Global Citizen Festival 2026

THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) announced a new, multi-year partnership worth $4 million to provide technology and support to children displaced by conflict or natural disasters. Appearing via video, IOM Director General Amy Pope explained that the United Nations organization, focused on safeguarding the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees globally, will leverage new tech, including AI, to get assistance where it’s needed most and help impacted communities recover faster. This might include identifying schools that are open for learning, or where families can find essential resources like shelter and clean water in times of crisis.  

MINDEROO FOUNDATION committed $2 million to improve grain storage facilities for smallholder farmers, helping approximately 6,000 farmers reduce their post-harvest losses, protect their crops, and strengthen food security and livelihoods for the communities they support.

PEOPLE OF THE SUN and INDIGENIZED ENERGY announced an Indigenous-led initiative  at Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions  to upgrade 50,000 Indigenous homes across North America with green tech, including solar rooftop panels, batteries, and other energy-efficiency improvements. The project will be funded by a mix of grants, public funding, private investment, and other financing mechanisms. Implementation is expected to launch in 2029, with plans to use the 50,000-home commitment as a launching point to scale the program and ultimately reach 800,000 homes by 2035. This project builds on Indigenized Energy’s longstanding goal to build energy independence and sovereignty within Native communities. By moving away from fossil fuels, it will bring cleaner, more affordable, and resilient energy to Indigenous families and households and put them at the front lines of the clean energy transition. 

“Indigenous communities are no longer simply asking to be part of the energy transition. We are building it,” said Cody Two Bears, Founder and CEO of Indigenized Energy. “Fifty thousand homes is an ambitious beginning, but it demonstrates what becomes possible when Indigenous leadership is matched with investment at scale.”

THE ROTARY FOUNDATION, the official charitable arm of Rotary International, committed $6 million in new funding to help keep 500,000 students in school. The funding will be delivered through grants that will invest in more than 100 education programs across more than 25 countries. Programs will support teacher training, basic numeracy and literacy, education technology, capacity building, and supplemental education, with individual projects typically running one to two years.

"One of the most important things of these kinds of announcements is aligning people behind a bold purpose to unite and collaborate, so all of us are rowing in the same direction to protect children across the globe," said Jennifer Jones, Chair of the Rotary Foundation, via video. "We need boys and girls to receive equal, amazing education so that they can reach their full potential in their life."

TONY ROBBINS announced a $20 million package, with support from the US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture, and organizations including Hatch for Hunger, to help deliver millions of protein-packed meals across the US over the next decade. 

Robbins also announced a new partnership with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who has committed to drive an additional 200 billion school meals this decade. Lastly, Robbins also committed to donating 300,000 tons of fertilizer to support smallholder farmers. Addressing Global Citizens directly, Robbins stated, “I want to thank you all for your part in making this path to over 300 billion meals possible. Remember, if hunger was a country, it'd be the third largest on earth, but we're all working to change that now and we're truly making huge progress in feeding those most in need. Thank you for your contributions, your time, and your energy!” Together, these commitments reinforce Robbins’ ongoing 100 Billion Meals Challenge to fight hunger and reduce food insecurity around the world.

THE UNITED KINGDOM, championing its role as chair of the Lighthouse Alliance, confirmed a new £6 million, multi-year commitment to the Lighthouse Global Protection Fund. The pledge was first announced by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband via video, who said, "Lighthouse is more than just protection. It acts as a global beacon, letting human rights defenders know they are not alone, that there is hope, and that we stand squarely with them and the values they defend.” 

WE CARE SOLAR pledged to expand its global health initiative “Light Every Birth” by upgrading an additional 10,000 maternal health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa to provide clean energy and improve essential care for mothers and newborns over the next five years. To accomplish this goal, We Care Solar announced at Global Citizen NOW: Impact Sessions that it had already secured $2.8 million towards its overall fundraising goal of $40 million. This initial financing step will be used to launch the first phase of this project. 

First up, We Care Solar will equip 600 facilities in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Mozambique with Solar Suitcases, their portable, self-sustaining devices that provide last-mile health facilities far from energy grids with essential light and power supplies. Once complete, these clinics are projected to support more than 456,000 mothers and newborns every year. As Co-Founder and Executive Director Laura Stachel explained via video, “Every year, 260,000 women die trying to give birth, and more than a million newborns die on their first day of life. We Care Solar was founded to give every health worker the power to save lives.” This commitment will strengthen healthcare through providing new equipment, training, and partnerships with local and regional health ministries.