Latest news with #GlobalCitizenNOW
Japan Today
10-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Global Citizen takes its fight against poverty to the world's growing cities
By JAMES POLLARD Global Citizen is turning to cities as it looks to break through what it sees as widespread political gridlock hindering large-scale action on its goal of ending extreme poverty worldwide. The nonprofit advocacy group has rallied the private sector and foreign dignitaries to solve humanitarian challenges together, driving millions of dollars toward replenishing international aid and eradicating polio since 2008. But Global Citizen co-founder Simon Moss said Thursday it is local officials who are increasingly joining traditional international players in shaping whether communities are equipped to tackle urgent crises. 'We can get beyond partisan politics a lot of the time when you're dealing with a group of people in a city who all literally live there," Moss said. 'That's easier a lot of the time to get real progress compared to waiting on elected officials in capitals, who will often talk a good game and who'll be responsive, but where, in America and many other countries, they're finding it really hard to actually make big-picture policy decisions," he added. The emphasis arose when leaders heard shared concerns from partners across major African and North American cities. In Detroit, which Thursday hosted Global Citizen's first American conference outside New York City, organizers saw an opportunity to highlight a place experiencing population growth after decades-long losses alongside the auto industry's decline. The urban focus also reflects U.N. projections that more than two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities by 2050 — a trend that Global Citizen fears will worsen concentrated poverty if local governments don't start creating inclusive economic opportunities. To prevent under-resourced communities from missing the latest technological changes, Global Citizen unveiled a new partnership making artificial intelligence more accessible. Goodera, a company that helps implement corporate volunteer programs, aims to mobilize engineers with the goal of making 10 million people 'AI literate' by 2030. Half of those people will be underserved women and youth, according to Moss. Their first focus will be bridging the digital divide in cities, according to Moss, and Goodera is helping identify those most at risk of getting left behind. They also plan to work with entrepreneurs in low-income countries. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban noted the transformative potential for small business owners during a panel Thursday at Global Citizen NOW: Detroit. ChatGPT can 'write a business plan that's better' than anything he could write, Cuban admitted, and offers access to every piece of business advice out there. George Opare Addo, Ghana's minister of youth development and empowerment, pointed out that farmers are already using the technology's limited availability to better predict weather and improve their yields. But he said that youth must be engaged in its rollout. 'For young people to be able to appreciate AI, then they must be not just users of it, but makers of it,' he said. Other panelists emphasized the need for cities to build shared cultures by fostering creative scenes and sports fandoms. Global Citizen has recently relied on high-powered sports leagues such as FIFA to raise money for education initiatives. And Cuban — who previously owned the Dallas Mavericks — said no industry unites people around a common cause like sports. 'As things change in a city, the first place you look is the sports team for support, always. Every tragedy, you look to the sports team first, always,' Cuban said. 'And that is so unique. You just don't get that with any other business.' For celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, the food industry provides 'spaces that you can have dialogues' and 'opportunities to break bread.' Samuelsson's cuisine, for example, blends his Ethiopian heritage with his Swedish upbringing. Jessica Nabongo, a Ugandan-American travel blogger, recalled growing up eating Lebanese, Polish and Japanese foods in Detroit's diverse culinary scene. That experience, she said, instilled 'a respect for other people's culture out the gate.' 'There has to be a reverence — truly a reverence — for the people who are here and have been here and made the city what it is, no matter what the ebbs and flows are,' she said. As cities change, though, it is local artists who Detroit Poet Laureate jessica Care moore finds are tasked with making sure their histories remain told and their longtime residents remain seen. Good artists, she said, 'paint the pictures that people can't see' and 'ask the questions that nobody's asking.' 'Artists are the pulse of the people,' she said. 'If you turn cities into just places for corporations, then you lose the soul of the city. And Detroit, the soul of our city, are the people that live here.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Global Citizen takes its fight against poverty to the world's growing cities
DETROIT (AP) — Global Citizen is turning to cities as it looks to break through what it sees as widespread political gridlock hindering large-scale action on its goal of ending extreme poverty worldwide. The nonprofit advocacy group has rallied the private sector and foreign dignitaries to solve humanitarian challenges together, driving millions of dollars toward replenishing international aid and eradicating polio since 2008. But Global Citizen co-founder Simon Moss said Thursday it is local officials who are increasingly joining traditional international players in shaping whether communities are equipped to tackle urgent crises. 'We can get beyond partisan politics a lot of the time when you're dealing with a group of people in a city who all literally live there,' Moss said. 