Top Indian and international artists commit their support to champion the causes of gender equality, quality education and water, sanitation and hygiene at the Global Citizen Festival India in Mumbai on 19 November
Mumbai, 7 November 2016: Global Citizen India today announced that top Indian and international artists Demi Lovato, Freida Pinto, Vidya Balan and Vivek Oberoi have committed their support to the Global Citizen India movement which has already mobilised almost 500,000 young people who have taken over 1.7 million actions for water, sanitation and hygiene, education and gender equality in the seven weeks since it was launched.
They will all participate at the Global Citizen Festival India to be held on 19 November at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. The Festival brings together youth with leaders from across private industry, government, and non-governmental, community and religious organisations to amplify the voice of young people and hold leaders accountable to drive positive change.
Now live on www.globalcitizen.in, the fifth Action Journey is the last chance for global citizens to join their peers to take action and be in with the chance to win free Festival tickets. Actions include tweeting to banks to commit funds for WASH lending, lobbying world leaders to accept India into APEC and asking all Chief Ministers in India to remove the tax on menstrual hygiene products. The Action Journey will close on Wednesday 9th November and winners will be notified within 72 hours. A limited number of Gold and Silver level tickets for the Festival will also go on sale from Tuesday 8 November at 12 noon on online ticketing partner BookMyShow; watch out for the announcement on the dedicated Global Citizen Festival India page.
DEMI LOVATO
Demi is a committed Global Citizen herself and performed at the New York Festival earlier this year where she wowed with her cover of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ as well as her own hits which she dedicated to the women and girls of the world.
She is also an activist for mental health awareness and last year founded an organisation called Be Vocal in partnership with five mental health charities. The organisation aims to raise awareness of bipolar disorder, which Demi suffers from and which she speaks openly about in the effort to destigmatize mental health issues.
FREIDA PINTO
Freida is a passionate advocate for gender equality and since 2012 has supported the Global Citizen movement to raise awareness and drive change on this issue.
She has made impassioned speeches about women’s rights and how men and boys are integral parts of the fight, gender bias in Hollywood and Bollywood, girls’ education and most recently on how sanitation is an issue that keeps women and girls from realising their true potential.
Freida was one of the 50 prominent female leaders that signed on to the Women for Water and Sanitation Declaration in April 2015. This Declaration calls for Global Goal 6—universal access to clean water and sanitation—to be a priority of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
VIDYA BALAN
Vidya is a fierce supporter of women’s rights both in the film industry and in wider life in India. She has spoken out publicly about busting stereotypes and ensuring women and girls are accurately portrayed in film on platforms including Youth for Unity. She feels strongly that young people - girls and boys alike - have an equal stake in balancing the gender equation and the power that proper sanitation can have to empower women and girls in India.
VIVEK OBEROI
Vivek works as brand ambassador for Food For Life Vrindavan (FFLV), a non-profit organisation that aims to empower girls and women in rural parts of Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan and bring change by stopping child marriage, child prostitution and helping all the unprivileged girls to get education and nutrition.
Expressing her excitement for Global Citizen India, International sensation, Demi Lovatotweeted, “Change Begins with me, #ShuruaatHoonMain on November 19th in Mumbai”
Hugh Evans, CEO, Global Citizen said: "Gender equality is a central pillar in our fight to end extreme poverty. We are thrilled to announce powerful advocates for this issue - Demi Lovato, Freida Pinto, Vidya Balan and Vivek Oberoi - joining the all-star lineup of the Global Citizen India Festival. Half a million young Indians have taken over 1.7 million actions in support of our campaigns; it is exhilarating to see that the youth of India won't wait for change."
Bhavya Bishnoi, Global Citizen India spokesperson said: “Our mission through Global Citizen India is to blend public policy with popular culture to engage the masses in dialogue and action on the issues that matter. The support committed by figures such as Demi, Freida, Vidya and Vivek bolsters our message to the youth to take responsibility on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Gender Equality, and Quality Education. As Global Citizens we must all raise our voices to our leaders to be the start of this change.”
“Ever since the Global Citizen Festival India has been announced, there have been numerous individuals who are supporting this movement and are taking actions to bring about a change. This is such an incredible platform created by Global Citizen, which leverages the voices of the people to influence world leaders and decision makers in legislating policies that would help achieve the sustainable development goals. I feel thrilled and also blessed to be a part of this social movement which is helping raise awareness and make a difference to the world we live in.” said Vivek Oberoi
The inaugural Global Citizen Festival India will be held in Mumbai on 19 November 2016, and will be headlined by Coldplay, Jay Z, Demi Lovato, Aamir Khan, Arjun Kapoor, A.R. Rahman, Arijit Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Dia Mirza, Farhan Akhtar, Freida Pinto, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Katrina Kaif, Malaika Arora Khan, Monali Thakur, Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Sakshi Malik, Shah Rukh Khan, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Shraddha Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Vidya Balan, Vijender Singh and Vivek Oberoi.
Eighty percent of the tickets to the festival will be given out to Global Citizens who earn them by taking action. For more information about the artists, schedules, and event, please visitwww.globalcitizen.in and follow @glblctznIN on Twitter and Facebook, and on Instagram using #GlobalCitizenIndia.
The Global Citizen Festival India is being presented by Colors Viacom18 and powered by UPL. The festival, a collaboration between The Global Education and Leadership Foundation and Global Citizen, is being hosted in Mumbai by the Government of Maharashtra and event-produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd.