The Rise of Global Citizenship

ā€œTo be a Citizen is to care, to take responsibility, to acknowledge one's inherent power. To be a Citizen is to cultivate meaningful connection to a web of relationships and institutions. Citizenship benefits from a free and expansive imagination, the ability to see how things could be, not just how they currently are.ā€

JON ALEXANDER

Agaricus Semiglobatus

Recent years have seen a shift in our collective identity from consumers to active global citizens. Thanks to the process of globalization, people have become more socially, economically, politically, and environmentally involved. The boundaries of states have blurred, and the ease of travel and access to the internet have enabled individuals to transcend their national identity and embrace the concept of global citizenship. Accentureā€™s Life Trends report predicts that in recent years, more people have been turning to protest as a way to raise their voices against injustice, in some cases at great personal cost, disrupting companies and whole economies.1

InĀ Citizens, Jon Alexander presents two narratives that have shaped our roles in society: The Subject Story and The Consumer Story. In the Subject Story, people traded personal power for the protection of a dominant leader. This led to hierarchical societies where few had control and the majority were passive followers. Then, we shifted to the Consumer Story, where individuals became central, driven by purchasing choices that defined their identity. However, the current consumer narrative made many overlook our real power: the ability to create options, not just pick from them.2

Camille May

Camille May

GLOBAL POLICY COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER | GLOBAL CITIZEN

Tackling Humanityā€™s Most Pressing Issues Through Active Citizenship

Written in collaboration with James Salazar – Director, Impact & Accountability – Global Citizen

Ending extreme poverty is not a simple or straightforward mission. At Global Citizen we take on uncomfortable conversations that address the world’s biggest systemic challenges. As the worldā€™s leading international advocacy organization on a mission to end extreme poverty NOW, Global Citizen is powered by a worldwide community of everyday activists raising their voices and taking action, the movement is amplified by campaigns and events that convene leaders in music, entertainment, public policy, media, philanthropy and the corporate sector.Ā 

We engage in dialogue with governments, businesses, and philanthropists, often to create change at scale and uproot systems that have been in place for decades. And in a perfect world there would be no need for galvanizing public support around specific solutions to address extreme poverty, because basic needs and fundamental rights of all people would be met and respected.Ā 

So far Global Citizens have taken 33.5 million actions across a decade, to impact the lives of almost 1.30 billion people globally, securing pledges across the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to help deliver life-saving vaccines, housing,3Ā emergency refugee aid,4Ā education,5Ā protect the Amazon,6Ā and much more.Ā 

Weā€™re campaigning to end extreme poverty by making sure that commitments made on the Global Citizen stage during our festivals are delivered to organizations on the front lines, ensuring protection, equality, and equity for the worldā€™s most vulnerable communities. This means that each day the Global Citizen Impact team is following up by holding commitment-makers accountable and checking in with beneficiaries to see progress on every single pledge.

Yet unfortunately, we live in a world in which, in many countries, it’s not politically expedient or popular to address the causes of poverty and inequality. If it were, those issues would already be a distant memory. That’s why Global Citizen was established: to make sure that what isnā€™t necessarily considered a priority, resonates with and does get prioritized among those in power.

Global Citizen effects change in two ways: it pressures those with power to make and fulfill poverty-alleviating commitments; and it enhances the efforts of frontline partners and organizations battling extreme poverty. We believe in the essential role of civil society in policy making and that advocates, especially from vulnerable communities, should voice collective concerns and participate. At its core, Global Citizen is a collective of active citizens using their unified voice to drive actions to end poverty. Our internal team aids these efforts by liaising with officials, leading roundtable discussions, collaborating with influential artists, and utilizing media and our potent content creation arm to extend our reach.