'That's easier a lot of the time to get real progress compared to waiting on elected officials in capitals, who will often talk a good game and who'll be responsive, but where, in America and many other countries, they're finding it really hard to actually make big-picture policy decisions,' he added. The emphasis arose when leaders heard shared concerns from partners across major African and North American cities. In Detroit, which Thursday hosted Global Citizen's first American conference outside New York City, organizers saw an opportunity to highlight a place experiencing population growth after decades-long losses alongside the auto industry's decline. The urban focus also reflects U.N. projections that more than two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities by 2050 — a trend that Global Citizen fears will worsen concentrated poverty if local governments don't start creating inclusive economic opportunities. Making AI available to small businesses To prevent under-resourced communities from missing the latest technological changes, Global Citizen unveiled a new partnership making artificial intelligence more accessible. Goodera, a company that helps implement corporate volunteer programs, aims to mobilize engineers with the goal of making 10 million people 'AI literate' by 2030. Half of those people will be underserved women and youth, according to Moss. Their first focus will be bridging the digital divide in cities, according to Moss, and Goodera is helping identify those most at risk of getting left behind. They also plan to work with entrepreneurs in low-income countries. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban noted the transformative potential for small business owners during a panel Thursday at Global Citizen NOW: Detroit. ChatGPT can 'write a business plan that's better' than anything he could write, Cuban admitted, and offers access to every piece of business advice out there. George Opare Addo, Ghana's minister of youth development and empowerment, pointed out that farmers are already using the technology's limited availability to better predict weather and improve their yields. But he said that youth must be engaged in its rollout. 'For young people to be able to appreciate AI, then they must be not just users of it, but makers of it,' he said. Art, food and sports as cornerstones of changing communities Other panelists emphasized the need for cities to build shared cultures by fostering creative scenes and sports fandoms. Global Citizen has recently relied on high-powered sports leagues such as FIFA to raise money for education initiatives. And Cuban — who previously owned the Dallas Mavericks — said no industry unites people around a common cause like sports. 'As things change in a city, the first place you look is the sports team for support, always. Every tragedy, you look to the sports team first, always,' Cuban said. 'And that is so unique. You just don't get that with any other business.' For celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, the food industry provides 'spaces that you can have dialogues' and 'opportunities to break bread.' Samuelsson's cuisine, for example, blends his Ethiopian heritage with his Swedish upbringing. Jessica Nabongo, a Ugandan-American travel blogger, recalled growing up eating Lebanese, Polish and Japanese foods in Detroit's diverse culinary scene. That experience, she said, instilled 'a respect for other people's culture out the gate.' 'There has to be a reverence — truly a reverence — for the people who are here and have been here and made the city what it is, no matter what the ebbs and flows are,' she said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. As cities change, though, it is local artists who Detroit Poet Laureate jessica Care moore finds are tasked with making sure their histories remain told and their longtime residents remain seen. Good artists, she said, 'paint the pictures that people can't see' and 'ask the questions that nobody's asking.' 'Artists are the pulse of the people,' she said. 'If you turn cities into just places for corporations, then you lose the soul of the city. And Detroit, the soul of our city, are the people that live here.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
The South African
20-06-2025
- Business
- The South African
Global Citizen Summit in Spain: SA actress to take the stage
Global Citizen has announced that its flagship summit, Global Citizen NOW, will take place on June 29, 2025, at CaixaForum Sevilla in Spain. This summit will also feature our very own Nomazamo Mbatha as the host The summit has been scheduled to take place ahead of the UN's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). A focus on reshaping global financial systems, promoting sustainable debt relief, and accelerating investment in renewable energy across Africa and Latin America. The event will be hosted by South African actress and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha and will see high-level speakers deliberate. These include Pedro Sánchez (President of Spain), Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Mia Mottley (Prime Minister of Barbados), Gaston Browne (Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda), Mark Suzman (CEO of the Gates Foundation), and Maria Fernanda Espinosa (former UN General Assembly President), and many others This summit is being held in partnership with the Spanish Government. Intensive discussions and focused panels will place an emphasis on transformational development finance and renewable energy investment, particularly in underserved regions. Another focus of the summit will be the Scaling Up Renewables in Africa campaign. This is supported by von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in collaboration with the International Energy Agency. This campaign is aimed at tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, as well as creating 500 000 jobs in the energy field. This particular initiative also hopes to provide electricity access to 600 million Africans. The pledging conference is scheduled for November 2025 during the G20 Summit. Leaders like Sánchez and Mottley have called for urgent reform of the global financial architecture to meet today's challenges. Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans emphasized the need for 'radical efficiency' to end extreme poverty. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
New York Post
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Katie Nolan reiterates her staunch defense of Pablo Torre in Bill Simmons spat: ‘Bro, come on'
