Dublin Book Launch, Global Citizen NOW Highlights & Amazonia Festival Lineup
This week, I'm in Ireland for the launch of From Ideas to Impact at Windmill Lane Studios, where we’ll explore how AI is reshaping music, creativity, and policy. Also I recap Global Citizen NOW NYC.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I’m in Dublin this week for the Irish launch of From Ideas to Impact, hosted by Big & Bright. If you’re around—or know someone who is—come along for a dynamic evening on how AI is reshaping music, creativity, and policy.
📍 Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin 4 (yep, there will be a tour organized of the famous studios!)
🗓 Wednesday, May 14 | 6:30 PM
Speakers include industry leaders from McCann FitzGerald, The Other Songs, and more. I’ll also be signing copies of the book. RSVP: g@gregodonoghue.com.
This follows a sold-out event last Friday at Bert’s Books in my mum’s hometown of Swindon, England, where I spoke to a packed audience and was interviewed by local MP and British Cabinet Minister Heidi Alexander. We had a fantastic conversation about how the lessons from 'From Ideas to Impact' can be applied at the community level—from supporting polio eradication efforts to enhancing local education. It was significant to have so many of my mum’s family there. I’ve also left a few signed copies with Bert’s Books for anyone interested.
GLOBAL CITIZEN NOW NYC 2025: A Day of Ambition, Action & Announcements
On April 30, Global Citizen NOW returned to New York City, bringing together world leaders, artists, business executives, and grassroots advocates to accelerate progress on ending extreme poverty.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s edition a success. From Global Citizen’s extraordinary policy and campaigns team to our world-class production crew, the collective tireless efforts brought to life 10 powerful mainstage segments, four dynamic side events, and 16 high-impact bilateral meetings—all designed to drive real-world progress. To Global Citizen’s partners, speakers, and attendees: thank you for showing up with purpose and helping turn conversations into commitments. These announcements wouldn’t have been possible without your collaboration, creativity, and belief in the urgency of our shared mission.
Here are the standout announcements from the day:
Global Citizen Festival Amazonia
One of the most significant announcements from the day was the lineup for the Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia, which will take place on November 1 in Belém, Brazil—Global Citizen’s first major event in Latin America. The festival will feature performances by Anitta, Seu Jorge, Gaby Amarantos, and a special guest appearance by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, along with Indigenous leader Chief Raoni Metuktire.
This landmark campaign supports efforts to raise $1 billion to protect and restore the Amazon rainforest, accelerate a just transition to renewable energy, and support communities on the frontlines of climate change. With support from partners including Re:wild, Live Nation, Rock World,
the Bezos Earth Fund, Open Society Foundations, and the State of Pará, this festival will center Indigenous leadership, sustainability, and global solidarity ahead of COP30. You can read more here in this Billboard article, including my comments.
Free tickets will be available to residents of Belém and Pará State through the Global Citizen app and community volunteering. The momentum from the campaign since we announced the lineup has been incredible. In the first week alone, 1 million actions were taken in support of the campaign!
As part of the campaign, at Global Citizen NOW, Everland and BNP Paribas also launched a new $50 million initiative to support forest conservation projects in the Amazon, led by Indigenous and traditional communities.
The funding will help launch the first 20 projects under the Equitable Earth Standard, a new approach that puts local leadership at the center. These projects will protect vital rainforest areas and generate verified carbon credits, creating a long-term funding model that supports both people and the planet. You can watch my announcement of the partnership onstage here.
Corporate Volunteering Is On the Rise
Global Citizen also announced that it has teamed up with Goodera to make it easy for companies and employees to:
👥 Volunteer their time
🌱 Support Amazon communities
🏆 Compete for real-world impact
Top-performing teams will be recognized live on stage at Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia later this year. More details soon—if you’re interested in how your company can get involved, reply to this email or message me.
In the meantime, check out my recent article on why corporate volunteering is booming.
As loneliness rises and trust in institutions declines, more companies are stepping up to offer something powerful: structured ways for employees to do good together.
This explains why in 2024, platforms like Goodera and Benevity saw participation nearly double. People are craving connection, purpose, and a sense of impact, especially as traditional community spaces fade.
From community gardens to climate cleanups, these types of volunteer programs have the potential to enhance mental health, foster social trust, and improve workplace culture. As I write in From Ideas to Impact, action is the antidote to apathy, and corporate volunteering may be one of the most scalable ways to rebuild shared purpose.
Scaling Up Renewables in Africa Campaign
For my part, at Global Citizen Now, I was privileged to moderate a panel on our Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign, featuring:
Nialé Kaba, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Development, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire
Jean Van Wetter, CEO, Enabel (the Belgium Development Agency)
Zoisa North-Bond, CEO, Octopus Energy Generation (a UK-based company disrupting the energy landscape)
The conversation centered on unlocking climate finance and expanding access to clean energy in Africa and beyond. You can catch it here:
New Support to Help Vaccinate Millions of Children
Two countries stepped up to help more children around the world get access to life-saving vaccines.
Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced the country’s first-ever pledge to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: €1 million to help low-income countries protect children from deadly diseases.
Soon after, Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro pledged €2.5 million for the 2026–2030 period—a more than 50% increase on Portugal’s previous commitment. In his message, he called Gavi “an example of the best that humanity has to offer,” and emphasized the need for greater innovation and fairness in global health.
These commitments are part of a global effort to vaccinate 500 million children and save over 8 million lives by 2030, with more pledges expected at a major fundraising event on June 25. You can watch the full recap of the Gavi moment at Global Citizen NOW here:
Unlocking the Power of Music for Economic Growth
At Global Citizen NOW, more details were released about a new platform to support the creative economy: the Music Economic Development Initiative (MEDI) Portal.
Jointly discussed by Dr. Shain Shapiro and Nigeria’s Minister of Art and Culture, H.E. Hannatu Musawa, the MEDI Portal is a collaboration between Global Citizen, the Center for Music Ecosystems, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The platform aims to give governments, investors, and artists the tools, data, and research they need to grow music industries—and unlock their potential to create jobs, boost economies, and attract investment.
Backed by the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria, the pilot phase will launch across 22 African countries, helping show how music can be a powerful engine for development. Get more info here. Check out this fantastic panel from Global Citizen NOW and re-watch the launch here:
FIFA and Global Citizen Launch $100 Million Education Fund
In what may prove to be one of the most ambitious education initiatives in years, FIFA and Global Citizen officially launched the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an effort to raise $100 million to transform the lives of millions of children through the dual power of education and football.
Announced on stage at Global Citizen NOW by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, actor Hugh Jackman, and Shift4 Chief Commercial Officer Michael Isaacman, the Fund will support grassroots education programs in over 200 countries. Half the funds raised will support Football for Schools (F4S), FIFA’s flagship program in partnership with UNESCO, which uses football to teach life skills and strengthen communities.
To help power the fund, Infantino confirmed that $1 from every ticket sold to the FIFA Club World Cup™ 2025 will be donated. Additional support will come from philanthropic donors, the private sector, and entertainment partnerships — including The Weeknd, who will contribute proceeds from select concerts on his upcoming tour.
In addition, Shift4 will enable more than 200,000 merchants across North America to allow customers to make donations to the fund at the point of sale. Further announcements are expected in the lead-up to both the FIFA Club World Cup™ 2025 and the FIFA World Cup™ 2026.
My Reading List
Some of you may have seen the news out of Australia just over a week ago: the Labor Party was re-elected in a landslide—its biggest win since World War II, securing the most seats ever won by a single party.
But what stood out to me—and made me proud of Australian democracy—wasn't just the result. It was watching the concession speech by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and the victory speech by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
If you’re wondering whether grace in politics is still possible, I encourage you to watch them both (especially if you missed the moment and aren’t based in Australia). Despite losing his own seat, Dutton was incredibly gracious. He told Albanese he should be proud, that his mother would be proud, and praised the woman who defeated him in his local electorate as an excellent new MP. Albanese, in turn, said that in Australia, “we treat people with respect.”
As I found while interviewing changemakers for From Ideas to Impact, real change—especially in divided societies—requires working with people you may not like or agree with. And, as I write this from Ireland, where politics also depends on coalition-building, the point feels especially timely.
On another note, some of you may have seen Bill Gates' announcement last Thursday about his plan to give away virtually all of his wealth - about $200 billion - over the next two decades.
I got a message from a friend at the foundation:
"Just wanted to let you know—Bill used your Forbes article on foreign aid in a presentation this morning! It was in his slide deck for an event in NYC, where he spoke about the decline in foreign aid and why philanthropy needs to step up."
Here’s the pieces again in case it’s of interest, here and here.
Malawi’s President calls for the UK to support Gavi, the vaccine alliance
Asia remains underfunded in climate finance but philanthropic funding can help plug gaps: Ravi Menon
‘Conversation on future of aid long overdue’: UK looks to lead response to swingeing US cuts
Feeding the hungry will be harder than ever for the world's largest food aid agency
As always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists, and articles regularly.
Till next week,
Mick
P.S. A belated shout-out to all the mothers out there for Mother’s Day. I spent the day in England—where it’s celebrated on a different date than in the US or Australia—but it was no less special. We spent it at my grandma’s house, giving my daughter Miki the chance to spend time with her great-grandma. Below is a photo of the three of us at the farm across from the house where my mum grew up.
For those who’ve read From Ideas to Impact, you’ll know I dedicated the book to my grandma. She always reminds me to “focus on what you can control, and don’t waste energy on what you can’t.” A good reminder—especially in these times.
