Blind since shortly after birth, Stevie Wonder was designated as a UN Messenger of Peace in 2009 with a focus on persons with disabilities. He has advocated for the adoption of the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or have other print disabilities. On the occasion of World Braille Day, Wonder’s messages of accessibility, inclusion, and unification remain a powerful call for global cooperation to support persons of different abilities.
Music
For Iveth, the intersection of singing hip-hop and being a lawyer and human rights activist is seamless, as hip-hop's legacy of using music for protest and advocating change deeply influenced her perspective on social justice.
International Jazz Day raises awareness of the virtues of jazz as a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. This year’s flagship event is a spectacular All-Star Global Concert, which takes place on 30 April, 4:00p.m. EDT. It features performances by some of the world’s most accomplished jazz artists. The concert is available on UN WebTV, featuring performances in 12 cities simultaneously: from Beijing, Beirut, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Marondera, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Vienna, Fairbanks, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
Water is critical for sustainable development. The issues of the eradication of poverty and hunger, the lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, drought and climate change – are all related to water. On World Water Day, the UN Chamber Music Society premiered a virtual concert of Archimedes’s Dreams, composed by American composer Evan Fein.
Around the world, women musicians are producing art in the face of the challenges they face in society, whether related to conflict, human rights, climate change, inequality, or simply because of their gender. AmplifyHER is a new UN podcast, where ten inspiring women musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds talk to us about their challenges as women in a male-dominated industry, overcoming barriers, and what drives them to continue creating music. Do not miss an episode!
This FAO music video brings together kids from all over the world singing in many languages: ♩ "We dream of a better world, Where we can feed all of its people, No one left behind, And where everyone is equal.” ♩
The 2022 Global Citizen Festival celebrated 10 years of festivals and united change makers and leaders on the global stage in NYC. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed joined world leaders and governments in support of ending poverty now. Global Citizen is a movement on a mission to achieve the United Nations Global Goals, calling for action to be taken NOW for girls, for the planet, to end poverty.
Jimmy Cliff shines a light on people forced to flee and partners with UNHCR to create a portal to help refugees. “Refugees” continues Cliff’s long tradition of penning thought-provoking anthems.
The 2022 Global Concert for International Jazz Day was hosted at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Hosted by Herbie Hancock and featuring Marcus Miller, Gregory Porter, David Sanborn, Hiromi, Pedrito Martínez, Ravi Coltrane, José James, Terri Lyne Carrington, Linda Oh, Shemekia Copeland, Lizz Wright and others, the 2022 All-Star Global Concert made a powerful statement in support of peace, healing and unity through a diverse series of performances by leading jazz artists from around the globe. Enjoy the show!
Through jazz music we can encounter an opportunity towards the appreciation, not only for the music, but also for building more inclusive societies. International Jazz Day celebrates the virtues of jazz as a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. The flagship Jazz Day event, a spectacular All-Star Global Concert, returns this year to the UN General Assembly Hall in New York in a nod to the inaugural International Jazz Day Sunset Concert in 2012. The worldwide webcast will be available live on UN WebTV, on Saturday, 30 April at 5p.m. EDT.
Events are organized about (hearing) health, acoustics and the sound environment, recording and reproduction techniques, the relationship between image and sound, and musical expression and education.
The history of jazz has its roots in the encounter of the peoples and cultures of Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. As a jazz musician, Paolo Fresu reckons that music is a language that belongs to everyone, and so does peace, bringing us all together, regardless of religion, race, geography, etc.
Grammy-nominated musician and United Nations Regional Goodwill Ambassador - Africa for environment, Rocky Dawuni straddles the boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean and the United States to create an appealing sound that unites generations and cultures.
Legendary Sahelian artists together with UNOCHA have created and launched The Sahel Song.
UNICEF and pop icons BTS are marking the groundbreaking success of the LOVE MYSELF campaign this week, with the campaign reaching almost every country in the world with positive messages of self-care.