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By GLENN GAMBOA, AP Business Writer
Hugh Evans began his fight against extreme poverty by mobilizing his friends while growing up in Australia.
On Saturday, Evans will attempt to mobilize the world to fight poverty and COVID-19 with Global Citizen Live, a 24-hour live concert featuring The Weekend, BTS, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, HER and dozens more of the artists performing in venues around the world – from Lagos, Nigeria and Seoul, South Korea, to the Champ de Mars in Paris and Central Park in New York. On Tuesday, the group announced that Prince HARry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will join the event in Central Park to discuss global vaccine fairness.
Unlike most star charity gigs, Global Citizen Live doesn’t ask fans for money. He wants to display their voices – on social media, on petitions and in person – as proof to world leaders and big bosses that people are supporting action on these issues. Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, says such an awareness campaign is needed now because COVID-19 has ended years of gains and pushed 150 million people around the world into extreme poverty.
The Associated Press recently spoke to Evans, 38, about how he wants people to fight poverty in any way they can because he believes only collective action can make a difference. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
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Q: Why is the concert global this year?
A: We are facing many challenges right now, on the one hand with the global COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, with the fact that forest fires are raging around the world due to climate change. , and third, with so many people out of work due to COVID-19, there are now 41 million people in the Horn of Africa who are facing the devastating effects of famine. So we knew that we had to tackle these issues head-on and that we had to create a global moment of unity.
Q: You also want people to know that this event is serious.
A: It is not a celebration. This is a real opportunity to come together in solidarity, to call on world leaders to tackle these issues. At present, the US government has not made enough funding for climate change. In addition, no government is stepping up enough to support the urgent efforts of the World Food Program (United Nations) to address the hunger crisis. It’s a $ 6 billion need right now. So we call on businesses, we call on governments, we call on philanthropists to mobilize like never before.
Q: Global Citizen’s goal has always been to fight extreme poverty. Why have COVID-19 and climate change affected your work so much?
A: COVID-19 has forced millions of people out of work, especially the extremely poor who work in the service sector and depend on interacting with people. When 150 million people have been pushed back into extreme poverty due to COVID-19, it becomes an existential problem for our mission. So we need to answer the question of vaccine sharing and vaccine equity. Climate change is the flip side of extreme poverty, because if you don’t allow people to get out of poverty equitably, then you have no way of creating a sustainable future for the whole planet as well. It’s not like a nation can sign the climate deal and everyone is ignoring it. They must work in unison.
Q: Is it because of all these pressing issues that you have been able to bring together so many big stars?
A: I think everyone on the planet is feeling the effects of these devastating crises that are affecting everyone. And that’s why I think the artist community is poised to step up like never before. They are ready to use their platform to create systemic change. No charity will tackle the problems the world is currently facing. We need to change the systems that keep people in poverty and perpetuate the climate crisis. And that’s why so many artists come together. They need to give a sense of hope that individual voices matter, that your actions matter, and that you can influence world leaders to respond. They are not immune to this answer. They must act at this urgent time, and that is what we are asking for with Global Citizen Live.
Q: How did you match the artists with the venues where they will perform? Did you want Jennifer Lopez to be in Central Park for maximum impact?
A: We wanted to represent the six continents, and we are currently working on the seventh with Antarctica. We have some of the greatest artists of our entire generation, so we don’t take this moment lightly. We know that’s a huge responsibility, and if we have a job it’s to make sure people take action.
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