Our platforms ā€” including festivals, broadcasts and the Global Citizen App7Ā ā€” help push governments, corporations, and philanthropists to prioritize poverty-related issues. These commitments are the beginning: without ongoing strong advocacy, we cannot eradicate poverty or protect the planet. Holding leaders accountable is essential to ensure they fulfill their promises. Exhausting every advocacy avenue is needed to achieve our mission. When the events end and the crowds leave, we critically assess the impact of the commitment on poverty alleviation. This post-event work is just as important and necessary to ensure that the hard work of Global Citizens and organizations isn’t wasted, and the promises made are upheld.

Advocacy involves the hard work of numerous advocates and organizations worldwide through a range of methods that, when combined, can achieve a common goal. Thatā€™s why Global Citizen has been proud to partner with, learn from, and shine a spotlight on, some of the leading organizations and grassroots activists working to fight extreme poverty, ranging from global experts to local partners.

Why does Global Citizen celebrate progress when there is still so much work to be done?

Impact tracking allows us to celebrate accomplishments both large and small. It keeps our most ardent supporters engaged, giving them hope and encouragement that change is possible. And it also allows us to push back against apathy and indifference to show that we can and must change the world for the better. Every step forward is a step closer to that better future.

Advocacy efforts and societal progress can often be characterized as being two steps forward and one step back. Itā€™s a hard truth that real, lasting, and significant change through advocacy work is hard. The fact that it is hard though proves the vital necessity of the role advocacy plays in society. If it were easy and promises were kept, there would not be a need for advocates to generate pressure and build platforms. However, itā€™s when commitments are not made or promises broken ā€” whether that be related to donated COVID-19 vaccines or the climate crisis ā€” thatā€™s when advocacy is needed more than ever. It’s also why accountability is so key to effective delivery of programs, services, and laws meant for the public benefit.

Over the past 10 years, $43.6 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms has been deployed, impacting nearly 1.3 billion lives.Ā  When individuals take action with Global Citizen, theyā€™re standing up for millions of people worldwide who still don’t have access to the most basic needs, like food, education, civil rights, and much more. Every day, people from around the world join us to campaign to end extreme poverty by ensuring that commitments made on the Global Citizen stage during our festivals are delivered to organizations on the front line of the world’s biggest challenges.

Although the shift towards global citizenship may have contributed to a decline in voting participation and increased self-expression through consumerist trends, it has also sparked the growth of global protest movements and grassroots networks. As the world becomes more interconnected, people are more aware of their role in it and seek to take action to improve the state and trajectory of the global community.Ā But as we become more internationalized, people yearn for a sense of community.Ā  This has significant implications for brands, who must adapt to an ever-changing audience and cater to the changing values of new generations of citizen-consumers to maintain relevance and contribute to our collective yearning for social change.

A survey by Cone Communications found thatĀ 64% of millennials wonā€™t take a job if the employer doesnā€™t have strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, a trend coined ā€˜conscious quittingā€™ and in some cases ā€˜climate quittingā€™.8Ā Given that 75% of the workforce will be made up of millennials by 2025, companies need to become socially responsible employers. This trend is even more pronounced in Gen Z, the first generation that prioritizes purpose over salary. This message is starting to arrive in climate-conscious businesses, 22% of which believe that Net Zero targets would drive employee acquisition and retention.9Ā An overwhelmingĀ 86% of consumers want to ā€˜play their part in solving big challenges like climate change and social justiceā€™, according to data fromĀ Wunderman Thompson Intelligence.

The liberalization of information which occurred in the 21st century now allows anyone to share their personal experience in real time. People are becoming citizen journalists outside of traditional media structures, allowing the public to hold media accountable for any inaccuracies or lack of news coverage.11Ā If citizens had a generally better understanding of climate science, together with accessible information and resources, citizen journalism could be a powerful tool for climate communication. Participatory reporting also allows for storytelling, increasing the impact of a message through personal experience, fostering a connection between the messenger and audience. Citizen journalism can provide a platform for positive and nuanced reporting on climate change, overcoming the harmful media trends we outlined in section 3. Citizen journalists are not bound by the same profit-driven motives as traditional media, and can focus on highlighting solutions and positive developments in the fight against climate change ā€” fostering more informed engagement and inspiring people to take action on sustainability issues.