Katie Nolan made it clear that she will always be on Pablo Torre's side in a beef with Bill Simmons over the former ESPN reporter's coverage on Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson. Nolan elaborated on her decision during an episode of 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' on Thursday, where she called out Simmons for his comments about Torre's coverage of the couple. 'I picked you, it wasn't like … there was no hesitation. [Simmons] didn't even listen to the episode!' Nolan said. 'I listened to it back and I was like 'Bro, come on.' … [Pablo] was out there in LA, so he did Simmons' podcast, refuting Simmons saying that it was whatever, s–tty reporting or whatever. Advertisement 3 Katie Nolan speaks onstage during Global Citizen NOW at Spring Studios on April 30, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Global Citizen 'And basically during the episode, he was like, 'Have you listened to any of the episodes that the aggregated comments you're referring to are coming from?' And Simmons was like 'What I'd like to talk about instead is…'' 'It was skillful move by Bill,' Torre interjected. Advertisement 'No, it was not! Immediately, you could see right through it. 'So no then, Bill?' ' Nolan replied The beef between the two started in May when The Ringer founder said Torre was 'pretending to be a journalist' for his reporting on Belichick and Hudson, tying in fictional character Leo Farnsworth from the 1978 film 'Heaven Can Wait' in the process. 3 Bill Simmons attends HBO's 'Momentum Generation' premiere held at The Broad Stage on Nov. 5, 2018 in Santa Monica, Calif. WireImage 'Pablo Torre would've done a long podcast about Leo Farnsworth trying to practice with the team, and then done a media tour about it afterwards,' Simmons said during an episode of his podcast 'The Rewatchables' on May 27. Advertisement 'I've never seen anybody dine on a stupider story for a week and a half while pretending you're a journalist. What the f–k was that? Seriously.' 'Belichick's dating a girl. 'Oh, let me do nine shows about it,'' Simmons added while mocking Torre. 'Settle the f–k down … You don't need to do a media tour about a f–king podcast.' 3 Pablo Torre attends The 85th Annual Peabody Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on June 1, 2025 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Getty Images for Peabody Awards Torre quickly snapped back at Simmons following his comments, sending him an invite to debate the topic on his podcast. Advertisement 'Dear @BillSimmons: Since you have such a strong public opinion about my work… I happen to have a few questions for you, specifically,' Torre posted on X on June 2. 'Unless you're afraid of @pablofindsout and someone just 'pretending to be a journalist,' of course. Thanks, Pablo.' The two eventually discussed the situation on 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' earlier this month, with Torre defending his work against pushback.
TimesLIVE
19-06-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Global Citizen summit targets finance reform, renewable energy scale-up
Global Citizen, the world's leading advocacy organisation dedicated to ending extreme poverty, has announced that its flagship action summit, Global Citizen NOW, will take place at CaixaForum Sevilla in Spain on June 29. The event will convene ahead of the UN's Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4). Hosted in partnership with the Spanish government, the summit will gather leaders across sectors to drive ambitious action on poverty and the climate crisis. The summit will serve as a strategic catalyst and global platform to shape the action coming out of FfD4 and advance an ambitious agenda for financing reform and international co-operation. It will feature dynamic high-level panels and highlight the urgent need for investments in renewable energy across Africa and transformative investments in development finance. Pedro Sánchez, President of Spain, said the UN's FfD4 is a critical opportunity that could not be more timely. 'World leaders need to work together within the multilateral framework to reshape the global financial architecture so it works for everyone, especially the world's most vulnerable. 'Spain is proud to co-host Global Citizen NOW: Sevilla to drive bold, co-ordinated action to tackle the world's biggest challenges and mobilise ambitious initiatives for sustainable development,' said Sánchez. The summit will serve as a key moment in Global Citizen's year-long scaling up renewables in Africa campaign, in partnership with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Cyril Ramaphosa, with policy support from the International Energy Agency. The campaign aims to secure commitments from governments, the private sector and multilateral banks towards tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, support the creation of 500,000 new energy jobs, and address the unmet energy needs of 600-million people who don't have electricity on the continent. It will culminate in a pledging conference in November alongside the G20 summit. 'Our global financial system was not designed to meet today's challenges. It must evolve to reflect the realities of a world in crisis,' said Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados. Mottley said from unsustainable debt burdens to the escalating climate emergency, too many nations are being asked to do more with less. 'The Global Citizen NOW: Sevilla summit is a vital platform to champion equitable financing, accelerate renewable energy transitions across Africa and SIDS, and advance the systemic reforms our world urgently needs. Now is the time for co-operation and decisive action for people and planet,' she said. Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen Hugh Evans said Global Citizen NOW: Sevilla will showcase international co-operation at a time when the world so urgently needs it. 'The future of financing global development demands radical efficiency, as we need to do more with less to deliver the impact that is needed to end extreme poverty around the world,' Evans said. The summit will be hosted by Nomzamo Mbatha, actress, humanitarian and Global Citizen ambassador. Previous editions of Global Citizen NOW have been held in New York, Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro. Later this year, the summit series is expected to expand its global footprint and also head to Detroit, Michigan, Belém, Brazil and Johannesburg.
