Two New Reports Launched This Week: Solar Energy + Global Solidarity

Ahead of next weekend's Global Citizen Festival, we preview two huge reports we launched this week as world leaders gather in New York

Sep 16, 2023

Dear Friends and Supporters,

With just one week until the 11th annual Global Citizen Festival, I’m bringing you a jam-packed newsletter filled with updates on two exciting new reports launched this week, a series of impact videos the GC team has been working hard on, the latest campaign in Australia, and more, including some exciting events you can join over the coming week!

Hope to see some of you at next week’s festival – for those who make it to the bottom of today’s newsletter, you can read about how to secure a VIP viewing experience!

Australia - Taking Action to End the Global Food Crisis

On September 12, Global Citizen took out a full page advertisement in the September 12 edition of nationally syndicated newspaper, The Australian, in addition to sharing 4 statement of support videos from key Australia leaders who had signed on the open letter, including: Kylie Woodham, Managing Director of Magners Farm, Kyle Stice, Executive Director Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network, Tim Costello AO, and Anika Molesworth, a scientist and sustainability advocate.

To maximize the visibility of this moment, Global Citizen tweeted out the open letter and videos on our global channel and impact channel, tagging Penny Wong, Murray Watt, and Pat Conroy. The GC team also released the story on its Instagram feed and instagram story. There was over 2.9K global citizens who tweeted the open letter to Australian decision-makers and more than 11.8K global citizens left a message for Australian leaders telling them in their own words why Australian should rejoin IFAD.

We are thrilled to share that as a result of our collective efforts, Australian Shadow Minister for International Development Michael McCormack took to Sky News to respond to the call to action and call on Penny Wong to take action.

Global Citizen Calls on World Leaders to Act NOW for Education, Environment and Equity ahead of Global Citizen Festival

In just two weeks, Global Citizen made four urgent video calls to action on social media, urging governments and organizations to support UNFPA Supplies for women and girls, protect the Amazon Rainforest, end hunger through sustainable farming, and hold UK PM Rishi Sunak accountable for his £11.6B climate promise. With the backing of artists and influential organizations, these messages are rallying for immediate commitments across four crucial areas aimed at eradicating extreme poverty. This call to action comes just one week before the Global Citizen Festival in New York.

You can show your support by resharing GC’s social posts, and by downloading the Global Citizen app, and following Global Citizen on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.

New report proves: Harvesting solar power is 5x more appealing than burning fossil fuels

This week the GC team launched a new report on Harnessing Solar Power – together with our friends from Glocalities, a leading research agency, and The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a global effort fostering international cooperation to end new development of fossil fuels. The results of the largest global values-based study ever conducted on renewable energy preferences are overwhelmingly clear: The world is united on renewable energy, with solar power being favored by 68% of the world’s population. Harvesting power from the sun scores 5 times higher in preference compared to burning fossil fuels. Yet, in reality, 77% of global energy consumption still comes from oil, coal, and natural gas. An upgrade in leadership styles is pivotal to facilitate and accelerate the transition to clean energy and avoid catastrophe by limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

When looking at the results from the United States, we discovered an interesting data point: US citizens favor solar power over every other energy source as well – regardless of party politics. Despite leaders' official positions, Republican voters strongly favor solar power over fossil fuels.

This study gives a clear signal that there is common ground all over the world. We need to take action now to transition away from fossil fuels. Leaders must come together, follow their citizens, and sign a treaty to tackle the climate crisis at its root.

Read the full report here.

Launch of the Global Solidarity Report

As we all know, the world currently stands at a crossroads with a number of daunting challenges facing humanity that have heightened global tensions. Tackling these challenges requires collaboration, yet until now and as incredible as it may seem, there has never been a widely agreed yardstick to measure global solidarity and no structural pathway of how to get there.

In preparation for our festival and as part of our UNGA week activities, Global Citizen is partnering with Global Nation in the launch of the first ever Global Solidarity Report, which will set out a fact- base for the crucial debate surrounding the current state of global solidarity and will demonstrate whether the global community is taking meaningful steps forward, or if it is strained to breaking point.

The launch event, which will take place next Tuesday September 19th at 10:30 am in New York, will bring together key stakeholders, media and contributors of the report to discuss its findings and highlight the urgency around the need for greater cooperation. Speakers include Stefan Löfven, Former Prime Minister of Sweden and Global Citizen Europe Board Member; Chikwe Ihekweazu, Assistant Director General, WHO; Sabrina Elba, Global Citizen Europe Board Chair; Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations; and Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and current President and CEO of the International Peace Institute.

If you want more information about this exciting and game-changing report and if you would like to attend the launch, please contact ruben.hasbun@globalcitizen.org

This Weekend: Join the March to End Fossil Fuels

Join us on Sunday, September 17th, for the March to End Fossil Fuels – organized by our friends from the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative.

In New York City, people will start to gather at 12pm, the march will start at 1pm, and end around 4:30pm. And there are marches all over the world – for more information, check out this piece by our own editorial team and the official page here.

Thousands will take to the streets. Be one of them.

You’re Invited: A Celebration of the Amazon on Sep 20

Calling all Global Citizens in the Tri-State Area! On September 20th at 6:00pm, you’re invited to experience the essence of the Amazon right here in NYC. Our friends at Zion Productions are hosting an immersive event at Rumsey Playfield to celebrate the Amazon Rainforest and ensure its protection for years to come.

