Since launching in 2012, Global Citizen has been driven by one simple idea: when people come together, real change is possible.
Over the past 13 years, millions of Global Citizens around the world have taken action through our campaigns — and the results speak for themselves. From pressuring world leaders to commit to eradicating polio and step up their responses to the global pandemic, to mobilizing billions to fight inequality and turbocharge climate action, our movement has turned moments into momentum built to last.
Take a look back at 13 of our most powerful milestones, testaments to the fact that when people raise their voices, world leaders listen. The work to end extreme poverty continues — but it’s important to remember how much we’ve already accomplished together so far.
1. The End of Polio Concert (October 28, 2011)
The first major event that started-it-all was technically run by “The Global Poverty Project” in 2011 — what would soon become Global Citizen. The End of Polio Concert brought 5,000 people together in Perth, Australia for one reason: to raise awareness of the ongoing, global fight to end polio for good. Hosted on the eve of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the concert, headlined by Grammy award winner John Legend, resulted in pledges totaling $118 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. WHO later called it a critical “turning point” in the campaign to eliminate the disease for good — a fight that the world is tantalizingly close to finishing.
2. The First Global Citizen Festival (September 29, 2012)
In 2012, we introduced what became our trademark: take action for good, earn a free music festival ticket. The inaugural Global Citizen Festival brought together 60,000 people who had contributed by taking action to our campaigns to the heart of Central Park to see acts like Neil Young with Crazy Horse, the Foo Fighters, K’Naan, and The Black Keys perform live. The result? More than $1.3 billion in new commitments dedicated to ending extreme poverty, malaria, and polio.
This marked the beginning of our annual tradition, proving music festivals can be so much more than events — they can also be engines of social change. Since then, we’ve held 12 festivals in Central Park, resulting in commitments worth a total of $26.2 billion.
3. Global Citizen Festival: India (November 19, 2016)
A few years later, Global Citizen Festival trekked across the world and officially touched down in Asia with a festival in Mumbai, Maharashtra. A stacked lineup featuring global and local artists including Coldplay, Jay-Z, A.R. Rahman, Amitabh Bachchan, Demi Lovato, and Ranveer Singh took the stage, bringing attention to the event’s special focus on improving access to clean water and sanitation in collaboration with the country’s Swachh Bharat (“Clean India”) campaign. More than 500,000 Global Citizens took 2 million actions in the lead-up to the festival, resulting in $5 billion in commitments to fund sanitation, education, health, and gender equality initiatives across the country — impacting more than 220 million lives.
4. Mandela 100: Johannesburg (December 2, 2018)
To celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday and legacy, Global Citizen hosted a massive festival in Johannesburg that drew 70,000 attendees and was broadcasted live globally — marking what was at the time our largest event to date. Hosted by Trevor Noah and co-headlined by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, performers shared the stage with dignitaries, artists, and advocates from around the world. Over 5.65 million actions led to more than 60 commitments delivering action on jobs training, education, sanitation, healthcare, and more across the continent. $7.2 billion in commitments were announced on stage — but ultimately $7.4 billion ended up being distributed, impacting the lives of nearly 122 million people across the continent.
5. Global Citizen's COVID-19 Response (2020–2021)
When the pandemic hit, Global Citizen pivoted its model quickly in order to continue fighting for funding, equity, and support where it was needed most. Three major events took place during this time at the core of these efforts, driving support for public health and medical workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis:
- One World: Together At Home (April 18, 2020): Curated by Lady Gaga, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert, and watched by people in 175 countries globally through 60 global broadcast networks, this virtual event raised $127.9 million on behalf of frontline workers and WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Shining a spotlight on communities impacted directly by the pandemic, this special also featured performances by some of the world’s biggest stars, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and more. Global Citizens took more than 700,000 actions leading up to the event, rapidly mobilizing in the face of an unprecedented global challenge.
