crisis. Rather, they enable us to find solutions that leave no person behind — regardless of nationality, gender, race, ability, or any other factor.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;“People rely on [UN Human Rights] to keep the conversation going,” Rodriguez Osorio told Global Citizen. “If the conversation stops because there is too much other noise in the world, then the voices of people who are impacted will never be heard.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Because of UN Human Rights’ legacy and collaborative efforts, countries have been able to establish mechanisms to protect rights locally. As a result, the number of &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-and-mechanisms/human-rights-indicators"&gt;independent human rights institutions has tripled&lt;/a&gt;, now covering more than half of the world’s population. The UN office has also encouraged countries to adopt its t&lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-and-mechanisms/human-rights-indicators/sdg-indicators-under-ohchrs-custodianship/human-rights-numbers"&gt;racking methodology&lt;/a&gt; to collect and report on human rights data, improving transparency.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These efforts cannot continue if UN Human Rights cannot operate. To avoid losing the progress already made, more people need to understand why this office matters — and what’s at stake if we don’t act.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;10 reasons why the world needs UN Human Rights now more than ever&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The OHCHR works to ensure that people everywhere can know, claim, and enjoy their human rights. It partners with civil society, engages with Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies, and carries out fieldwork such as training, consultations, and community outreach. It also plays a vital role in human rights education and awareness, helping people — many of whom may not even realize they have rights — understand and claim them. Here are 10 reasons why the UN body is indispensable:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It helps alleviate injustices before they spiral out of control.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	Through its network in more than 90 countries — with stand-alone offices and direct engagement with communities and organizations — UN Human Rights functions as a radar for violations. It detects red flags in real time, alerting and advising governments and civil society before violence escalates.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	“We are present everywhere in the world. Where crises are happening, we are there,” Rodriguez Osorio said. “We talk to communities, we document abuses, and we sound alarms and provide support before things get worse.”&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It exposes cover-ups.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	From war crimes to unfair systems that harm entire communities, UN Human Rights investigates what’s really going on and makes sure the world knows about it. By exposing hidden abuses, the agency brings attention to those responsible and encourages corrective action.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	For example, in Sri Lanka, UN Human Rights has been helping the families of people who were disappeared by security forces between 1970 and 2009 find justice. The &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sri-lanka/report-accountability-enforced-disappearances-sri-lanka-may2024-en.pdf"&gt;accountability process&lt;/a&gt; has involved interviewing victims and their families about their experiences. By pressuring the Sri Lankan government, the agency has made reports more accessible to the public, advocated for criminal charges against those responsible, and supported closure for affected families.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It uses real data to make decisions.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	OHCHR provides reliable data and insights into global human rights trends. Its staff are present in more than 90 countries; last year alone, the agency conducted 1&lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/ohchr-reports/ohchr-report-2024.pdf"&gt;1,000 monitoring missions&lt;/a&gt;, observed nearly 1,000 trials, and documented 15,000 violations.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	This data helps identify how vulnerable communities experience rights abuses and guides the next steps to prevent them. Through initiatives like the Human Rights Data Exchange, AI-powered early warning tools, and digital partnerships, UN Human Rights is also pioneering innovative ways to track, protect, and advance human rights in the 21st century.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	For instance, by &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/mexico-un-expert-concerned-over-criminalisation-arbitrary-detention-and-long"&gt;tracking discrimination against Indigenous people in Mexico&lt;/a&gt;, OHCHR contributed to a constitutional amendment recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Mexicans to participate in decisions on development and land ownership.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It promotes and defends your basic freedoms.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	UN Human Rights advocates for and defends vulnerable individuals who are silenced — including young people, people with disabilities, and those facing criminal charges.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	In &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/ohchr-reports/ohchr-report-2024.pdf"&gt;its 2024 Impact Report,&lt;/a&gt; OHCHR highlighted global efforts to protect civil liberties. For example, in South Korea, Japan, Belgium, the UK, and the US, the agency raised awareness about violations against students exercising their right to peaceful assembly. In Madagascar, it sent emergency food supplies to two prisons to prevent acute malnutrition among detainees.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It is a constant even in times of crisis.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	Whether during a pandemic, natural disaster, conflict, or economic collapse, OHCHR works to ensure vulnerable groups are not excluded from essential services.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance,&lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/covid-19/covid-19-guidance"&gt; the office pushed governments&lt;/a&gt; to safeguard health workers, promote vaccine equity, and prevent the misuse of emergency powers. It also developed guidance to encourage businesses to protect employees with safety measures and ensure people had access to food, health care, education, and mental health support.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It holds truth to power&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	Whether dealing with a powerful government or a wealthy corporation, UN Human Rights sets standards to ensure rights are respected. When those standards aren’t met, it monitors and provides guidance, while developing international norms such as treaties against torture and discrimination.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	Corporations looking to operate globally are expected to follow the &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf"&gt;UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights&lt;/a&gt;. If they fail to uphold fair pay or safe working conditions, OHCHR investigates and holds them accountable.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It helps your voice be heard.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	UN Human Rights is the independent voice on human rights: it upholds your right to express opinions, assemble peacefully, and organize no matter where you live. In places where people are routinely silenced, threatened, or punished for raising their voices, this office helps them report abuses, share their stories, and demand change at the highest — levels influencing international debates and policy decisions. &lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It pushes leaders to do better.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	OHCHR doesn’t just point out problems but actually helps solve them. In Uganda’s Karamoja region, for example, OHCHR &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/about-us/what-we-do/partnership/local-governments"&gt;helped local leaders apply a human rights and gender-sensitive approach&lt;/a&gt; to how they plan, budget, and deliver services to the community. By supporting real, on-the-ground change like this, the UN helps build stronger systems and encourages countries to learn from each other.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It empowers young people.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	UN Human Rights works with youth movements on issues that impact the spectrum of human rights.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	When it comes to climate inequality, for instance, the office provides a platform to youth so they can ensure their voices are being heard by world leaders. By &lt;a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/get-involved/stories/hc-digital-space-must-undergo-feminist-revolution"&gt;amplifying youth advocates like Greta Thunberg&lt;/a&gt;, the office has supported an increase in youth participation to shed a light on the link between climate change and human rights.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;It fights for fairness&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	OHCHR never discriminates based on nationality, race, gender, or economic status. When it comes to getting into school, finding a job, or accessing health care, human rights are for everyone — not just those born into privilege.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	“No matter where you come from or your background, you have the same rights [as everyone else],” Noko said. “We have this really elaborate human rights architecture that tackles a broad range of issues — from the right to education to emerging challenges like climate change and technology. We work to ensure human rights are integrated into these areas so they can serve as an equalizer.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How to take action for UN Human Rights&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When human rights are threatened, it also undermines our ability to advocate for climate justice, equitable health care, gender equality, and an end to extreme poverty. That’s why UN Human Rights is essential — it recognizes that global fights for fairness and justice are interconnected.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A world without UN Human Rights is one where violators are empowered and the legitimacy of rights themselves can be questioned. As global citizens, we must ensure progress is not lost — and take action to protect it.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;“We need human rights now more than ever because we’re living in a world where there is more inequality, more poverty, more hate, more discrimination, more wars,” Noko said. “And the reason for that is a lack of implementation of and adherence to human rights.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Take action with Global Citizen now to learn why this UN office is necessary for protecting and promoting human rights, and preventing conflicts from happening. Then, encourage world leaders to increase their funding for OHCHR to help the world achieve its human rights goals by 2030.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Jaxx Artz</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:42:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-we-need-un-human-rights-ohchr/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/25/56/2556fdd8-a1c6-454e-af22-d363962f9d24/mathias-reding-yfxhqaw5x0c-unsplash.