Global Citizen Live: 24-hour charity concert kicks off

Music megastars and politicians came together to raise awareness on social issues at the Global Citizen Live event on Saturday. 

The 24-hour show seeks to collect donations from countries and corporations for a fairer distribution of coronavirus vaccines and the fight against climate change and poverty. 

Performances by pop stars are taking place in several cities around the world, including Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai and Johannesburg. 

Elton John, who almost had to cancel his performance after a hip injury, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Coldplay and the South Korean boy group BTS are among more than 70 international music stars taking part in the concert. 

Prince Harry and Meghan also made an appearance at the event in New York. 

European leaders make pledges 

Several European leaders promised to commit to increasing funding for the climate, COVID vaccines and food security.

The European Commission pledged to increase funding for food security and climate adaptation to €140 million ($164 million).

"We must join forces to end the pandemic, combat hunger, give children around the world equal chances in life and stop global warming," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The Netherlands pledged €25 million to help countries bolster their health care systems and €75 million to a global research partnership to fight poverty. 

French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to give 120 million COVID vaccine doses, double the 60 million previously pledged, to low-income nations. 

"The injustice is that on other continents, clearly, vaccination is way behind. In Africa, barely 3% of the population has been vaccinated — we need to go faster," AFP news agency cited Macron as saying in a video broadcast to the concert.  

What is Global Citizen Live?

The annual event is organized by the international advocacy organization Global Citizen. 

The group describes itself as a movement with a mission to end extreme poverty by 2030 and says it aims to create a just, sustainable and healthy world for everyone.

Tens of thousands of people have won tickets for this year's concerts by signing up for the Global Citizen app and sharing its messages on social media. 

Proof of COVID vaccination or negative tests were required for attendance. 

fb/msh (AFP, dpa)