- Global Goal: Unite for Our Future (June 27, 2020): Just a few months later, Global Citizens rallied again in the name of equitable COVID-19 vaccine access. Hosted by Dwayne Johnson, Global Goal also featured performances by Shakira, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Quavo, and more. This completely virtual event aired across 180 countries and raised $6.9 billion in grants, loans, and guarantees from 41 different countries, corporations, and philanthropies to boost vaccine research, treatments, and PPE equipment. Funds went to numerous organizations at the frontlines of the global pandemic response, including UNICEF, the Global Fund, WHO, and the international vaccine-sharing mechanism COVAX.
- VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World (May 8, 2021): Hosted by multi-platinum artist Selena Gomez, this event, broadcasted live, drove over $302 million in commitments and helped deliver over 26 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. This special was the culmination of our campaign, chaired by Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, calling to make vaccines accessible to everyone, everywhere by supporting the ACT-Accelerator and the COVAX Facility. Airing in more than 100 countries and streamed globally on YouTube, the event featured performances by J Balvin, H.E.R., and Jennifer Lopez with appearances by Ben Affleck, David Letterman, Nomzamo Mbatha, and more.
6. Global Citizen Live (September 25, 2021)
Resuming our usual programming with in-person events, Global Citizen returned by making a global splash with this 24-hour global broadcast across six continents. Global Citizen Live showed the world united in purpose — from Lagos, Rio, Sydney, London, New York City, and Paris to Seoul. Artists, advocates, and global leaders came together to mobilize more than $1.1 billion, with pledges including delivering over 60 million COVID-19 vaccines and planting over 157 million trees, advancing both pandemic recovery and climate action thanks to commitments from governments, philanthropic partners, and the private sector.
7. Stand Up for Ukraine (April 9, 2022)
As the war in Ukraine displaced millions, Global Citizen launched an emergency campaign to drive urgent support for refugees impacted by conflict and crisis. This response culminated in a high-level pledging summit in Warsaw, Poland co-hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. World leaders pledged $10.1 billion in new cash grants and loans to support displaced families in Ukraine and across the world. These funds helped provide immediate housing and economic support for one million refugees in Ukraine, as well as funding and resources for 10 countries hosting refugees and grassroots organizations and UN agencies working tirelessly on the frontlines of humanitarian aid in the region. In the lead-up to the pledging event and social media rally, more than 7,000 Global Citizens from 66 countries also donated to the GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, raising nearly $1 million to support those in need.
8. Launch of Global Citizen NOW (May 22, 2022)
2022 also marked the launch of our first-ever Global Citizen NOW summit in New York City, introducing a new kind of summit: fast-paced, solutions-oriented, and designed to deliver immediate impact, not just talking points. We convened more than 200 speakers, including Gloria Steinem, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, US Representative Nancy Pelosi, BIll Nye, Pharell Williams, and more. This was the beginning of our Global Citizen NOW thought leadership series, bringing together leading voices from government, business, pop culture, and civil society to accelerate ideas addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.
Since then, the series has expanded globally, planting seeds that have grown into major milestone campaign moments. We launched our year-long Protect the Amazon campaign — Global Citizen’s largest climate action initiative to date — at Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro, and marked its halfway point with major pledges announced at Global Citizen NOW: Amazônia the following year. At Global Citizen NOW: Sevilla, on-stage commitments helped build momentum toward our Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign, which aims to help triple access to renewable energy across the continent. And in 2024, we launched the Safer World for All Campaign at Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne, a joint effort with Micah Australia aimed at increasing Australia’s foreign aid investment.
9. Move Afrika Launches (December 6, 2022)
Move Afrika officially launched in Kigali in late 2022 with Move Afrika: Rwanda, the kick-off to a first-of-its-kind effort to build a sustainable touring circuit across the continent. This long-term campaign aims to create jobs, boost local economies, and spotlight homegrown talent by building the infrastructure and capacity for world-class music and live entertainment events — reimagining how economic development and the creative economy can work together hand-in-hand. Organized in partnership with Kendrick Lamar’s production company pgLang, the event drew 8,000 people for a sold-out concert headlined by Lamar himself at Kigali’s BK Arena. In 2025, Move Afrika touched down again in Kigali and expanded to Lagos with concerts headlined by John Legend, showcasing Rwandan and Nigerian stars as well for a blend of global and local sounds. Stay tuned for more updates about Move Afrika 2026 — coming to three locations on the continent.
