CENTRAL PARK, New York — Jay Z. Beyonce. No Doubt. Sting. Carrie Underwood. fun. The Roots. Alicia Keys. Tiesto.
All of these artists could probably command triple digits for a ticket to see them play live alone. And together? Better start saving.
But on Saturday, they all performed together — and it was free to get in.
Why?
The third annual event was put on with the goal of erasing extreme poverty by 2030. That sounds like a tall task, sure, but that’s why the organization has enlisted so many big names — both to help raise awareness about the issue, and to put pressure on world leaders to do their part in eradicating that poverty.
All of the acts performed for free, and of the 60,000 attendees, the vast majority got their tickets for free, though some bought VIP entrance. Those who didn’t could earn their way in by committing to “take action” which allowed them to “earn points” they could put towards entry.
The many performances throughout the day-long festival were bridged together by short spiels and speeches by celebrities and world leaders. Celebs like Hugh Jackman, Jessica Alba and Olivia Wilde plus political leaders like United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Barack Obama (who actually recorded a video message) were on hand to highlight some of the facts and help announce steps towards solutions.
Here’s why so many of your favorites are already involved, and what’s being done:
There are 1.2 billion people in the world living in extreme poverty
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So World Bank President Jim Yong Kim committed $65 billion a year towards the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030
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Almost half of the world’s population — 2.5 billion people — don’t have access to adequate sanitation
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So India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, plans to have toilets in every household in his country by 2019
22 million children don’t have access to basic vaccines
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So the governments of Norway and Luxembourg, with the U.S., committed to $1 billion for vaccinations through Gavi, a vaccine alliance, and The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which can get 34 million children immunized by 2020
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58 million children between ages 6 and 11 aren’t in school
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So Denmark committed $20 million which, through Global Partnership for Education and UNICEF, will help over one million kids by 2017
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You can find out more about these issues and begin to take action yourself by becoming a Global Citizen.
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