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Mathias Reding/Unsplash</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen Heads to Singapore for IMPACT WEEK 2025</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-heads-to-singapore-for-impact-week/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen is heading to Southeast Asia for the first time, bringing our signature mix of action, culture, and policy to Singapore. From September 16–18, the Suntec Convention Centre will host &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/glblctzn_impact-week-global-citizen-nights-why-activity-7369043545262804996-Hye3/?utm_source=share&amp;amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;amp;rcm=ACoAAArzXbMBmW25QjK2Dbnmb9K4o78huRVhPh0"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Global Citizen x IMPACT WEEK Sessions&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; alongside the &lt;a href="https://impactweek.com/"&gt;Well-being Economic Conference &amp;amp; Festival&lt;/a&gt;, presented in partnership with &lt;b&gt;TPC&lt;/b&gt; (&lt;a href="https://tsaopaochee.com/"&gt;Tsao Pao Chee&lt;/a&gt;) and the &lt;a href="https://17foundation.org/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;NO.17 Foundation&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Well-being Economic Conference &amp;amp; Festival poses a bold question: What if five days could shape the next fifty years? To help find out, influential leaders from government, business, philanthropy, and civil society will gather for two dynamic sessions designed to reimagine systems, unlock opportunity, and build a more just and sustainable future for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But why Singapore, why now, and what’s on the docket exactly? Here’s everything you need to know.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A New Partnership for Purpose&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global Citizen, TPC, and the NO.17 Foundation’s partnership includes a shared vision: building a future where prosperity and purpose go hand in hand. With TPC’s impressive convening power in Asia, Global Citizen’s ability to mobilize millions worldwide, and the NO.17 Foundation’s focus on regenerative partnerships, this collaboration will bridge East and West to accelerate progress toward achieving the &lt;a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals"&gt;UN Sustainable Development Goals&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The impetus behind this partnership? &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/"&gt;Bringing diverse voices together&lt;/a&gt; to drive systemic change — which is exactly what Global Citizen is all about. At the heart of IMPACT WEEK’s work will be the spotlighting the power of everyday advocacy to advance the Well-being Economy — an economy that puts opportunities for people and the planet first. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What’s Happening In Singapore?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We’re thrilled to officially kick off this partnership at IMPACT WEEK 2025, where we’ll host two compelling sessions rallying voices who are fighting for urgent progress on education, climate, and renewable energy. Here’s what’s on our agenda: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://impactweek.com/programmes/global-citizen-x-impact-week-the-future-of-education-rethinking-systems/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Future of Education &amp;amp; Rethinking Systems&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;:&lt;/b&gt; Panelists will showcase exactly how education thrives when paired with access to healthcare, energy, and equity, and how reimagining governance and financing can unlock opportunities for every child.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://impactweek.com/programmes/global-citizen-x-impact-week-climate-power-of-partnerships/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Power of Partnerships for Climate Action&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;:&lt;/b&gt; Through dynamic keynotes, debates, performances, and storytelling, we'll spotlight bold partnerships driving climate action, showcasing how we can work together to defend the planet we all call home.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To close the week, we’ll host &lt;b&gt;Global Citizen Nights: Singapore&lt;/b&gt;, an unforgettable evening featuring performances by RRILEY, Galdive, and Jinan Laetitia. It’ll be a night of music, storytelling, and above all, celebrating local changemakers driving impact in their communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Who Will Be There?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;IMPACT WEEK will convene an extraordinary coalition of leaders and participants, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Heads of State and Ministers&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;b&gt;José Ramos-Horta&lt;/b&gt; (President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Prize laureate), &lt;b&gt;Scott Morrison&lt;/b&gt; (former Prime Minister of Australia), and &lt;b&gt;Stefan Löfven&lt;/b&gt; (former Prime Minister of Sweden)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Private Sector Innovators:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Tom Hall&lt;/b&gt; (Head of Impact, UBS), &lt;b&gt;Duncan Ward&lt;/b&gt; (CEO, TransEnergy Global), and &lt;b&gt;Clark Jennings&lt;/b&gt; (Managing Director, Crowell Global Advisors Southeast Asia)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Civil Society and Cultural Voices:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Maher Nasser&lt;/b&gt; (Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations), &lt;b&gt;Damon Gameau&lt;/b&gt; (documentary filmmaker)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Youth Leaders:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;b&gt;Qiyun Woo&lt;/b&gt; (Singaporean climate activist), &lt;b&gt;Tamara Dewi Gondo&lt;/b&gt; (CEO &amp;amp; Co-founder, Liberty Society, Indonesia), and &lt;b&gt;Tylah Farani-Watene&lt;/b&gt; (Indigenous youth advocate, New Zealand)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, these speakers will share insights, forge new connections, and issue calls to action for global progress across our campaign priorities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What We’re Advocating For &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our mission remains unchanged: end extreme poverty, now. In Singapore, we’re calling for action on three critical fronts:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Education:&lt;/b&gt; Raise $100 million through the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-fifa-global-citizen-education-fund-everything/"&gt;FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund&lt;/a&gt; to ensure every child has a chance to learn and play.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Climate:&lt;/b&gt; Mobilize $1 billion to protect, restore, and rewild &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;the Amazon rainforest — the planet’s lungs.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Energy:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;Triple renewable energy capacity in Africa by 2030&lt;/a&gt;, addressing the needs of 675 million people living without reliable electricity on the continent.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These campaigns build on the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/impact/"&gt;&lt;b&gt;$49 billion&lt;/b&gt; already committed&lt;/a&gt; through Global Citizen platforms &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/13-years-in-13-global-citizen-moments/"&gt;since its founding 13 years ago&lt;/a&gt;, which has impacted &lt;b&gt;1.3 billion lives&lt;/b&gt; to date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why Singapore, Why Now?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As Asia’s &lt;a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6e67b720-2397-423c-b1cc-765faa774d66"&gt;hub for business, finance, and innovation&lt;/a&gt;, Singapore is the ideal place to mobilize investments, spark ideas, and drive action to end extreme poverty and defend the planet. Through the Global Citizen movement, IMPACT WEEK will unite regional leadership with citizen action — connecting communities across continents to drive global progress.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ending extreme poverty demands systemic change, bold coalitions, and tangible commitments. IMPACT WEEK is a pivotal moment to push for all three.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How to Get Involved&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We know that when community, capital, and compassion combine, they amplify one another. That’s how, together, we can build a future where people thrive and the planet flourishes. And guess what? If you’re a Global Citizen based in Singapore, we hope to see you there. A limited number of tickets for Global Citizen Nights: Singapore will be available — check your email inbox to learn more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wherever you are though, you can join the movement by downloading the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download"&gt;Global Citizen app&lt;/a&gt; or exploring our website, where you can learn more about our policy campaigns and follow for updates fromIMPACT WEEK and our other upcoming events. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This week in Singapore is just the beginning of an action-packed season. Stay tuned as we share highlights later this month and keep building momentum toward a world where people thrive and the planet flourishes. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;cms-plugin alt="Related Stories - 1141684 " id="1141684" title="Related Stories - 1141684"&gt;&lt;/cms-plugin&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 16:35:46 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-heads-to-singapore-for-impact-week/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/9e/54/9e54cecb-4db1-48f6-aaf3-4e354ef917e0/impact_week_asset.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>My Family Members Died Defending the Forest — Here’s Why I Carry On Their Fight</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/amazon-land-defenders-threats-claudelice-santos/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Claudelice Santos is a human rights and environmental defender from Pará in Brazil. Her organisation &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/institutozeclaudioemaria/?hl=en"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Zé Claudio e Maria Institute&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;, named after her brother and sister-in-law, is a socio-environmental justice organisation that&lt;/i&gt; &lt;i&gt;provides support and assistance for activists in danger. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Here Claudelice shares how her family has survived in the Amazon rainforest and how she now defends it and the people that rely on it for their livelihoods. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;My name is Claudelice Santos&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm from Pará, with deep roots in the Amazon. I live in the southeastern region of the state, with my roots grounded in this territory. I grew up in Marabá, but I also lived in Nova Ipixuna, a neighboring municipality. But currently, for security reasons, I no longer live there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My childhood was a constant transition between two worlds. In the rural area, where my family owned land and lived alongside the forest, the distance was great, and access was difficult. Getting around required long boat trips or hours of walking. As children, we sometimes used animals, like donkeys, for transportation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For school, we spent more time in Marabá, in the Morada Nova neighborhood because the rural area had no roads or schools. The children, therefore, couldn't stay long in the fields, but we returned there frequently. Thus, my life was divided between the city and the countryside.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;My family has always been involved in this productive and sustainable forest. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nowadays, we talk about the bioeconomy, but for us, the forest has always been our pharmacy, our kitchen, our pantry, from where we find meaning in our existence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;During adolescence and adulthood, conditions improved. The arrival of roads facilitated access to the region, the reserve, the rural area, and the activists' territory. This transformation was the result of much struggle by local communities, made up of coconut breakers, forest dwellers, and traditional communities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My family has always lived off small-scale family farming, but mainly from collecting forest fruits. The Pará forest fruit is the main product, and my family still collects and sells it today, ensuring our livelihood. Other fruits, such as andiroba, are also important. The women in my family extract andiroba oil, and there is a women's group that, since 2006, under my late sister-in-law, Maria's leadership, aimed to and continues to strengthen andiroba oil production.