Global Citizen NOW urges investment in Sub-Saharan Africa and youth outreach

NEW YORK (AP) — This week's Global Citizen NOW conference featured appeals for long-term investments in the African continent's fast-growing youth population and increased outreach to young changemakers worldwide, as the international advocacy organization seeks to drive resources toward antipoverty causes.

The conflict-riddled international scene has made it even more vital that political, business and philanthropic leaders support education and health care in the least-developed nations, Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans said. Some of the week's biggest asks included up to $6 billion for economic development in Africa and $600 million for a United Nations-administered fund supporting education during emergencies.

“I don’t need to lecture anyone about polarization," Evans told The Associated Press. "But I do think that the corollary of that is that sometimes people can feel completely hopeless and disempowered. My one hope is that our platform continues to stand for clear, decisive, practical actions that citizens can take to change the world for good.”

To further its goals, the two-day conference in New York leaned on the star power of longtime ambassador Hugh Jackman, Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh and Brazilian singer Anitta. Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, even made a previously unpublicized appearance Wednesday to discuss the need for men to actively fight sexism and champion reproductive rights.

“The Walking Dead” and “Black Panther” star Danai Gurira said more Western aid alone is not enough. African nations need true self-determinism because “we are so far from uprooting ourselves from colonialism," according to the Iowa-born actress who was raised in Zimbabwe.

“We are ridiculously wealthy, from the cobalt to the lithium to the diamonds to the rubber to the oil," she said. "But often you don’t see us in control of it.”

About 60% of Africa's population is younger than 25 years old — a tremendous asset that two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora said only needs more opportunity. The former defensive end discussed his work spearheading the National Football League's efforts there to provide the training necessary for international athletes to get college scouts' attention and eventually play professionally.

The NFL has academies in the United Kingdom and Australia. Umenyiora said he hopes to add facilities by 2030 in countries including Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco.

“The best athletes in the world, in my estimation, are in Africa," Umenyiora told the AP. "It’s just they haven’t been developed. They haven’t been trained.”

The conference followed the announcement that Global Citizen will co-present an economic summit in Ivory Coast this fall. The goal is to boost foreign aid to Sub-Saharan Africa, where the working-age population is expected to double by 2050 but many lack access to electricity.

Speakers emphasized that global leaders must help bridge those gaps now if they want to tap the region's full potential. Foreign aid can work, they said, despite recent moves from once-generous, debt-saddled governments to decrease the amounts allocated toward developing countries.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven pitched development assistance as a mutually beneficial investment, not a one-sided act of charity.

“Why not use the whole potential of the world?” asked Lofven, who set a target to spend 1% of Sweden's gross national income on aid while in office.

The conference also marked Global Citizen's efforts to draw Gen Z into its 12 million-member network. The organization recently paired more than 300 young leaders with officials including World Bank President Ajay Banga at the first international edition of Global Citizen NOW.

Nonpartisan civic engagement groups HeadCount and I Am A Voter announced a merger during a Thursday panel, seeking to leverage the power of musicians and brands to increase youth voter registration as the U.S. presidential election ramps up.

Other speakers shared strategies for engaging authentically with young people online. Anitta told the AP that she hosts classes on Instagram Live so that her fans can learn with her about environmental issues like rainforest protection.

Actor Jordan Fisher acknowledged that seemingly insurmountable student loans or the unaffordable housing market might make young people feel politically lost. He emphasized that voting is just one way to begin getting involved.

Fisher is also identifying new platforms to empower members of Global Citizen. An avid gamer, he is advising the organization as it develops a gaming division. He said livestreaming services like Twitch can be a great tool for raising money and awareness among audiences tuning in to watch their favorite creators.

“It's some of the most authentic work that can be done. It's just people. And it's just us. It's human beings," Fisher told the AP.

“The power of gaming is massive."

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Actress Michelle Yeoh addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Actor and Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Actor and Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman, right, is joined by Global Citizen CEO and Co-Founder Hugh Evans as he addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Actor Jordan Fisher addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Actor Jordan Fisher addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, left, listens as Actor Danai Gurira, center, addresses attendees of the Global Citizen Now conference, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in New York. Fran Katsoudas is right. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said.

The drone raids marked Kyiv's attempt to strike back during Moscow's offensive in northeastern Ukraine, which has added to the pressure on outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces who are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region and six over the Belgorod region. It said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six sea drones in the Black Sea.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, said the drone attack damaged the city’s power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city.

“Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible,” he said in a statement.

Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily.

Earlier Ukrainian attacks damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies.

In the Krasnodar region, the authorities said a drone attack early Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse which was later contained. There were no casualties.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities deep inside Russia, causing significant damage.

Ukrainian drones also attacked Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port. The Krasnodar region’s governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said fragments of downed drones caused several fires but there were no casualties.

Belgorov Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a woman and her 4-year-old child. Another attack set a fuel tank ablaze at a gas station in the region, he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were fighting to halt Russian advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region that began late last week.

The town of Vovchansk, located just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border, has been a hot spot in the fighting in recent days. Ukrainian authorities have evacuated some 8,000 civilians from the town. The Russian army’s usual tactic is to reduce towns and villages to ruins with aerial strikes before its units move in.

Russia has also been testing defenses at other points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line snaking from north to south through eastern Ukraine. That line has barely changed over the past 18 months in what became a war of attrition. Recent Russian attacks have come in the eastern Donetsk region, as well as the Chernihiv and Sumy regions in the north and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. The apparent aim is to stretch depleted Ukrainian resources and exploit weaknesses.

Follow AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows a closer view of a destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft and fuel storage facility at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of a destroyed SU 27 fighter aircraft in revetment at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)

This image released by Maxar Technologies shows a damaged plane, likely a MiG 31 fighter aircraft, at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies via AP)