Citizenship also plays an important role in major climate events like the Conference of the Parties, with Civil Society driving much of the progress happening inside negotiation rooms through public pressure campaigns, protest, and organizing ā€” sometimes even despite threats of intimidation and surveillance.12

Will Hackman

Will Hackman

SENIOR OFFICER, ENVIRONMENT | PEW

Attending UNFCCC climate conferences as part of civil society:

I attended my first UN climate conference just days after the election of President Donald Trump. It was COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, and I represented my graduate school as part of the ā€œRINGOā€ (Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations) constituency. There were many such organizational constituencies including YOUNGO (youth organizations), BINGO (business), ENGO (environmental NGOs), and more. What all these organizations provide is much needed civil society engagement alongside the official UNFCCC proceedings.Ā 

Public awareness and pressure is critical to effective government. Civil society and citizen advocacy fills a very important role in elevating issues of concern and holding elected officials accountable. This was on display in the most recent COP27 in Egypt where huge efforts by civil society across the world led to a first-of-its kind agreement on Loss and Damage. If a country isnā€™t moving quickly enough to meet its targets or if a domestic election causes backsliding, civil society can step in to right the ship.Ā 

I saw an example of this the next year at COP23 in Bonn, Germany. I attended alongside a bipartisan delegation of 11 U.S. states, which included four governors, state legislators, and heads of state environmental and energy agencies. At that time, it was the largest delegation of U.S. states to ever attend the annual climate talks. Due to fear of U.S. climate policy rollbacks during the Trump Administration, cities, states, and other ā€œsubnational actorsā€ stepped up and redoubled their own commitments in anticipation of what the federal U.S. government may or may not due over the next few years. The ā€œWe Are Still Inā€ coalition and other efforts were created. COP23 became the most important conference for subnational actors in the 25-year history of international climate negotiations.

This example is one of many that highlight how important the COPs are as a rallying point for global action, a platform for communicating climate awareness, and a process for us as global citizens to engage with decision makers. Even if you canā€™t get access to one of these official constituency groups and get inside the conference (aka: the ā€œBlue Zoneā€) thousands of people now attend events and rallies outside the main conference area each year (the ā€œGreen Zoneā€). This public area has become very important to the COPs with many officials, scientists, and VIPs traveling back and forth to engage with the public.Ā 

With an issue as large as climate change, it can often feel as if individual actions canā€™t possibly make a difference. That is why it is so empowering to take part in these conferences alongside tens of thousands of others in civil society. Collectively, our voicesĀ areĀ making a difference in the negotiations.

Research by Purpose Disruptors reflects the collective shift from individualism to community, with many people in the UK yearning for connection ā€” not just to community, but also themselves and the natural world. Creative industries have a unique opportunity to grasp these societal trends and become key players in what holds promise for transformative societal transformation.13

Our identity is continually evolving in response to the changing global landscape. As we transition from passive consumers to active global citizens, the ripple effects are evident across various sectors. Our expanding connectedness ā€” enabled by digital media ā€” is enhancing our awareness of global issues, and driving the pursuit of social justice and environmental stewardship. Brands and the creative sector as a whole now face the challenge of catering to these evolving values ā€” citizen-consumers have come to expect social and environmental responsibility in corporate practices as the bare minimum, with young generations placing purpose above paychecks.

Our evolving sense of global citizenship ā€” together with the influence of grassroots movements and political engagement ā€” is shaping the trajectory of global events. To support this collective evolution, two key challenges must be addressed: ensuring that citizens are informed and engaged on climate issues through climate literacy and education (see 6.4), and empowering young people ā€” the next generation of climate leaders.