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;My great-grandmother was an Indigenous woman of the Gavião ethnic group, and my ancestry extends to the Kayapó people... &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;…actually, my great-grandfather was Kayapó. They met in a violent situation. She was "pegada de cachorro” (someone who was forced to go with another person). My great-grandmother was kidnapped, enslaved, and raped. My great-grandfather, who built and sold boats on the Tocantins River, found her. Together, they fled. He prepared a larger boat, filled it with food, and one day, stopped at the port so she could escape the man who was enslaving her. From this encounter, my grandmother, my mother, and I were born. This story is told in our family so that we never forget our origins, our roots, and, above all, to honor our history.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;It's very difficult to put human rights and democracy in the same sentence when you're in a territory where democracy doesn't exist and violence is the order of the day.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My childhood was marked by laughter, bathing in the Tocantins River, and eating fruit straight from the tree such as mangoes, bananas, oranges, cashews, and many other fruits of the forest. Bacuri and uxí were my favorites. It was a happy childhood, grounded in family principles. I was never ashamed of being the daughter of farmers, chestnut gatherers, and country folk. Growing up in the city, we realized there was still a certain stigma attached to people from rural areas. However, we were never ashamed. When I enrolled at the Marabá Agricultural Family School (EFA), this identity strengthened even further.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I didn't become an activist. I was born into this context.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Zé Claudio was my older brother, the man who was the pillar of the family and the community, and wife Maria was synonymous with strength, generosity, and boldness. She was the person who inspired me, who inspired me to understand that only through knowledge could we overcome various barriers&lt;b&gt;. &lt;/b&gt;And so, I created the women's group that still exists in my community today, even after so much violence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Without a doubt, the murder of José Claudio and Maria was a turning point in my life. It was the turning point between me receiving a violent shock in my life and realizing that the threat is not just here in the region; it's a much larger structure of death, violence, and narratives that disqualify, diminish, and make traditional peoples and communities vulnerable.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;We have an organization named after Zé Claudio and Maria. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The main objective of this work, this organization, is socio-environmental justice. We primarily help protect defenders who are under threat.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We understand that the current format of the protection program — in which the state provides for threatened defenders, the same failed protection program they provided to Zé Claudio — is completely neglected, invisible, and vulnerable. So, considering our hard experience, we carry this banner of protection and care, the protection of those who defend territories.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a network with other organizations, we monitor not only the public policy of care and protection in Pará, but also the national policy, and we also create our own protection and care protocols.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We have experience providing care and protection for defenders who truly need psychosocial and legal attention, especially when displacement is a serious threat. We have a place called the Forest Breathing House, where defenders can seek refuge if necessary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Brazilian government never, ever, ever moved at any level to provide care and protection for Zé and Maria.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The way they wanted to provide protection for Zé and Maria at the time was to remove them from the territory and take them elsewhere, and change their names. But they weren't the criminals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The failure wasn't just in protection, it was in all the processes of mitigating violence, as well as observing, analyzing, and investigating complaints. Therefore, the Zé Claudio e Maria Institute's main objective is to look primarily at the care and protection that defenders in threatened situations need, but also understand that it is the state's duty to investigate, mitigate, and provide the necessary protection for defenders in need.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All the defenders who seek us out are human rights defenders linked to land, forest, and water, and they all face threats from some form of capital, often [and allegedly] through large enterprises where it turns out that the Brazilian state itself is the threat. Whether from companies authorized by the state to exploit or ultimately provoke some kind of violence, or access to information about these enterprises or investments in territories.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's very difficult to put human rights and democracy in the same sentence when you're in a territory where democracy doesn't exist and violence is the order of the day. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;But we fight with the weapons we have, and unfortunately, we suffer.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We try within our means and our expertise to do what is necessary to minimize,mitigate, or reduce this violence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I've received several death threats, especially after Zé and Maria were murdered. There's no fight for land, forest, or water without these negative reactions. They portray us as enemies of the state, they portray us as enemies of development, they love distant nature, they love defenders of nature only for their little bites on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But when it comes to real action, it's the bodies of those who live in the places that need to be protected that suffer.&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;We see a lot of online activism, but in real activism, people continue to die, to be violated, to be criminalized. So, my dream is that one day people will understand the importance of forest defenders to this planet and will treat them with the respect that they truly deserve.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I wanted to be a forestry engineer to help my community.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After the murder of my brother and sister-in-law, I thirst for justice: social justice and socio-environmental justice. My desire to impact this planet is to ensure that all people have socio-environmental justice. So that we have food, but also so that we don't die from the hot sun because people are destroying the planet. This is one of my main aspirations as a human rights and environmental defender.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But you have to have the courage to "drink milk from a tiger", [perform the impossible] you know? Because it's not easy. There are two barriers, two challenges. The first is the state itself, which runs over this dream like a bulldozer, as if supported by big capital, large and small companies that include agribusiness.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So, it's not only challenging, it's dangerous. You have to have courage, right? The second barrier —  that is still provoked by the first, yet is embraced by part of society — is the view of defenders as enemies of the state, or as enemies of progress. This first group, which consists of banks, companies, and the state itself, creates narratives to demoralize, declassify, and portray them as land invaders, enemies of progress, troublemakers, bandits, vagabonds — though the truth is that they just want to live in peace in their forests, in their territories.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;I am from a city where misinformation is often used to undermine, discredit, and criminalize individuals. &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This particularly affects those of us who advocate for forest conservation and human rights. The obstacles we face are considerable, making it challenging to work without constraints. For instance, heightened security measures are installed at my residence, within the reserve, and at our office to address these challenges.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At one point, they even tried to set fire to a defender's house. Clearly, we don't work freely, we can’t express ourselves freely, but we have to be bold, as Maria used to say. And when I remember Maria's quote, that we have to be bold in the fight, I remember a quote from Zé&lt;b&gt;. &lt;/b&gt;He said: “it's better to die fighting than to die from inaction.” So defenders won't stop. We won't stop because we are much bigger than them. It's for our future. It's for us to have a healthy planet. The challenges are enormous, but the people's courage to live and protect the forest is even greater.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Watch Claudelice Santos At Global Citizen NOW Amazonia&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;This article, as narrated to Vanessa Gabriel, has been slightly edited for clarity.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The 2025-2026 In My Own Words series is part of Global Citizen’s grant-funded content.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:20:29 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/amazon-land-defenders-threats-claudelice-santos/</guid><category>Civic Space</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/6d/07/6d0725b9-8b03-4938-b9f1-a410d033be11/imow_claudelice_santos_gcnowbelem-001.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Pedro Vilela/Getty Images for Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>G20: Africa’s Youth Are Ready to Lead. It’s Time To Invest In Them</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/g20-africas-youth-are-ready-to-lead-invest-now/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;Young leaders gathered &lt;a href="https://g20.org/track/youth-y20"&gt;in Johannesburg this past August for the Youth 20 (Y20) Summit,&lt;/a&gt; the official youth engagement group of the G20, marking the first time the Y20 was hosted on African soil. This was more than symbolic. It sent a powerful message: Africa’s youth must be at the center of global leadership.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Every year at the Y20, delegates under 30 debate five main urgent issues: gender equality, climate and energy action, inclusive economies, digital transformation, and the future of work and education. These are critical themes for a generation already grappling with high levels of unemployment, a worsening climate crisis, and deepening inequality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The Y20 in South Africa was historic because it showed the world that African youth are ready to lead,” said Malachi Uys, a member of the &lt;a href="https://y20southafrica.org/working-groups/"&gt;Y20 Working Group&lt;/a&gt;. “What stood out to me was that young people are no longer asking to be included, we’re demanding it. If leaders truly want to achieve the goals they set, they have to put us at the table and let us help shape the decisions being made.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Youth Push for a Y20 Sherpas Council&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of the most heated debates at the Y20 in Johannesburg centered on how to make youth engagement more than a one-off annual event. Delegates called for the creation of a Y20 Sherpas Council — a permanent body of youth representatives and policymakers from G20 countries. The idea was simple yet dynamic: rather than allow youth recommendations to fade after each summit, the council would ensure continuity, follow-through, and accountability year after year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Not all countries supported the proposal, however.Some G7 members pushed back. But several delegations, including South Africa, Italy, Japan, and Indonesia, championed it as the best way to turn bold words into real action. When consensus couldn’t be reached, delegates broke with tradition by failing to issue a standard communiqué. Instead, they produced a “Chair’s Text”, a document summarizing areas of agreement while highlighting the call for stronger structures like the Sherpas Council.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By choosing principle over procedure, young leaders indicated that youth engagement must move beyond symbolism and become truly embedded in systems that shape global decision-making.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Why Africa’s Youth Must Be at the Forefront&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Africa is the world’s youngest population, &lt;a href="https://au.int/en/youth-development"&gt;with 60% of citizens under 25&lt;/a&gt;. By 2035, the continent’s workforce &lt;a href="https://www.iss.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUISSFiles/Brief_25_2021_0.pdf"&gt;will surpass 1 billion people&lt;/a&gt;. Every year, around 20 million young Africans enter the labor market to find only a fraction of the jobs needed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This youth wave is &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/sub-saharan-africas-population-boom-could-mean/"&gt;both an opportunity and a risk&lt;/a&gt;. With proper investment, Africa’s growing population could drive massive economic growth, fueling global growth and innovation. Without it, the world &lt;a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/06/27/investing-in-youth-transforming-afe-africa"&gt;could face growing instability and rising inequality&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The stakes are equally high on climate. Africa holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources,&lt;a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2022/key-findings"&gt; yet accounts for less than 3% of installed solar capacity&lt;/a&gt;. Closing this gap by empowering African youth to lead in renewable energy is essential not just for the continent, but for achieving global climate goals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Young people already have the solutions; what we need is for our voices to be heard,” explained Duduzile Mabaso, a sustainability advocate and Founder of Her Pride Foundation who attended the Y20 summit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Too often, decisions are made about us without us. But when youth are included in the process, we bring fresh ideas and perspectives that can really move things forward. Not just for Africa, but for the world."&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Cost of Inaction: Climate &amp;amp; Youth Unemployment&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Failure to invest in Africa’s youth will come with a steep cost. Unemployment is sure to rise, potentially fueling unrest and instability. For instance, in Kenya, where unemployment, poverty, and inequality sparked  nationwide youth-led protests in 2024, nearly &lt;a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/young-jobless-and-african-kenya-protests-are-a-warning-for-the-whole-continent-7sw7vqcpq"&gt;39% of young people&lt;/a&gt; are unemployed. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Youth unemployment is one of the biggest economic barriers across Africa. Of the continent’s nearly 420 million young people aged 15 to 35, &lt;a href="https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Images/high_5s/Job_youth_Africa_Job_youth_Africa.pdf"&gt;a third are unemployed and another third are stuck in vulnerable, informal jobs&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This crisis is more than just a labor market issue, it threatens countries’ long-term growth and stability. Investing in a country’s youth is essential for its future. Without robust investments in education reforms, enterprise support, and job creation, Africa risks losing a generation of talent and falling  further behind on development as millions of young Africans remain sidelined.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;When it comes to climate adaptation and energy solutions in Africa — a major focus of Global Citizen’s &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa-what-to-know-about/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables (SURA) Campaign&lt;/a&gt; we’re spearheading in 2025 — solar makes up only around 3% of the continent’s electricity generation. Despite  solar being the &lt;a href="http://www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2022/key-findings?"&gt;most affordable energy option&lt;/a&gt; in many African countries, &lt;a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/09/africa-solar-power-potential/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"&gt;limited investment, weak grids, and skills gaps&lt;/a&gt; have led to untapped potential. Without urgent financing and youth skills development, Africa risks falling even further behind in renewable distribution — a missed triple opportunity to create jobs, expand energy access, and cut emissions. Meanwhile, money for climate adaptation is short by billions, impacting Africa disproportionately.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Africa’s youth are already building solutions — they just need investment. Programs such as the &lt;a href="https://gca.org/programs/aaap"&gt;Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program&lt;/a&gt; (an initiative by the Global Centre for Adaptation and the African Development Bank) are mobilizing &lt;a href="https://gca.org/programs/aaap"&gt;$25 billion over five years for adaptation&lt;/a&gt; and initiatives like the &lt;a href="https://www.afrilabs.com/youth-adapt-challenge/"&gt;YouthADAPT Challenge&lt;/a&gt;, which funds youth-led enterprises in climate-smart agriculture and green entrepreneurship, are showing how it can be done. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Investment can also look like Global Citizen’s own SURA campaign, which calls for building up much-needed renewable energy across the continent driven by young African climate leaders under the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/programs/fellowship/"&gt;SURA fellowship program&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Because backing young innovators isn’t just about doing what’s right — it’s about turning vulnerability into resilience.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;A Call For Investment Ahead of the G20&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With the countdown to the G20 officially underway, young people’s message to global leaders is clear: it’s time to step up for the future of the continent. Supporting Africa’s youth is not only a win for Africa, but for the entire world. With the youngest and fastest-growing population on the planet, Africa is home to the leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers who will define our collective future — but only if platforms like the G20 actually listen to them and act on their priorities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The G20 has the influence and resources to turn this promise into reality. Our global future depends on it. From investing in education and climate solutions to creating pathways for youth to shape decisions directly, the G20 can, and must, include young directives into their meeting agendas this November. If the G20 listens, it can help build a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Precious Huntley, a young climate advocate and Y20 delegate, hit the nail on the head when noting that Africa’s first Y20 "showed how connected our struggles and hopes are as young people. Whether it’s climate change, unemployment, or education, these are not just African challenges, they’re global ones. If the world invests in us, African youth can be the driving force for solutions that benefit everyone.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Global leaders have the power to unlock Africa’s potential. All they need to do is listen to the youth who are ready to lead.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Lungile Magagula and Hope Dlamini</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 09:37:06 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/g20-africas-youth-are-ready-to-lead-invest-now/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/2f/e0/2fe032d2-36ab-4f6a-a7ee-7ce41fd20bc6/hope__lungile_with_newly_appointed_nyda_chairperson_-_dr_sunshine_myende__deputy_chairperson_mr_bonga_makhanya.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Supplied</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Global Citizen Festival 2025: The Key Issues We’re Fighting For</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-goals/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;On Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, Global Citizen Festival returns to Central Park’s Great Lawn for its 13th year, bringing together the world’s biggest artists, leaders, and advocates to call for an end to poverty and to protect the only planet we have.  &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;As always, the Global Citizen Festivals are more than a pop culture moment, it's all uniting with other engaged citizens around the world and initiating real change — this year is no different. The Global Citizen Festival is the best way to take actions that make a real impact right from your phone. As such, we're moving into this festival season with a tagline that's necessary for the age we're currently living in: "Amplify the Movement", with a focus on three ambitious goals towards eradicating extreme poverty. Here's what those goals are and how you can get involved. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Provide Energy Access for 1 Million People Across Africa&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As Africa’s population grows, so does its demand for electricity, yet too many communities still lack a reliable and safe source of energy. At present, &lt;a href="https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/decoding-africa%E2%80%99s-energy-journey-three-key-numbers"&gt;600 million&lt;/a&gt; people across the continent don’t have access to electricity. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This limits opportunities for &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa/"&gt;education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship&lt;/a&gt;, setting the continent back on goals to advance sustainable development and end poverty for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To address this problem, Global Citizen’s &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/scaling-up-renewables-in-africa/"&gt;Scaling Up Renewables in Africa&lt;/a&gt; campaign aims to mobilize $1.5 billion to train 50,000 young workers in critical energy skills like solar installation, grid maintenance, and energy services. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;The 2025 Global Citizen Festival campaign is calling on governments, companies, and philanthropists to step up with major commitments to invest in clean and affordable solutions to power homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses in Africa’s nations. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In partnership with the European Commission, Global Citizen is catalyzing private sector investment in at least two major infrastructure projects, valued at over $500 million, with co-funding from the governments of Denmark, Australia, and the United Kingdom. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These investments have the potential to bring clean, reliable energy to at least 1 million people across the continent while creating jobs, reducing carbon emissions, and accelerating Africa’s green energy transition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can support Global Citizen reaching this goal, by taking action with us under our Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign to advocate for clean and affordable energy access for all African citizens. