Music stars like Elton John, the Black Eyed Peas and Ed Sheeran campaigned for more climate protection, fair vaccine distribution and the fight against hunger and poverty at a worldwide music festivaln.
With a performance in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Elton John (74) gave the starting signal for a concert marathon on Saturday evening, which was to take place over 24 hours on seven continents in cities such as New York, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai and Sydney.
In a green suit, Sir Elton played hits like “Rocket Man” and “Your Song” on the Champ de Mars in Paris and called for fair access to corona vaccines around the world. “We mustn’t leave anyone behind,” shouted the British pop star. Ed Sheeran (30), the Black Eyed Peas and Stormzy (28) were also on stage in Paris.
Ed Sheeran was on stage in ParisPhoto: Getty Images For Global Citizen
In New York’s Central Park, fans excitedly met Billie Eilish and Jennifer Lopez, among others. The British Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan promoted a fair global vaccine distribution on stage. Access to corona vaccines must be a “basic human right,” Harry demanded. The origin of a person should not be “determined by their chances of survival”.
In addition to the live concerts, there were recorded performances by the boy group BTS in South Korea, DJ superstar Alok in Rio, the rock band Green Day in Los Angeles, pop singer Kylie Minogue in London and star tenor Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany.
The American pop band Black Eyed Peas at the “Global Citizen Live” concert in FrancePhoto: BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
With the global event, the non-governmental organization Global Citizen marked the end of a week that was, among other things, focused on climate protection through the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York and worldwide demonstrations by Fridays for Future.
Global Citizen calls on states, corporations, and foundations to pledge aid to plant a billion trees, bring two billion doses of vaccine to the poorest countries, and feed 41 million hungry people. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also supports the campaign.
Global Citizen has been behind other high profile charity events, including “Vax Live: The Concert To Reunite The World” in Los Angeles earlier this year.