ā€œThe good news is that the climate emergency has given rise to the largest and most broadly based social movement in human history. That movement has a billion roots, a billion people who set out on their own or in small groups and are now starting to meet up and look around - surprised and exhilarated - at each other. This huge, global movement is starting to become self-aware, to understand its size and power.ā€

BRIAN ENO, MUSICIAN

Next Up

The Rise of the Youth Climate Movement

Despite having contributed the least to climate-heating emissions, young people and future generations will bear the burden of the climate crisis. Young people will grow up on a planet that is increasingly altered by climate impacts, negatively affecting a number of dimensions of their lives – such as socioeconomic conditions, security, physical and mental health.Ā 

Contributors in this Section

Camille May

Camille May

GLOBAL CITIZEN

Will Hackman

Will Hackman

PEW

Notes

  1. Alexander J, Eno B. Citizens. Canbury; 2022.
  2. Accenture. Accenture Life Trends 2023.; 2022.Ā https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/capabilities/song/marketing-transformation/document/Accenture-Life-Trends-2023-Full-Report.pdf#zoom=40ā€
  3. May C. How Lady Gaga & Global Citizens United to Fight COVID-19 Impacts, From Housing to Health Care. Global Citizen. Published March 3, 2023. Accessed August 4, 2023.Ā https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/lady-gaga-covid-19-impact-together-at-home/ā€
  4. May C. Ukraine: How Your Actions Helped Deliver $2 Million in Humanitarian Aid to People Impacted by the War. Global Citizen. Published February 24, 2023. Accessed August 4, 2023.Ā https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/globalgiving-ukraine-war-impact-donations-refugees/ā€
  5. May C. How Your Actions Are Helping Venezuelan Kids in Colombia Get Back to School. Global Citizen. Published January 31, 2023. Accessed August 4, 2023.Ā https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/education-cannot-wait-colombia-refugee-impact/ā€
  6. May C. How Coldplay Urged 6 Brazilian States to Protect the Amazon and Defend the Planet at ā€˜Global Citizen Live.ā€™ Global Citizen. Published April 22, 2022. Accessed August 4, 2023.Ā https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-coldplay-brazil-amazon-case-study/ā€
  7. Global Citizen. Global Citizen – Join the Movement Changing the World. Global Citizen. Accessed August 4, 2023.Ā https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/app/download/ā€
  8. Healy-Adonis L, Tombazzi A. From passive to (pleasure) active(ism): Reimagining Charity Retail. In: Design Research Society. ; 2023:115-123.Ā https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/20236/1/DRSFC%20Proceedings%20SIG%20colloquium.pdf#page=92ā€
  9. KƤhkƶnen N, Bourgeault E, Hagbrink I. Net Zero and Beyond: A Deep-Dive on Climate Leaders and Whatā€™s Driving Them – Ā South Poleā€™s 2022 Net Zero Report. South Pole; 2022:1-37.Ā https://www.southpole.com/publications/net-zero-and-beyondā€
  10. Dangerfield MB. Power to the People. Tate. Accessed May 23, 2023.Ā https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/photojournalism/power-peopleā€
  11. Leiserowitz A, Carman J, Buttermore N, et al. International Public Opinion on Climate Change, 2022. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and Data for Good at Meta.; 2022.
  12. Michaelson R, Milman O. Civil society groups report surveillance and intimidation at Cop27. The Guardian.Ā https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/10/civil-society-groups-report-surveillance-and-intimidation-at-cop27-egypt. Published November 10, 2022. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  13. Purpose Disruptors. Good Life 2030. Purpose Disruptors. Published 2022. Accessed May 24, 2023.Ā https://www.purposedisruptors.org/good-life-2030
Figure 126: How UK's citizens envision their connectedness to self, to others and to nature. Source: Good Life 2030.
Figure 126: How UK's citizens envision their connectedness to self, to others and to nature. Source: Good Life 2030.
Figure 127: Citizen participation in actions to reduce climate change impacts. Source: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Figure 127: Citizen participation in actions to reduce climate change impacts. Source: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

Source: UNESCO

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