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Mobilize $200 Million to Protect 30 Million Hectares of the Amazon Rainforest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To defend the planet, we must &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/protect-the-amazon/"&gt;protect the Amazon&lt;/a&gt; from deforestation. Indigenous communities are leading the way to protect, restore, and re-wild the rainforest by growing food, making natural products, and passing down traditions to help local communities generate new, profitable income streams. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In response to this, Global Citizen and Re:wild are partnering to raise $200 million to support the next generation of Indigenous and community-based entrepreneurs as part of a larger $1 billion plan to protect and restore the Amazon. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These projects will help protect up to 30 million hectares of rainforest — approximately equivalent to the size of Italy — and keep more than 20 billion trees standing. The 2025 Global Citizen Festival campaign is urging the German, Norwegian, and French governments, along with corporations and philanthropists, to support over 20 Indigenous groups and help protect one of the most important forests on Earth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Help Global Citizen Protect the Amazon rainforest and support our efforts to help protect 30 million hectares of rainforest by taking action with us. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Provide Access to Education for 30,000 Children Around the World&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;According to UNESCO, &lt;a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/literacy/need-know#:~:text=Despite%20this%2C%20worldwide%20at%20least,to%20acquire%20basic%20literacy%20skills."&gt;250 million&lt;/a&gt; children worldwide are falling behind on basic literacy skills. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In response, Global Citizen and FIFA launched the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/"&gt;FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund&lt;/a&gt; to raise $100 million to provide at least 100,000 children worldwide with access to quality education, by providing grants for community-based programs in over 150 countries. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Already, $1 from every ticket sold at international events related to this campaign, such as The Weeknd’s “After Hours Til Dawn” tour and the &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGVhtLKICSI"&gt;2025 FIFA Club World Cup&lt;/a&gt; have been donated to the fund. Through round-up donations from the public, corporate and philanthropic contributions, matching gifts, and ticket sales donations, this year’s Global Citizen Festival campaign aims to raise at least $30 million – enough to help 30,000 children learn to read and write.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The 2025 Global Citizen Festival campaign is also calling on governments, philanthropies, and the private sector to fund essential services of healthcare, nutrition, and safe classrooms that make it possible for children to access educational opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can also support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund by making a &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/fifa-global-citizen-education-fund/"&gt;donation&lt;/a&gt; towards helping every child have access to quality learning. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Providing energy access across Africa, protecting the Amazon rainforest, and ensuring education for children worldwide are vital steps toward a sustainable future for all; but we can’t achieve these ambitious goals alone. You can use the Global Citizen app to call on world leaders to support policies that defeat poverty and defend the planet. By taking action, you’ll earn points for every action you take, which you can redeem for a chance to win a Global Citizen Festival ticket for free. Take action now to transform these goals into reality.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Fadeke Banjo</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 17:39:45 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-festival-2025-goals/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/06/f4/06f40f2f-7a57-44b4-bba2-31e52441fee8/gcf23_atmosphere_ahadsubzwariforglobalcitizen-001.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Ahad Subzwari For Global Citizen</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>The World Is On the Verge of Wiping Out Polio — So Why Did Germany Cut Funding Now?</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-world-is-on-the-verge-of-wiping-out-polio-so-w/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;The world is close to wiping out polio, and that in itself is close to miraculous. Of the thousands of diseases that afflict humans, &lt;a href="https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/about/index.html#:~:text=Thanks%20to%20the%20success%20of,declared%20smallpox%20eradicated%20in%201980."&gt;only one, smallpox, has ever been eradicated&lt;/a&gt; before.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But despite tremendous progress, polio isn’t going down without a fight. Budget cuts, vaccination gaps, and difficulties &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/polio-last-mile-virtual-reality-experience/"&gt;reaching hard-to-access communities&lt;/a&gt; keep pushing the &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/more-time-money-needed-wipe-out-polio-global-group-says-2024-10-17/"&gt;finish line further back&lt;/a&gt;. As cases creep upward, virus strains have re-emerged in countries that were long ago declared polio free — including Germany.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What makes that even more worrying? Germany is one of the latest countries to cut down &lt;a href="https://www.dw.com/en/german-development-aid-new-spending-cuts-ahead/a-73473853"&gt;its international aid budget&lt;/a&gt;, planning to trim &lt;a href="https://donortracker.org/publications/germanys-draft-2025-budget-downward-oda-trends-confirmed"&gt;€17 million from polio vaccination efforts alone&lt;/a&gt; in 2026. These financial shortfalls could end up accelerating polio’s spread, ushering in a future where resurgences become the norm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We spoke with the &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/"&gt;World Health Organization (WHO)&lt;/a&gt; to find out exactly how Germany’s budget cuts could spell future trouble for all of global health.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;But First — What Exactly Is Polio? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/poliomyelitis"&gt;Poliomyelitis, or polio&lt;/a&gt;, is a highly infectious virus that spreads mainly through contaminated water and food, mostly striking children under five. It usually settles in the gut but can eventually attack the central nervous system. Its symptoms are brutal, ranging from fever, headaches, and vomiting, to irreversible paralysis in about &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/poliomyelitis"&gt;1 of every 200 infections&lt;/a&gt;. In the worst cases it can even paralyze breathing muscles, causing suffocation. In fact, a horrific outbreak of polio in Copenhagen in 1952 prompted doctors to create the first ‘iron lung’ — a &lt;a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240315-iron-lung-led-to-creation-of-modern-day-intensive-care-unit"&gt;precursor to today’s hospital intensive care units (ICUs)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Before vaccines entered the picture in the 1960s, there were more than &lt;a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/08/10/fight-against-polio-uner-threat-by-withdrawal-of-us-funding_6744238_114.html"&gt;600,000 cases recorded worldwide each year&lt;/a&gt;. There’s still no cure — but it can be prevented, which is partially why global health advocates set their sights on the goal of eradicating it entirely.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As Dr. Shahin Huseynov, Regional Advisor at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, explained, “The chance of success in eradicating polio is unique.” While the virus is incredibly contagious, unlike &lt;a href="https://www.nfid.org/infectious-disease/coronaviruses/"&gt;coronaviruses&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/about/index.html"&gt;monkeypox&lt;/a&gt;, it &lt;a href="https://www.endpolio.org/5-reasons-why-polio-can-be-eradicated"&gt;can’t infect animals&lt;/a&gt; — eliminating a loop of cross-contamination and putting victory within reach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How the World United to Fight Back&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 1988, the &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/"&gt;Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)&lt;/a&gt; launched as a partnership between major global health heavy-hitters like WHO, UNICEF, the US Center for Disease Control, the Gates Foundation, Rotary International, Gavi, and others. With two powerful vaccines introduced — the cheap, accessible &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/the-vaccines/opv/"&gt;oral polio vaccine (OPV)&lt;/a&gt; delivered by drops, and the highly effective injectable &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/the-vaccines/ipv/"&gt;inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)&lt;/a&gt; — global immunization campaigns began, driving &lt;a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/08/10/fight-against-polio-uner-threat-by-withdrawal-of-us-funding_6744238_114.html"&gt;infections down by 99%&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the 1980s, wild poliovirus paralyzed about &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/history-of-polio/#:~:text=Rotary%20International%20launched%20a%20global,globally%20eradicated%20in%20October%202019."&gt;1,000 children daily&lt;/a&gt;. But by 2021, cases had &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/poliomyelitis#tab=tab_1"&gt;dwindled to single digits&lt;/a&gt;. “To date, 20 million cases of paralysis have been prevented — one of humanity’s greatest achievements in global health. The eradication of the second disease in history after smallpox seems within reach,” said Dr. Huseynov.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In wealthy nations with strong healthcare systems and widespread vaccination resources, fears of polio have largely &lt;a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.52.4.611"&gt;become a relic of history&lt;/a&gt;. Germany, for instance, saw its &lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138665322300094X#:~:text=Because%20of%20decreasing%20cases%20of,coronavirus%20disease%202019%20pandemic%20n."&gt;last case of wild polio decades ago in 1990&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;So How Has Polio Stuck Around? &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Total eradication requires closing every elusive immunization gap worldwide at once — a daunting task. At-risk communities face a litany of obstacles including faltering funding, conflict, weak infrastructure, misinformation, and slipping vaccination rates, leaving openings for the virus to proliferate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Still, GPEI has scored some major triumphs. &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-years-ago-india-was-declared-polio-free-heres-w/"&gt;India was declared polio-free&lt;/a&gt; in 2014, as well as the &lt;a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-01156-x"&gt;entire African continent&lt;/a&gt; in 2020. And as Dr. Huseynov emphasized: “The polio program is more than just a vaccination program. It strengthens local health systems and achieves success even in crisis areas.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“GPEI health workers have provided the infrastructure for COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, fought Ebola outbreaks, taken malaria prevention measures, and continuously improved disease surveillance. Even in the recent conflict in the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-orgs-response-gaza-polio/"&gt;Gaza Strip, a humanitarian pause allowed children to be vaccinated&lt;/a&gt; — a measure that was only possible thanks to the existing infrastructure of the polio program.