Geneva 25.09.2021 –
Global Solidarity Fund announces USD $100 million fundraising campaign at Global Citizen Live for world’s most vulnerable
The Global Solidarity Fund (GSF) has pledged to raise USD $100 million with the funds being used to create social and economic opportunities for the most vulnerable in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
GSF announced the fundraising campaign at Global Citizen Live on September 25, and that the fund has already raised USD $28 million to support people in vulnerable situations, particularly women and girls, through the end of 2022. GSF was featured on stage alongside other organizations playing leading roles in the post-pandemic recovery.
GSF’s purpose is to catalyze new partnerships for the most vulnerable across the business community, development sector, and Catholic communities. It will use the funds raised to:
- Support one million migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons through vocational training, job referral and entrepreneurship hubs in 10 countries in Africa and Latin America, beginning with Ethiopia and Colombia.
- Maximize the impact of faith-based organizations, including more than one million Catholic Sisters, Priests and Brothers, as agents of change on behalf of the most vulnerable, in areas such as human trafficking (with a network of Sisters in over 90 countries), food security, and the environment (supporting the activation of 250,000 people in 14 countries).
- Collaborate with international organizations to build trust and aid vaccine distribution through Catholic networks serving hundreds of millions of people.
Marta Guglielmetti, Executive Director, Global Solidarity Fund, said: “The Global Solidarity Fund exists to catalyze high-level global partnerships on behalf of the poorest and most marginalized. For example, we work with migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are facing huge challenges, such as a lack of opportunity, stemming from inequity – which the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more urgent to solve.
“We truly believe that the solution for so many of the world’s problems can be found only by bringing together business, philanthropic, development, and faith communities to create transformational change. We commend Global Citizen’s advocacy work, which supported our work, and invite all organizations and individuals of goodwill to join us!”
The Chair of the GSF Advisory Board, Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi C.S., said: “This commitment from the Global Solidarity Fund draws inspiration from Pope Francis’s vision, caring for and empowering the world’s most vulnerable. The Catholic Church is present in communities of need throughout the world in a spirit of solidarity, and I am pleased that GSF’s campaign will serve to strengthen the links between the Church and the business and development sectors in solidarity with the most marginalized.”
“Global Citizen applauds the Global Solidarity Fund’s ambitious commitment to provide meals, job training, and vaccines for more than 1 million migrants and refugees through the end of 2022,” said Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact and Government Affairs Officer at Global Citizen. “Defeating poverty and defending the planet requires bold leadership and rapid action. This campaign announcement builds on our existing partnership to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, and we’re excited to move that work forward on behalf of some of the most at-risk members of society. It is more critical now than ever before.”
The Global Solidarity Fund connects the extensive networks of businesses with the experience and expertise of Catholic congregations and other faith-based organizations. It is creating pathways to education, healthcare, job opportunities and food security for the most in need.
Global Citizen Live is a 24-hour live broadcast where artists, activists, business leaders, political and faith leaders unite in common cause to defend the planet and defeat poverty, as we work to kickstart a global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
GSF’s partnership with Global Citizen will spotlight the challenges facing the world’s most vulnerable and what businesses, governments and the faith sectors can do to solve them.
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For further information, please contact:
Email: t.walsh@globalsolidarityfund.org
Visit: www.globalsolidarityfund.org
About the Global Solidarity Fund:
The Global Solidarity Fund is a unique alliance catalyzing partnerships for the most vulnerable across the private sector, the development sector, and Catholic communities. GSF’s vision is a world where everyone has access to social and economic opportunity and a healthy life, and where essential human dignity is fully respected. GSF is inspired by Pope Francis’ leadership and ambitious vision, and is focused on empowering the most vulnerable in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
With a network spanning the faith-based, Catholic and broader development communities, along with members’ expertise, GSF fosters synergies among Catholic entities and systemic connections with businesses, investors, philanthropies, international bodies and governments. As a catalyst, GSF supports these development partners in finding coherent solutions to meet the needs of marginalized people holistically and efficiently, accelerating progress toward the SDGs. Learn more at www.globalsolidarityfund.org.
