International advocacy organization, Global Citizen, together with Lady Gaga, last night announced $127 million in commitments to date raised in support of healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Corporate partners and philanthropists announced their support for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, powered by the UN Foundation, during the One World: Together At Home global broadcast event.
Donations to the fund will support WHO’s work around the world, the vaccine development alliance Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and UNICEF. The Together At Home effort will also aid over 100 additional local and regional charities that will also receive funds, including Education Cannot Wait, Direct Care, Feeding America and United Way, among others. Changemakers, investors and foundation leaders actualized their giving to contribute quickly to related efforts, like stronger health systems and vaccine development.
The historic eight-hour globally promoted special garnered unprecedented worldwide distribution, reaching billions. More than 60 global broadcast networks, across more than 175 countries, nine digital platforms and hundreds of affiliates, celebrated and supported brave healthcare workers doing life-saving work on the front lines. One World: Together At Home kicked-off with a six-hour digital stream that was followed by a two-hour broadcast special. The broadcast special was hosted by Jimmy Fallon of ‘The Tonight Show,’ Jimmy Kimmel of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and Stephen Colbert of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ with friends from Sesame Street.
All were on hand to help unify and inspire people around the world, focusing on communities impacted by COVID-19. The eight hours included conversations with, and tributes to, the scientists, healthcare professionals, and other essential services workers that have championed the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to a donation to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization, the ADI Foundation has also donated to support research at the Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, to help accelerate the development of a new vaccine and technologies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bloomberg Philanthropies is partnering with Global Citizen to support the One World: Together At Home initiative, including a contribution that will go directly to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. The funding will support providing healthcare workers across the globe with protective equipment like masks and gloves, and getting them the necessary information and training to detect and treat affected patients. The funding will also help with efforts to track and study the spread of the virus, accelerate the development of treatments, vaccines, and tests, and produce guidance on measures that the general public should take to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Coca-Cola Company / The Coca-Cola Foundation announced it’s contribution to global COVID-19 efforts through many organizations that are responding to the needs of some of the most vulnerable during this time. Contributions have been made to international organizations such as Caritas and The International Society of the Red Cross, and domestic organizations such as Feeding America and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. A number of Coca-Cola bottlers are also redeploying resources to produce hand sanitizer and have partnered to create face shields for front-line medical teams.
Other donors include Cisco, The Citi Foundation, Emerson Collective. GSK, Johnson & Johnson, IBM. PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Rockefeller Foundation, Vodafone and others
One World: Together At Home’ Global Special was broadcast on major television networks and streamed online on Saturday, 18 April from 17:00 (Los Angeles time).
This virtual concert, organized by WHO and international advocacy organization Global Citizen, brought together people who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to take meaningful actions to protect health and to support the global COVID-19 response. It also celebrated and supported brave healthcare workers doing life-saving work on the frontlines.
Curated in collaboration with Lady Gaga, this global event included Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Burna Boy, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Maluma, Paul McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Burna Boy , Stevie Wonder and many other international artistes.