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yet challenges remain. Wild polio is still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where political instability, misinformation, and rural inaccessibility fuel setbacks. COVID-19 also paid polio a huge favor by &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/18-07-2023-childhood-immunization-begins-recovery-after-covid-19-backslide"&gt;disrupting global childhood immunization campaigns&lt;/a&gt;. “If the international community fails now, the virus will return. Models predict 200,000 children will be paralyzed each year if this happens, including in Europe,” added Dr. Huseynov.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If that happens, decades of effort and &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/donors-financing/historical-contributions/"&gt;billions of dollars&lt;/a&gt; will have been effectively wasted. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How Polio Bounces Back &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Another chilling complication? Variant, or &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/the-virus/vaccine-derived-polioviruses/"&gt;vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV)&lt;/a&gt;. Though rare, this emerges when weakened strains from the OPV are able to spread and end up mutating and strengthening, threatening unvaccinated communities and immunocompromised individuals. In 2024, variants of poliovirus were found in &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/"&gt;38 countries&lt;/a&gt; worldwide, &lt;a href="https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/polio-gaza-public-health-response/"&gt;including Palestine&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/polio-outbreak-yemen-situation-update"&gt;Yemen&lt;/a&gt;. Since 2022, VDPV has been found everywhere from &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON578"&gt;Jerusalem&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/06/22/1106711204/polio-found-in-u-k-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-40-years-heres-what-it-means"&gt;London&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/news/poliovirus-detections-in-european-region-underscore-importance-of-vaccination-and-vigilance-2/"&gt;Finland, Spain, Poland&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/04/how-polio-silently-spread-in-new-york-and-left-a-person-paralyzed.html"&gt;New York City&lt;/a&gt; — where an unvaccinated young man subsequently developed polio, leaving him paralyzed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And as Dr. Huseynov warned, Germany has also found &lt;a href="https://poliocampaign.rotary.org/polio-outbreak-in-germany"&gt;VDPV in wastewater across major cities&lt;/a&gt; since late 2024, including Munich, Berlin, Bonn, Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, and Mainz. “This is an alarming signal. It highlights the fact that even in Germany and other high-income countries of Europe, there is a risk of infection for people who are not adequately protected against the virus. Combating the disease at its source is therefore crucial also for the protection of public health in Germany.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Cost of Cutting Budgets&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Currently, polio eradication campaigns are like a game of whack-a-mole — but to finish the job, every outbreak everywhere must be stopped, all at once. That requires steady international coordination, along with harmonious synchronization of vaccine supply, access, political will, public demand, and crucially, funding to back it all up.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;GPEI relies primarily on &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/financing/"&gt;governments and NGOs for its financial support&lt;/a&gt;. Dr. Huseynov explained, “Significant reductions to the GPEI’s budget mean certain activities, like disease surveillance and critical immunity building, may not be able to continue everywhere… Not least, the &lt;a href="https://policymemos.hks.harvard.edu/news/2025/03/usaid-memos-detail-human-costs-cuts-foreign-aid"&gt;withdrawal of the US from key areas of global health&lt;/a&gt; financing once again highlights that multilateral solutions are more important than ever.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Germany is GPEI’s &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GPEI-Historical-Contributions-20241231.pdf"&gt;historic third-largest donor&lt;/a&gt;. Since its founding, it has donated &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GPEI_FIN_Historical-Contributions_Journals-Charts_v20.pdf"&gt;€854 million&lt;/a&gt; — proportionally, this means Germany has helped GPEI immunize 123 million children and avert 824,000 cases of paralysis since 1988. At the 2022 World Health Summit in Berlin, it pledged &lt;a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/18-10-2022-global-leaders-commit-usd-2.6-billion-at-world-health-summit-to-end-polio"&gt;€72 million over 2022–2026&lt;/a&gt;. But now it’s looking to &lt;a href="https://donortracker.org/publications/germanys-draft-2025-budget-downward-oda-trends-confirmed"&gt;cut €17 million&lt;/a&gt; over the next two years — nearly half its commitment for that time frame. “These cuts not only send the wrong signal to other countries, but also jeopardize the successes achieved by GPEI.” Based on previous calculations, this cut could result in 2.6 million fewer vaccinated children and around 17,700 now at risk of lifelong paralysis. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dr. Huseynov also explained that Germany’s funding isn’t earmarked for any specific region or program, making its contribution extra impactful as it gives GPEI flexibility to direct resources where they’re needed most. With less to work with, campaigns could face delays and difficult trade-offs. And left unchecked, viruses will inevitably spill across borders, creating the perfect conditions for a global health crisis to spiral. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;New Donors on the Horizon?&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;GPEI’s endgame strategy requires &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/news/gpei-announces-strategy-extension-and-revised-budget-to-protect-all-children-from-polio/"&gt;$6.9 billion through 2029&lt;/a&gt;. While some wealthy nations are stepping back, others are stepping up: &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/news/islamic-development-banks-funding-support-bolsters-pakistans-efforts-to-end-poliovirus-for-good/"&gt;Pakistan is funding more of its own efforts&lt;/a&gt; through subsidized loans, &lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-confirms-500-million-commitment-polio-eradication-effort-who-says-2025-02-24/"&gt;Saudi Arabia pledged $500 million&lt;/a&gt; earlier this year, and the &lt;a href="https://polioeradication.org/news/his-highness-sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan-president-of-the-uae-directs-the-allocation-of-funding-for-urgent-polio-vaccination-campaign-in-gaza/"&gt;UAE funded a large-scale campaign&lt;/a&gt; after last year’s outbreak in Gaza.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But fragile states facing outbreaks today like Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen still lack the resources to do the same. Without sustained commitments from long-standing donors like Germany, eradication will keep slipping out of reach — giving the virus time to evolve and spread as the world stumbles at the finish line.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Near-Victory Isn’t Enough&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Eradicating polio for all is still possible — but viruses thrive amid negligence. Global health depends not just on scientific breakthroughs, but also simple human choices. Whether world leaders use the tools we have at hand, or fail to, determines health outcomes for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many in Germany and across the Global North have never experienced polio, making it easy to dismiss its gravity. But the stakes are generational. As Dr. Huseynov emphasized, “With prioritization of health security, Germany has a unique chance to regain a leadership role in the fight against polio and in safeguarding the health of Europe.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The finish line is in sight. Now is the time to double down, not pull back. Memories may be short — but the consequences of failing to act could last lifetimes.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Victoria MacKinnon</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:49:57 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-world-is-on-the-verge-of-wiping-out-polio-so-w/</guid><category>Health</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/a5/f2/a5f2e518-8e4e-4e49-8a82-b1d64435dee5/polio_hero_image.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>The G9: Indigenous Leadership Uniting Nine Nations for the Amazon’s Future</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-g9-indigenous-leadership-uniting-nine-nations/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;The room hums not with one language but with many. Around a table sit leaders representing the great Indigenous nations of the Amazon Basin. One wears a headdress of brilliant macaw feathers from Brazil; another, the intricate seed beadwork of the Colombian Andean foothills. Geometric lines of black &lt;em&gt;jenipapo&lt;/em&gt; paint (a black dye made from an Amazonian fruit) trace the jawline of a leader from Peru, while the subtle, earthy tones of woven cotton adorn another from Guyana. They are a living mosaic of the world’s greatest forest, a vibrant testament to its diversity. And despite their different origins and traditions, &lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/acordo-conjunto-dos-povos-indigenas-da-regiao-amazonica-pelo-cuidado-com-a-vida/"&gt;they have gathered to speak with a single, unified voice: the G9 of the Indigenous Amazon&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That collective voice is rising at a moment of unprecedented global focus on their home. The world's attention is fixed on Brazil as it prepares to host the UN Climate Change conference, COP30, in Belém do Pará, a metropolis in the heart of the Amazon. This summit is already historic, set to feature the largest Indigenous participation in the history of these conferences, with &lt;a href="https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/guardians-of-biodiversity-brasil-coordinates-largest-indigenous-participation-in-cop-history"&gt;an estimated 3,000 leaders attending&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yet this pivotal moment highlights a paradox: decisions of global importance are being made in the Amazon's backyard, but &lt;a href="https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/06/05/sem-demarcacao-nao-ha-clima-povos-indigenas-cobram-protagonismo-em-decisoes-ambientais/"&gt;the voices of the forest's primary guardians have long been sidelined&lt;/a&gt;. To break this cycle, &lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/global-indigenous-leaders-gather-in-brasilia-to-shape-the-road-to-cop30/"&gt;the G9 of the Indigenous Amazon has emerged as a powerful, shared response&lt;/a&gt; — a coalition from nine Amazonian countries demanding their central role in climate governance.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why the G9 Alliance Matters to Everyone&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The G9's demand is rooted in a fundamental principle, now backed by undeniable data: Indigenous Peoples are the most effective authorities and managers of the Amazon biome. The proof is stark. &lt;a href="https://sumauma.com/en/diplomatas-da-floresta-lutam-para-conquistar-um-lugar-no-centro-do-debate/"&gt;Between 1985 and 2023, Indigenous Territories in Brazil lost only 1% of their native vegetation. In contrast, privately owned areas lost 28%&lt;/a&gt;. This success makes protecting their lands &lt;a href="https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30/cop30-will-showcase-indigenous-territories-as-part-of-the-fight-against-the-climate-crisis"&gt;essential for Brazil to meet its climate commitments, including its goal of zero deforestation by 2030 and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This success is even more remarkable given the long history of &lt;a href="https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/meio-ambiente/noticia/2024-11/indigenous-people-advocate-land-demarcation-reduce-climate-damage"&gt;systemic exclusion and a lack of adequate support&lt;/a&gt; — the very barriers the G9 was formed to overcome.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who is the G9? A Transnational Front for the Forest&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The G9 of the Indigenous Amazon is a &lt;a href="https://www.mygreenpod.com/articles/the-indigenous-amazon-g9/"&gt;strategic alliance of Indigenous organizations from nine Amazonian countries&lt;/a&gt;: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its origins stretch back to 2024, when COIAB (Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon) and OPIAC (National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon) first proposed a coalition during the pre-COP meetings in Bogotá ahead of &lt;a href="https://thetenurefacility.org/learning-exchange/colombia-learning-exchange-international-meeting-of-indigenous-peoples-of-the-amazon-basin-on-the-road-to-cop16/"&gt;COP16&lt;/a&gt;. Its mission is to reconnect and strengthen alliances, ensuring the &lt;a href="https://revistacenarium.com.br/cop30-liderancas-devem-apontar-territorios-indigenas-como-resposta-a-crise-climatica/"&gt;guardians of the Amazon speak with a collective and unignorable voice in global spaces like COP30&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
