JANIC and GLOBAL CITIZEN ask Yoko Kamikawa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, to speak at the Global Citizen Festival to address poverty, hunger, climate change and equality

GLOBAL CITIZEN / JANIC

Dear Minister Kamikawa,

11 September 2024

In a year scheduled to be the hottest on record, where the hunger crisis is growing, infectious diseases are spreading, and debt is on the rise, many governments are reducing their contributions to foreign aid, continuing to invest into fossil fuels and not prioritizing investments into essential services. That’s why, over the last year, Global Citizen has been campaigning for a world in which every person and country can prosper, where our planet is able to flourish with adequate climate financing and policies, and where everyone’s human rights are respected and protected, including the right to an adequate standard of living, access to nutritious food, affordable and equitable health systems, financial inclusion, improved health, and quality education.

These issues have formed the bedrock of our advocacy this year, as we are calling on, inter alia: the G7 countries and the EU to increase their support for anti-poverty programs worldwide; on businesses, philanthropic foundations and governments to protect and restore the Amazon rainforest by investing $1 billion and set ambitious new climate targets; on select governments to commit at least $5 billion collectively to organizations working to provide equitable access to meet peoples’ basic needs; and on the G20 to unlock additional financing to address global challenges such as hunger and climate change.

In that context, we are thrilled as ever to be hosting the Global Citizen Festival, to take place on Saturday September 28 on the iconic Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City. This presents a unique opportunity and platform for governments to respond and showcase their leadership in addressing the most complex challenges of today.

To that end, it is my pleasure to invite you to participate in this campaign and event, and to make a commitment, on behalf of your government. We would be delighted if you accept to attend our festival in person or participate via a video message. This could be the opportunity to showcase Japan’s continued leadership on IDA and Gavi and announce new contributions to these highly effective multilateral institutions.

We kindly request you to consider this invitation and join us in harnessing the collective power of global citizens to create a more sustainable and equitable world.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder & Chief Policy and Government Affairs Officer, Global Policy and Government Affairs │ Global Citizen

Megumi Mizusawa, Executive Director │ Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC)