Global Citizen is returning to Australia for the first edition of Global Citizen NOW in Melbourne on 4-6 March 2024, more than a decade after the movement to end extreme poverty was founded there.

The event will bring leading voices from across the Asia-Pacific region for a powerful three-day program of panels focused on driving action and impact to end extreme poverty regionally and worldwide. 

Global CItizen NOW: Melbourne comes at a time when Australia and the Asia-Pacific region — 40 diverse countries spanning from Afghanistan to Fiji, and from Japan to Australia and beyond — are at risk of being swept away by intensifying crises driven by climate change and COVID-19. 

To address this crisis head-on, Global Citizen NOW is also sponsoring 30 young innovators working to address the issues perpetuating extreme poverty from across the Asia-Pacific region to attend the event through the Youth Leaders Award program.

More than 300 youth innovators will also attend the Melbourne program, joining forces with some of the globe's brightest minds all focused on tackling the world's most pressing challenges from the region.

From battling the climate crisis to advocating for women's equity, strengthening health systems, addressing food insecurity, and fostering youth-driven entrepreneurship, each panel at Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne will be led by discussion and debate grounded in action on the United Nations’ Global Goals.

Founded in Australia in 2008 by Hugh Evans, Simon Moss, and Wei Soo, Global Citizen began with one mission: end extreme poverty in all its forms around the world. What began as the very first "End Polio Concert" in Perth Australia in 2008, is today a global movement of action takers from around the world. 

“We’re thrilled to bring Global Citizen NOW to Australia, and to offer a unique platform where young innovators will take their place alongside leaders in policy, culture, philanthropy, and business to drive impactful, sustainable change and address the global challenges shaping tomorrow,” said Global Citizen Co-Founder and CEO Hugh Evans. "The Asia-Pacific region sits at the epicentre of some of the world's most pressing emergencies, but young people are not the passive inheritors of these challenges – they are active change-makers with a vital role to play.”

Some of the people attending this year include Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste; Ban Ki-moon, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations; Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy on Oceans; activist Brianna Fruean, Osher Günsberg, Mark Woodruff, and more.

More people from the world of activism, entertainment, and philanthropy will also be announced in the weeks and months leading up to the March event.

As Global Citizen returns to Australia, where it all began, the mission remains unchanged: to end extreme poverty and inspire people to take action globally to end poverty now. 

Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne will be presented by the State Government of Victoria and alongside proud partners including Cisco, Citi, and P&G. The campaign and policy objectives are also supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rotary International, Uniting to Combat NTDs, Foreign Community Policy Indonesia, and Safer World For All. 

The summit will conclude with Global Citizen Nights, an intimate, live music event honouring the stories of young trailblazers from across the Asia-Pacific region who are profoundly impacting their local communities in the areas of climate action, gender equity and more. The event will take place at the Palais Theatre on St Kilda’s foreshore on 6 March, headlined by the iconic Crowded House, with more artists to be announced. Start taking action now to earn your free tickets!

Global Citizen acknowledges the Wurundjeri and Bunurong peoples of the Kulin nation, the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne and Global Citizen Nights will be held, and pays respect to their Elders past, present, and emerging.