The ‘Global Goal: Unite For Our Future' campaign launched by the Commission and the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen on 28 May will culminate in a global pledging summit and concert on Saturday 27 June. The aim is to mobilise additional funding to develop and deploy coronavirus vaccines, tests and treatments. Access to vaccines everywhere, for everyone who needs them, will enable the world to overcome this pandemic and avoid another.It will also help rebuild communities impacted by the pandemic in a fair and just way.

The Concert

Global Goal: Unite for our Future - the Concert will air Saturday evening and will be hosted by actor Dwayne Johnson. It will include performances by Shakira, Coldplay, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Quavo, J Balvin, Chloe x Halle, Yemi Alade, and Christine and the Queens.

Co-hosted by President Ursula von der Leyen, the concert will also include appearances by Chris Rock, Hugh Jackman, Kerry Washington, Charlize Theron, Forest Whitaker, David Beckham, Salma Hayek Pinault, Billy Porter, Diane Kruger, Antoni Porowski, Ken Jeong, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Olivia Colman.

The Pledging Summit

Global Goal: Unite for Our Future - the Summit will start at 3pm CET. The summit, hosted by President von der Leyen, will include interventions by world leaders, as well as international advocates, artists and activists. Will join the discussion in panels and interviews: Nickolaj Coster-Waldau, Miley Cyrus, Angelique Kidjo, Ken Jeong, and experts and thought leaders including Melinda Gates, Dr. Vin Gupta, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, Eddie Ndopu, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Kate Upton and Justin Verlander.

Where to watch it?

The concertwill air on broadcasters across the globe: on ARD, Canal+ Group, RTVE in Europe, Bell Media, CBC, Citytv, and Global TV, in Canada, NBC and iHeartMedia in the U.S., Grupo Globo in Brazil, MultiChoice Group and SABC in Africa, and Fuji TV and Star India in Asia. You can also watch it on the Coronavirus Global Response's website and on the European Commission's social media accounts: Facebook (link is external), Twitter (link is external) and YouTube (link is external). The summit will be streamed on Global Goal Unite's (link is external) website and on the same social media accounts.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Artists have the power to inspire change. They use their talents to serve great causes. On 27 June, at the ‘Global Goal: Unite for our Future' Summit and Concert, artists, scientists and world leaders will speak with one voice, in a true and rare moment of global unity. They will commit to helping the world end coronavirus, while leaving no one behind. The European Union is fully committed to ensuring fair access to an affordable vaccine, as soon as possible, for everyone that needs it. United, I know we can make the world a safer place.”

Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen, said: “Global Citizens around the world are calling for systemic change, change that brings about justice for everyone, everywhere, regardless of where they were born or the colour of their skin. If we are to end COVID-19 for all, we need our world leaders to commit the billions of dollars needed to equitably deliver testing, treatments and vaccines, Global Goal: Unite for Our Future—The Concert'will bring the centuries-old concept of music as a motivator for change and unity, together with science and data, to honour the problem solvers – including doctors, scientists, lab workers, essential workers and human rights advocates – who are racing to not only create the cure for COVID-19, but also to ensure that it's available for everyone who needs it.”

Global Goal: Unite for Our Future - the Concert host Dwayne Johnson said: "I'm proud to join Global Citizen and the European Commission to host the ‘Global Goal: Unite for Our Future—The Concert'. The event will lift up the global community that is tackling equitable access to healthcare, and other enormous injustices facing our world. This moment in history requires all of us, so let's join together to chart a better future, for everyone.”

Artist and Activist Miley Cyrus said: "This moment requires all of us to act. As Global Citizens, we are calling on leaders around the world to combat the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has on marginalized communities by committing funds to develop and deliver tests, treatments, and therapeutics. Because of this global effort, we will be more able to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, regardless of their income or where they live."

Artist and Activist Shakira said: “Global Citizens around the world are calling on world leaders to help bring an end to COVID-19 by urging them to commit the billions of dollars needed to deliver testing, treatments, and vaccines to everyone, everywhere. We need health equity and global justice, and we know that only by uniting to fight for the world we want can we build back toward a healthier future for all.”

BACKGROUND

The Global Goal: Unite for our Future campaign was launched on 28 May under the patronage of President Ursula von der Leyen. The campaign, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, focuses on addressing the pandemic's impact on the most vulnerable communities, ensuring equitable access to affordable coronavirus technologies and strengthening health systems everywhere.

Pledges announced on 27 June will support the following organisations:

  Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (link is external) (CEPI)

  The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (link is external) (FIND)

  GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance (link is external)

  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (link is external)

  Therapeutics Accelerator (link is external)

  UNITAID (link is external)

  WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund (link is external), powered by the UN Foundation

  The International and Regional Response Network (link is external) 

The Global Goal: Unite for our Future campaign is supported by Foundation Partners Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Corporate Partners Citi, Procter & Gamble, SAP, Verizon and Vodafone.

The campaign is a milestone under the Coronavirus Global Response, the global action for universal access to affordable coronavirus vaccination, treatment and testing. It is the Commission's response to the global call for action launched by the World Health Organization with governments and partners on 24 April 2020, for access to coronavirus vaccines everywhere, for everyone who needs them.

To help protect people everywhere, the Commission has recently presented an EU Vaccines Strategy to speed up the development, manufacturing and deployment of coronavirus vaccines. With this strategy, the Commission will support efforts to accelerate the development and availability of safe and effective vaccines in a timeframe between 12 and 18 months, if not earlier. Delivering on this complex undertaking requires running clinical trials in parallel with investing in production capacity to be able to produce millions, or even billions, of doses of a successful vaccine. The Commission is fully mobilised to support the efforts of vaccine developers in their endeavour.

In addition, as a way to enhance vaccine multilateralism and avoid harmful competition between countries, President von der Leyen has proposed to explore, with our international partners, the creation of an inclusive international vaccine procurement mechanism. For this to work, a significant number of high-income countries would need to join an international buyers' group. They would agree to pool resources for jointly reserving future vaccines from companies, while at the same time enabling advance reservations for low- and middle-income countries.  This would accelerate the development of vaccines and improve access to them across the world for all who need it.