As Angela Kaxuyana, a representative for the Amazon Basin from COIAB, recalls:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Regarding the creation of the G9 Indigenous Amazon, it was an initiative of the 9 Indigenous organizations of the Amazon Basin, which are members of COICA. It arose from the need to strengthen and outline common agendas in the context of the COPs.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The alliance was conceived as a powerful political counterpoint to economic blocs. As Angela Kaxuyana explains, the G9 reframes who holds the real power: "The leadership began to reflect that the powers of biodiversity, the powers of climate, and the authorities on climate are the Indigenous peoples. As a political counterpoint to the G20, we are the G9, here to bring the Amazon's agenda from an Indigenous perspective."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The G9 is not a formal organization, but a "space for narrative" and coalition-building. Its priorities are clear: &lt;a href="https://350.org/press-release/amazon-indigenous-organizations-from-nine-countries-launch-alliance/"&gt;recognition of territorial rights, direct financing, biodiversity conservation, and the protection of voluntarily isolated communities&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building Toward COP30&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In June 2025, &lt;a href="https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/06/05/sem-demarcacao-nao-ha-clima-povos-indigenas-cobram-protagonismo-em-decisoes-ambientais/"&gt;members of the G9 coalition met in Brasília&lt;/a&gt;, Brazil, for their Indigenous Pre-COP30 Summit. There, they presented&lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/as-vesperas-da-cop30-povos-indigenas-da-amazonia-lancam-proposta-climatica-inedita-e-denunciam-retrocessos-ambientais-no-brasil/"&gt; Indigenous Determined Contributions (NDCs)&lt;/a&gt;, modeled on the Paris Agreement, and consolidated their strategy for Belém.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kaxuyana explains the strategy: “For COP30 in Belém, the G9 has established various alliances and very concrete demands. From these meetings, we systematize a bloc of demands for the Amazon Basin. With this unity, with this single voice, we intend to bring these already decided, written, and systematized documents that state very directly what we Indigenous peoples have to say.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The G9 Platform: A Call for Reform&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://apiboficial.org/files/2025/06/ENG-Priority-Demands-Regional-Meeting-APIB-CNPCT-G9.pdf"&gt;G9's strategy for COP30&lt;/a&gt; is a coordinated effort to arrive with a singular message and concrete proposals laid out on four key pillars:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Real Power, Not Symbolism&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	The G9 initially demanded &lt;a href="https://centraldacop.oc.eco.br/a-selecao-indigena/"&gt;co-presidency &lt;/a&gt;of COP30.. While that was not granted, their pressure led to the &lt;a href="https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/direitos-humanos/noticia/2025-04/international-indigenous-commission-take-part-cop30-negotiations"&gt;creation of a new official body&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="https://climaesociedade.org/en/indigenous-ndc-and-standing-committee-are-launched-during-the-atl/"&gt;Indigenous Peoples' Circle&lt;/a&gt;. Now, the G9's mission is to ensure it is not a&lt;a href="https://www.thecable.ng/indigenous-voices-unite-in-global-climate-alliance-ahead-of-cop30/"&gt; token&lt;/a&gt; space, but a seat of genuine decision-making.&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Shield for the Planet: Territories as Climate Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	Central to their platform is the &lt;a href="https://rightsandresources.org/blog/declaration-of-the-regional-meeting-of-indigenous-peoples-and-traditional-peoples-and-communities-of-brazil-and-the-amazon-basin-for-cop30/"&gt;full demarcation of all Indigenous territories&lt;/a&gt;. As Angela Kaxuyana emphasizes, "It is not enough to recognize that the demarcation of territories is climate policy; the actions of demarcation must be climate policy. Recognition is not enough — it needs to be embedded within the commitments and actions of the states."&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Direct Flow of Resources: Financial Autonomy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	The numbers reveal the scope of the financial gap problem: &lt;a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162601"&gt;while Indigenous Peoples protect 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity, they receive less than 1% of international climate funding&lt;/a&gt;. This means that the most effective forest guardians are systematically excluded from the resources needed to continue their work.&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
	The alliance insists on climate funds going straight to Indigenous organizations. Kaxuyana speaks of the "race against time" for &lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ENG_POLITICAL-DECLARATION-OF-THE-INDIGENOUS-PEOPLES_COP30.pdf"&gt;direct access to global climate funds&lt;/a&gt;. The alliance demands a dramatic shift in how financing is delivered, and their definition of "direct" is unambiguous:"Direct financing for us does not mean via the states or via third-sector organizations. It must go to the Indigenous organizations themselves, directly in the territories — to our own funds, our own mechanisms."&lt;br/&gt;
	 &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Moratorium on Extraction&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;
	Finally, &lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/maior-mobilizacao-indigena-do-brasil-comeca-com-declaracao-entre-povos-da-amazonia-pacifico-e-australia-rumo-a-cop30/"&gt;the G9 presents a unified front against the primary driver of deforestation and conflict&lt;/a&gt;. A unified demand across the Amazon Basin is to keep Indigenous territories free from oil, gas, and mineral exploitation. As Kaxuyana confirms, their message is that all countries must commit to: "...keeping Indigenous territories as a zone free from the exploration of oil, gas, and other minerals."&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Message to the World&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When asked what success at COP30 would mean, Kaxuyana answers with urgency: “Our main message is… that the voice of the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon Basin echoes as a single sound… [and] that the state parties of the COP not only consider but commit to actions — actions of demarcation of Indigenous territories and recognition of Indigenous territories as effective climate actions.”&lt;br/&gt;
&lt;br/&gt;
Some of the key priorities include the recognition and legal protection of all Indigenous territories, particularly those most at risk of exploitation; direct financing and financial autonomy to strengthen self-determination; guaranteed representation and meaningful participation in decision-making spaces; protection of Indigenous leaders and defenders facing threats and violence; and the integration of Indigenous knowledge systems into climate and environmental policies. These priorities align closely with G9’s broader agenda. For more detailed information on COIAB’s priorities for Brazil, &lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ENG_POLITICAL-DECLARATION-OF-THE-INDIGENOUS-PEOPLES_COP30.pdf"&gt;read more here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How Global Citizens Can Support the G9&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The G9 has made its platform clear. The next step is solidarity. Global Citizens can stand with Indigenous and Traditional Communities by:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Championing their demands&lt;/strong&gt;: Amplify their call for the Indigenous Peoples' Circle to have real power and support their recognition as "Climate Powers."&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Defending their lands and rights&lt;/strong&gt;: Stand in solidarity with &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-indigenous-land-rights-matter/"&gt;their demand for full demarcation&lt;/a&gt; and support their call for a moratorium on extraction in their territories.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Demanding financial justice&lt;/strong&gt;: Support the demand for direct climate finance to flow to Indigenous-led funds, bypassing bureaucratic intermediaries.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Supporting the organizers directly&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href="https://coiab.org.br/doe-agora/"&gt;Provide resources to groups like COIAB&lt;/a&gt; to strengthen their capacity.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
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&lt;h4&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Shift in Global Climate Leadership&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The image of that diverse council — the brilliant feathers, the determined faces of leaders from nine nations — is more than a symbol. It is the new face of global climate leadership. The roar of chainsaws and the oil drills is being challenged by the unified voice of the forest's oldest guardians. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This represents a profound shift in power, from distant boardrooms to the heart of the forest, from top-down imposition to a model rooted in community and justice. The G9 are not stakeholders requesting a seat at the table. They are the indispensable: "Climate Powers" demanding their rightful role in governing the planet. To stand with them is to acknowledge that the path to a livable future runs through the wisdom and resilience of the Amazon’s Indigenous guardians. &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Gabriel Siqueira</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 10:03:04 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-g9-indigenous-leadership-uniting-nine-nations/</guid><category>Environment</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/ce/c5/cec5679f-cbdf-481c-b9ac-c95abc0e97ad/screen_shot_2017-05-16_at_125639_pm.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Mario Tama/Getty Images</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Meet the Global Citizen Ambassadors and Advocates for Change — and See How They’re Creating a Better World</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-global-citizen-ambassadors-and-advocates/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/usher/"&gt;Usher&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/wyclef-jean/"&gt;Wyclef Jean&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/priyanka-chopra-jonas/"&gt;Priyanka Chopra Jonas&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/liza-koshy/"&gt;Liza Koshy&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/john-legend/"&gt;John Legend&lt;/a&gt;. We are sure you've seen these world-class names headline a number of Global Citizen events across the world. But have you ever wondered, what’s this team all about?