Michelle Yeoh to join business and political leaders at Global Citizen NOW summit to fight poverty

Michelle Yeoh arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg are among the diverse group of political, business and philanthropic leaders Global Citizen will convene in New York on May 1 and 2, the nonprofit announced on Thursday, March 28, 2024.(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg are among the diverse group of political, business and philanthropic leaders Global Citizen will convene in New York on May 1 and 2, the nonprofit announced on Thursday.

The Global Citizen NOW summit will seek support for workable solutions to address issues of food insecurity, climate change and public health associated with extreme poverty, said Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans.

“We are focused on advancing the ideas that will drive urgent action to end extreme poverty,” Evans told The Associated Press, adding that the world is at a crossroads on numerous issues.

Actors Hugh Jackman, Danai Gurira and Dakota Johnson and representatives from Cisco, Citi, Delta and PayPal will join Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv Shah, Bezos Earth Fund CEO Andrew Steer, and Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, for the event.

“I have made it my mission to work to amplify underrepresented voices,” Gurira, star of “The Walking Dead” and “Black Panther” franchises, said in a statement, adding that she is eager to “address the severe inequities facing the African continent.”

Evans said the third edition of Global Citizen NOW will focus on defeating preventable diseases, like malaria, polio, and HPV. Organizers also plan to announce new initiatives to preserve the Amazon Rainforest and increase investments in Africa through the World Bank.

Global Citizen also hopes the New York summit will build on momentum generated among Gen Z and millennial leaders at its first international conference earlier this month in Australia.

“We hope to inspire the next generation of advocates through our Global Citizen Prize awards, where we will spotlight and financially support five young people making extraordinary efforts to change the world,” Evans said.

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