Pororoca is a free, ticketed-concert headlined by Brazilian artists like BaianaSystem, Olodum, Fafá de Belém, and Carlinhos Brown, along with a host of other talented performers and activists. Register for the event!

Global Citizen UNGA Week

Beyond our tentpole GC Festival, we are also excited to be hosting a variety of events, focused on the private sector:

Investing in Food Security: How the Private Sector is Partnering to Create Innovative Solutions to Address the Hunger Crisis

Tuesday, September 19, 3:00 pm ET

388 Greenwich ST, New York, NY 10013

The Citi Hunger Event includes a keynote from José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor Leste as well as a panel moderated by Sabrina Elba. The panel will feature Brandee McHale, Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi and President of the Citi Foundation, Asma Lateef, Policy and Advocacy Lead at SDG2 Advocacy Hub, & Stephen Kehoe, Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, PepsiCo Foundation.

Global Citizen NOW: Climate Sessions

Thursday, Sept. 21, 8 am ET to 2 pm ET

Guastavino’s: 409 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022

Global Citizen NOW: Climate Sessions is a gathering of dozens of leaders from across the private, public, and civil society sectors during Climate Week NYC. We will discuss and debate the systemic impacts climate change is having on education; how sectors can collaborate in the green transition; and the power of countries on the forefront of climate change.

Speakers include Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, Xiye Bastida, Co-Founder and Climate Activist, Re-Earth Initiative, Rodrigo Salvado, Director General, Operational Partnership Department, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil and more from across sectors. Keep your eyes peeled for additional speakers to be announced next week.

If either of the above events sound interesting to you, please reach out to annabel.hogg@globalcitizen.org

Youth Leader Award Open

This week, Global Citizen opened the application process for the Youth Leaders Award.

In March 2024, As ASEAN leaders gather in Melbourne, Global Citizen will convene world leaders, influencers, artists, advocates, journalists, policy experts and more than 250 of the best young leaders across Australia and the Asia-Pacific to take action on climate, innovation and fighting poverty.

To this end, Global Citizen is providing 30 young people from the Asia-Pacific region the opportunity of a lifetime - an all expenses paid trip to join us at these events through Youth Leader Awards.

Winners of the Youth Leaders Award will receive travel and accommodation to Melbourne, Australia’s most diverse city, attendance at the thought provoking and innovative leadership summit, participation in peer networking training day with other Awardees - and each winner will receive $5,000 AUD to support and further the incredible work they are doing!

We are seeking applications from Young Leaders from the Asia- Pacific who are between 18 and 30 years old and have made significant impact in their local community through their work focused on the UN Global Goals. As part of the selection process each applicant will be evaluated based on the following 5 criteria: Impact, Collaboration, Vision, Catalyst, and Global Citizenship and must be someone who can act, communicate, and is committed to making a difference to achieving the Global Goals.

Awardees must be aged between 18-30 years old by 29th February 2024. We are seeking to capture diverse experiences and perspectives within this cohort of Awardees and strongly welcome applications from indigenous peoples, women, LGBTQIA+, non-binary & gender diverse people, people of color, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and people with disabilities.

If you know someone who fits the bill, please help us get the word out about this transformational award available to young impact makers.

More information can be found in our social toolkit here.

Inches (With Al Pacino) | The Global Goals

In order to mark the halfway mark of the global goals, and the fact that we have made only 15% of the progress necessary, our friends at Project Everyone launched a new film Inches (With Al Pacino) in support of the Sustainable Development Goals at halftime.

Filmmaker and SDG Advocate Richard Curtis has made a special new version of the famous ‘Inch by Inch’ locker room speech, delivered by Al Pacino in the film Any Given Sunday. The new cut of the scene places it in the context of ‘halftime’ for the SDGs, and includes new lines recorded by Al Pacino for the occasion.

You can check it out here.

Rethinking Harmony in Asia

The ASIAN Network is excited to host a high level online conference, supported by ERIA: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia & ADB Southeast Asia Development Solutions - SEADS on Thursday September 28th, 2023, 9am - 11am and 2pm - 4pm (Singapore time).

https://seads.adb.org/events/rethinking-harmony-asia-2023

Speakers include:

H.E Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia

Mr. Yukihisa Fujita, Former Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party (Japan)

Mrs Akiko Yamanaka, Former Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)

Mrs.Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, Co-Head of EU Delegation to G20 Women20

Global Citizen Festival - A Unique Viewing Experience

With just a week to go until the festival, and this year’s headliners including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jung Kook, Stray Kids, and Conan Gray, the GC team has a limited number of Ultimate VIP tickets available for purchase.

The Ultimate VIP (UVIP) experience includes:

UVIP tent access with a delectable array of food and a wide selection of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.
Front-row stage viewing for an up-close and personal connection with your favorite artists.
Enjoy the convenience of a private entrance and exclusive restroom facilities.
For those who purchase 20 or more tickets, there's an added bonus of access to limited branded lounge areas.

The tax-deductible proceeds of these passes support our 501(c)3 and our campaigns, which to date have impacted the lives of nearly 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty around the world. If you or your company are interested in purchasing these tickets please do so here.

My Weekend Reading List

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 on a regular basis.

Til next week,

Mick