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It’s time to meet the &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/about/supporters/"&gt;Global Citizen Ambassadors and Advocates for Change&lt;/a&gt;. They are incredible artists, creators, and leaders in their fields who use their platforms to inspire action for a world free from extreme poverty — Global Citizen’s core mission.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;Two Groups, One Mission&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These two groups work with Global Citizen in different ways. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Advocates for Change focus on key issues Global Citizen campaigns on — ending &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/about/our-issues/"&gt;poverty and defending the planet&lt;/a&gt;. Global Citizen Ambassadors are long-term supporters who can represent  Global Citizen’s mission and key issues on a global stage. They often appear at Global Citizen’s flagship events like Global Citizen Festival in New York, as well as at major global stages like &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/now/"&gt;Global Citizen NOW&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/info/power-our-planet/paris/"&gt;Power Our Planet&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt; &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;How They Collaborate With Global Citizen to Drive Change&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each Ambassador or Advocate champions issues they are passionate about — from climate action to ensuring education for all — and collaborate with Global Citizen to inspire people everywhere to take action toward ending extreme poverty within our lifetime. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Take &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/hugh-jackman/"&gt;Hugh Jackman&lt;/a&gt;, one of our first ambassadors and a committed supporter of progress toward a better world. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jackman has supported several Global Citizen campaigns like mobilizing critical funds to develop and fairly distribute COVID-19 testing, treatments, and vaccines, or co-chairing Global Citizen NOW encouraging world leaders to support vulnerable communities. He has also hosted the Global Citizen Festival in New York 11 times, and will return as host this &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/festival/nyc/2025/"&gt;September&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our newest Global Citizen Ambassador, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/wyclef-jean/"&gt;Wyclef Jean&lt;/a&gt;, has collaborated on projects for positive global impact. His collaboration with Global Citizen began in 2021, marked by a historic Fugees reunion performance at Global Citizen Live. In 2025, Wyclef further participated in Davos at the World Economic Forum to help put Global Citizen’s campaigns on the global agenda, and at Global Citizen NOW events in &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-now-returns-to-new-york-city-bolder/"&gt;New York&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/get-ready-for-global-citzen-now-detroit/"&gt;Detroit&lt;/a&gt;, where he shared his insight on how music and the arts strengthen communities and encourage lasting progress.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Similarly, as part of &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/projects/activate/"&gt;ACTIVATE: The Global Citizen Movement in 2019&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/supporter/rachel-brosnahan/"&gt;Rachel Brosnahan&lt;/a&gt; traveled with Global Citizen to the border of Peru to witness the impacts of conflict and natural disasters on children’s education. Her experiences on that trip deepened her commitment to ensuring urgent delivery of education to displaced children in these regions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;We can't put ourselves in their shoes … perhaps it’s more vitally important than ever to listen to them. To listen to their stories… and to listen to what they need.&lt;/q&gt; — Global Citizen Ambassador, Rachel Brosnahan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4&gt;&lt;b&gt;What About You?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Our Global Citizen Ambassadors and Advocates for Change are actors, musicians, authors, and more. We’re sure you love their work, and now you can join them in making the world a better place. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Your contribution can start small: in your neighborhood, in college, with your friends. Every action matters. When we act together on global issues, &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-to-take-action-with-global-citizen-and-why/"&gt;progress becomes possible&lt;/a&gt;. You can get started today by &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/new-global-citizen-app-impact-activism-every-day/"&gt;taking action on our mobile app&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The amazing part about &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/take-action-earn-points-and-redeem-rewards/"&gt;taking action with Global Citizen&lt;/a&gt; is that you earn points that can be used to enter draws to win prizes like concert tickets, fashion items, and eco-friendly products. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/about/supporters/"&gt;Read more of their stories&lt;/a&gt; and see how our Ambassadors and Advocates are using their voices to inspire change, then join them, and &lt;a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/take-action/"&gt;take action today&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Olaolu Odusan</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:13:38 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/meet-the-global-citizen-ambassadors-and-advocates/</guid><category>The Movement</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/f1/c8/f1c8d721-fdec-4021-98ef-9942f8128970/gc101_content_piece_logo_aug_18.png"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">n/a</media:credit></media:content></item><item><title>Joshua Ichor is the 2025 Global Citizen Waislitz People’s Choice Award Winner</title><link>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/joshua-ichor-for-2025-global-citizen-waislitz/</link><description>&lt;p&gt;We all know the popular saying: water is life. But what if the water is dirty, unsafe, or contaminated? Then life itself becomes a fragile struggle marked by illness, lost potential, and preventable deaths. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This was the reality for Joshua Ichor, founder of &lt;a href="https://geotekwater.com/"&gt;Geotek Water Solutions&lt;/a&gt; and the 2025 Global Citizen Waislitz People’s Choice Award winner. Growing up in Benue State, Nigeria, Ichor experienced firsthand the devastating effects of limited access to clean water. In Ichor’s community in Benue State, a single borehole served more than 12,000 people. Long queues, frequent conflicts, and hours of waiting in the pursuit of water became part of daily life.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;Sometimes you go there, you have to wait for maybe five hours in the queue for people to pump water, and most times there's a fight.&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many residents were forced to turn to nearby streams already contaminated with mud, bacteria, and human waste. Ichor was among them. In 2010, he contracted a severe case of typhoid fever that nearly cost him his life. “Icame down with typhoid fever and it was very severe. My whole skin was peeling and for some of the doctors in the hospital, it was so scary to attend to me,” said Ichor.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This near-death experience sparked Joshua’s resolve to confront the root of the water crisis and led to the creation of GeoTek Water Solutions, a startup social enterprise that leverages smart technology to deliver clean and safe water to underserved communities in Nigeria. Since its launch, GeoTek Water Solutions has installed &lt;a href="https://geotekirrigation.com/about#:~:text=irrigation%20technology.-,Our%20Impact%20So%20Far,-Empowering%20women"&gt;over 1,000 water infrastructure and monitoring systems, delivering clean water to more than 100,000 people&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the heart of Geotek Water Solutions’ model is the &lt;a href="https://geotekwater.com/geothermal-water-treatment/"&gt;Geotek Monitor&lt;/a&gt; — an integrated hydrological sensor system that is adaptable to water structures, primarily hand pumps in remote areas. It includes a functionality sensor that monitors the mechanical health of the hand pump and tracks usage in real-time. The GeoTek Monitor also collects data through its mobile app, WhatsApp, and even USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data). It also collects data on physical and chemical water quality to track contamination.  In areas with no internet access or mobile coverage, the monitor uses a satellite-based communication protocol to gather hydrological data. By improving water infrastructure and ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water, Ichor’s startup is helping to advance the UN’s &lt;a href="https://globalgoals.org/goals/6-clean-water-and-sanitation/"&gt;Global Goal 6&lt;/a&gt;, for universal access to clean water and sanitation, and &lt;a href="https://globalgoals.org/goals/3-good-health-and-well-being/"&gt;Global Goal 3&lt;/a&gt; for access quality healthcare.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Ichor’s dream to create access to clean and safe water for people in underserved communities across Nigeria comes with security and financial challenges. Traveling to these remote and insecure areas has placed Ichor and his team in life-threatening situations. This is because of the insecurity and violent clashes between communities in North-Central regions of Nigeria.  Still, he insists: “If I don’t go there, then it is not just insecurity that kills people, but waterborne diseases too.” He recognizes the direct and indirect impacts of improved water access on communities, including saving money on healthcare by preventing outbreaks of waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On top of the insecurity challenges, introducing the GeoTek Monitor into communities comes with its own set of hurdles such as the literacy gap and vandalism. To overcome this, the GeoTek Monitor is built on ‘citizen science’ — an approach that Ichor applies locally, making protecting water a shared responsibility. He employs a diverse local team from the community,  trains them to diagnose problems, report breakdowns, and prevent water systems from failing. "Community ownership is very important,” said Ichor. “The training, the awareness, and forming that close bond ensures the technology is properly protected."&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;Financing these projects has also been a challenge. Drilling rigs costs thousands of dollars, and routine maintenance is equally expensive. With prize money from the Global Citizen Waislitz People’s Choice Award, Ichor has set a challenge to improve water access for 100,000 people in 500 days. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;q&gt;I could leave tomorrow and build a comfortable life abroad, but this is the land of my birth. If I don’t work to fix it, then who will?&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And this is just the beginning. By 2030, Ichor aims to reach more than 5 million people, cut water infrastructure failures by 80%, and reduce waterborne diseases by half in remote communities. His vision goes beyond Nigeria: he plans to expand GeoTek Water Solutions into five new regions in Africa, using advanced tools like AI-powered monitors and satellite-enabled sensors to keep water systems operational, even in the hard-to-reach areas.&lt;br/&gt;
 &lt;/p&gt;</description><dc:creator xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Olaolu Odusan</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:30:04 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/joshua-ichor-for-2025-global-citizen-waislitz/</guid><category>Water &amp; Sanitation</category><media:content url="https://media.globalcitizen.org/4f/8e/4f8e6144-1b61-4df9-8782-4cd590237134/joshua-ichor-geotek-water.jpg"><media:credit role="photographer" scheme="urn:ebu">Supplied</media:credit></media:content></item></channel></rss>