Global Citizen in the Age of the Pandemic

More than a decade ago, Michael Sheldrick helped co-found an Australian initiative known as Global Citizen after being one of the first recipients of the AIIA WA Bursary for Studies in Asia Program.  In March 2020, at the request of the World Health Organisation, Global Citizen turned its attention to supporting Covid-19 relief efforts worldwide.

Within weeks, the organisation produced its biggest show ever reaching 150 countries, with over 100 musicians.  It raised $127 million for Covid-19 relief.  In the 2 years since, Global Citizen has raised billions of dollars to address problems ranging from voter registration, vaccine inequity, climate change and, most recently, Ukrainian refugee efforts.

From vaccine nationalism to the war in Ukraine, it is clear that our current approaches to global cooperation are failing.  In this presentation, Michael proposes new approaches for addressing the key challenges of our time. He draws on insights from the last decade working alongside the UN, governments including that of President Zelenskyy, and grassroots organizations from Poland to Nigeria.