Ms Lauryn Hill, Red Hot Chili Peppers to headline 2023 Global Citizen Festival in New York

The timeless Ms Lauryn Hill will headline this year's Global Citizen Festival returning to the iconic Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City on September 23.

The hit maker will be joined on stage by the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a co-headline act and they will be supported by Megan Thee Stallion, Conan Gray and Stray Kids.

On Tuesday the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen announced the festival will happen in New York City on September 23 and said the free ticketed event will drive urgent action to End Extreme Poverty NOW.

The festival is not only about having a good time but also aims to shine the spotlight on important socioeconomic global matters and urges leaders to bring about positive change.

The 2023 Global Citizen Festival campaign takes aim at major issues perpetuating extreme poverty, including the impacts of climate change on the global south, the inequities affecting women and girls around the world, and the global hunger crisis, and will call on governments to protect and defend advocates everywhere.

The campaign will unite millions of voices, amplified by the world’s biggest artists, to demand urgent action from world leaders gathering in New York for the UN General Assembly in September.

Global Citizen is associated with many global superstars who, in addition to using their talents and platforms to help share important messaging around ending extreme poverty, also serve sizzling performances whenever they grace the festival.

The 2022 Global Citizen Festival in Accra, Ghana, was headlined by Usher with support acts such as Tems and Sarkodie. It was a reminder of how music and philanthropy are a winning combination.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, model and activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba said before she truly understood what philanthropy entailed, her mother Maryam Egal modelled it for her and her siblings.

“Philanthropy started at home. My mom has always had a strong humanitarian spirit and has been an activist as long as I can remember. She instilled that in us, in my brother and sisters. She always explained the importance of giving back, especially to our continent.”

Global Citizen, she said, helped people who would usually feel helpless by giving them a way to use what they can to push for the change they want to see in their world.

“It is really important because not everybody can lend a dollar, but everybody can lend a voice. Giving people, especially the youth, a platform to speak about what they care about is important.”

Ghanaian media personality Berla Mundi, who was one of the hosts at the festival, said she believed using her voice was the best contribution she could make to changing the world for the better.