Miley Cyrus, Shakira, J Balvin, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Gustavo Dudamel and a dozen other artists participated in a global broadcast on Saturday to urge world leaders for development and equitable distribution “Between all and everywhere” of treatments and vaccines against COVID-19.
Under the umbrella of the Global Citizen organization, the stars added their voices to those of politicians, philanthropists, scientists and fellow actors during a two-hour program in which donations were announced, initiatives were revealed and the magnifying glass was placed on how that the coronavirus has disproportionately affected communities that were already vulnerable.
In addition, between governments and organizations, $ 1.5 billion in cash and $ 5.4 billion in loans were added, for a total of $ 6.9 billion to help combat the pandemic.
This event is part of the campaign “The Global Goal: Unite for our Future” and is the continuation of the fundraising conference organized by the European Community last May 4, which initially achieved 9,844 million euros (about 11,044 million Dollars). The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, were the leaders of the Hispanic world who participated on this occasion.
Sánchez reported that Spain is donating 10 million euros ($ 11.2 million) to the World Bank’s Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) to guarantee food security in countries hit by the pandemic, and reiterated the call for “The multilateral response is fair, without leaving anyone behind.”
For his part, Bukele called for “rich countries to help poorer countries fight the pandemic.” “Our hearts must be close to those who need it most,” he said. The broadcast host, actor Dwayne Johnson, better known as “The Rock”He also made a request for “empathy” and recalled that the fight against COVID-19 is also a battle “against social injustice”.
“If this pandemic has left something positive, it is to see how we have united to normalize equality and justice. That is why we must inspire all citizens to demand that their governments focus on education, to create solid health systems and in sustainable practices, “he urged.
Miley Cyrus, the person in charge of organizing the musical part of the show, opened the presentations with a country version of “Help”, the song immortalized by the Beatles, from an empty sports stadium. “My generation is hungry for change and we are using our voices to drive that change,” she said in the middle of her “show.”
Meanwhile, from a terrace of a building in Barcelona, Shakira interpreted her 2010 success The sun rises and urged everyone to “ask for equal treatment for covid-19.”
Justin Bieber and Quavo, one of the members of the rap trio Migos, performed Intentions. Coldplay sang Paradise, while Usher made a moving interpretation of I Cry, surrounded by bodies face down on the ground, referring to the Black Lives Matter movement, or “Lives of Blacks Matter.” The founder of that movement, Opal Tometi, had highlighted just before the importance of “pandemic treatments reaching black communities”, since in the United States, for example, the majority of victims of the coronavirus have been black and Latino .
J Balvin’s presentation was a symbol of union by incorporating into his interpretation of What heat and My people to members of the African children’s dance company The Dreamcatchers.
For her part, the Mexican actress Salma Hayek highlighted the obligation of world leaders “so that vaccines against La covid-19 reach all the citizens of the planet.”
Actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda was accompanied by the original cast of his work Hamilton, comedian Jimmy Fallon and the group The Roots to sing Helpless to the rhythm of music made with homemade objects.
Other artists with musical numbers included Chloe x Halle, Yemi Alade, Christine and the Queens, For Love Choir, and Jennifer Hudson. Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Charlize Theron, Forest Whitaker, David Beckham, Billy Porter, Diane Kruger, Antoni Porowski, Ken Jeong, Naomi Campbell, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Olivia Colman also shared messages of global support.
Among all the solemn tone, the comic moment was provided by Hugh Jackman and the actors in the X-Men films James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Liev Schreiber, Halle Berry and Sophie Turner, whose jokes were interrupted by Ryan Reynolds.
Philanthropists and politicians
Civil society was represented by leaders of foundations such as the Gates Foundation, the Bloomberg Foundation, the FIFA Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Wallace Fund and more.
In addition, companies such as Verizon, Citigroup, SAP, Procter and Gamble and others promised to continue supporting not only the treatments, but the search and distribution of the eventual vaccine.
In fact, Johnson & Johnson assured that in July they will begin the human tests of the one that the company is developing. Among the rulers who participated in the broadcast were the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; the French President, Emmanuel Macron; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and her Norwegian colleague Erna Solberg, among others.
In addition, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, participated. The broadcast was closed by the performance of mezzo soprano J · Nai Bridges, who was accompanied by a shortened version of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
EFE
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