Global Citizen is looking to raise the bar in the fight against extreme poverty, and this year, a lot of star power will be backing the organization's efforts to raise awareness. The 2022 Global Citizen Festival lineups have been announced, but this time there will be two major concerts happening simultaneously.
In New York City, Mariah Carey, Jonas Brothers, Rosalia, MANESKIN, Metallica, and Mickey Guyton have been tapped to take the stage on Central Park's Great Lawn. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who will be the master of ceremonies for the night, told the Associated Press that "urgent mobilization" is needed to address hunger and extreme poverty.
It will be the 10th year Global Citizen takes over Central Park, and in that time, the organization states that it has paid out more than $41 billion in funding that impacts more than 1.15 billion people.
Just over 5,000 miles away in Ghana, Usher, SZA, Stormzy, Gyakie, H.E.R., Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, and Tems are set to tear down Accra's Black Star Square. The concert will also celebrate 65 years of independence for the West African nation as well as the 20th anniversary of the African Union, the 55-member body representing the states that make up the continent of Africa.
While the stated primary goal of the Global Citizen organization is to end extreme poverty around the world, this year it is looking to have a special focus on encouraging governments "to empower girls, close the climate finance gap, alleviate the global food crisis, and relieve crushing debts," according to the event press release.
The state of global extreme poverty also has been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, pushing nearly 100 million people to live off of less than $1.90 a day, according to the World Bank, a financial institution with the purpose of providing loans to low and middle-income countries. It found that the people in the sub-Saharan African, the Caribbean, and Latin America have been the most impacted.
Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evan also told the Associated Press that the situation is more dire than ever before and that "as many as 323 million people are now facing acute hunger."
