1 of 5 | Australian actor Hugh Jackman has been named a host of the 2015 Global Citizen Festival. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI |
License Photo
NEW YORK, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Stephen Colbert, Salma Hayek Pinault, Deborra-Lee and Hugh Jackman, Kerry Washington and Olivia Wilde are to serve as the lead hosts of the 2015 Global Citizen Festival.
The free-ticketed concert -- headlined by Pearl Jam, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay -- is to take place on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park on Sept. 26.
The stars are encouraging their fans to get involved with the Global Citizen movement to help end extreme poverty by 2030.
"I am honored and thrilled to join Global Citizen in urging world leaders to commit to ending extreme poverty. Finally, all that U.N. traffic will have a purpose," Colbert remarked Thursday.
"We can't wait to stand with these awesome artists, co-hosts, and thousands of global citizens in Central Park this September as we call on our leaders to end the injustice that is extreme poverty," commented Deborra-Lee and Hugh Jackman in a joint statement. "The Global Citizen movement is proof that when we come together and raise our voices, our leaders pay attention."
"I am very excited to be a part of the Global Citizen Festival and to join in this movement calling for an end to extreme poverty so that our future generations can live in a more just and equal world," added Washington.
"Over the last four years, the Global Citizen Festival has achieved real and meaningful impact for those in need around the world. I'm excited to join everyone again this year to show what we can achieve when our energy is focused in the right place," said Wilde.