10. Power Our Planet: Paris (June 22, 2023)
We launched our Power Our Planet campaign with a one-of-a-kind concert in Paris that served as a global rallying cry to reform international finance to better support vulnerable nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis. With performances from world-renowned artists like Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Jack Harlow, and Lenny Kravitz, the concert underscored the growing demand for climate action, echoed by the crowd of 20,000 attendees. The night’s pivotal moment came when World Bank President Ajay Banga announced the Bank would introduce debt pause clauses, allowing countries hit by natural disasters to suspend loan repayments so they can focus on recovery. This reform could potentially unlock up to $9.5 billion annually — a critical lifeline for countries in crisis, enabling them to invest in their people rather than fall deeper into debt.
11. The Economic Development Assembly (October 9, 2024)
Global Citizen joined up with Bridgewater Associates to host the inaugural Economic Development Assembly: Advancing Africa’s Future, in partnership with the government of Côte d’Ivoire and Harith General Partners, to bring together heads of state, business leaders, and civil society to mobilize investments for sustainable, equitable growth across Africa. The gathering resulted in the Abidjan Accords, a call to action to significantly increase funding to the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) — the world’s largest source of concessional finance that supports 77 of the most vulnerable countries, about half of which are in Africa. More than 100 organizations, world leaders, and artists signed on. This gathering was a key moment in our longer campaign to support IDA’s replenishment, urging wealthy donors to help lift millions out of poverty.
12. Gavi Replenishment (June 25, 2025)
In 2025, Global Citizen joined the global effort to help fund Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a partnership that has already helped save 17 million lives in just two decades. To support Gavi’s 6.0 campaign — which aims to immunize more than 1 billion children by 2030 — Global Citizens took over 385,000 actions, urging world leaders to step up and donate. At the Gavi replenishment summit, co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation with production support from Global Citizen, more than $9 billion was pledged by 55 countries and other donors to fund life-saving vaccines and strengthen health systems in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Global Citizen previously supported Gavi’s 2021 replenishment, mobilizing 351,000 actions through our Defeat Disease Together campaign, which helped secure $8.8 billion in commitments.
13. FIFA & Global Citizen Education Fund Launches (2026)
We’ve teamed up with FIFA for a powerful new goal: raising $100 million to help educate 30,000 children worldwide. The FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is a bold new initiative to expand access to both quality education and football in underserved communities across 200 countries. With a fundraising deadline set by the FIFA World Cup Final in July 2026, the race is on — but momentum is building. Already, $1 from every ticket sold at multiple international events, including the Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, have been donated to the fund. Absolutely anyone can contribute — donate today here. As part of this partnership, Global Citizen also produced FIFA’s first-ever Club World Cup Final halftime show featuring show-stopping performances by J. Balvin, Tems, Doja Cat, and a surprise appearance by Coldplay. We’ll be back next summer to produce the FIFA World Cup final halftime show in 2026 — stay tuned.
Over the years and across the board, each of these moments has one thing in common: the Global Citizens who made them possible. Whether it’s funding vaccines, reforming debt, protecting forests, or lifting up the next generation — we’ve seen time and again that real change happens when people come together to take action.
And we’re gearing up for more impact in the months ahead. As we prep for key moments across our campaigns including Global Citizen Festival in New York, Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia, Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg, the 2026 installment of Move Afrika, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and beyond, we know that one thing is (and always has been) true: The future is shaped by those who show up.
So if you haven’t already, learn more about how Global Citizen works, join the movement, and get in on the action. There’s plenty of work left to do.