ICC and HealRWorld join forces for the Music4ClimateJustice initiative

ICC today announced it is joining HealRWorld as a founding partner of Music4ClimateJustice, a two-day musical journey and concert series with an educational twist exploring the issues and impacts of ‘Climate Injustice’ that entertains, educates and enlightens. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to inspire action while raising awareness of the devastating effects of climate change, including the outsized impact that climate change will have on indigenous people and other marginalized groups.

Leveraging its global network of over 45 million businesses in over 130 countries, ICC’s collaboration will help to drive engagement from the private sector in this global gathering of indigenous peoples, artists, thought leaders, youth, sports figures, and various celebrities promoting collective action for climate justice.

Today, the climate crisis stands as an immense threat to the world and poses not only human rights issues, but also challenges that surround environmental justice. Music4ClimateJustice aims to tackle the most profound issue of our time by connecting all of us through the heart on issues of social climate justice through the power of music.

This global event will include participation from A-list artists, as well as indigenous artists who will share their stories with the world. Influential business leaders, thought leaders, activists and entertainers will also take part in the event, including Paul Polman, Honorary Chairman of ICC, UN Advocate and Founder of Imagine; Jeff Hoffman, Global entrepreneur from Priceline.com and uBid.com, Chairman of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and Senior Advisor to HealRWorld; Bill Shipsey, founder of Art for Amnesty, Amnesty International’s global artist engagement programme and the co-founder of Art 19; Bob McKnight, Co-Founder of Quiksilver; Vipe Desai, Chairman of the Board, Ocean Institute; and many others.

On the partnership, Michele Bongiovanni, Founder of the Music4ClimateJustice Initiative and CEO/Founder of HealRWorld said: “I’m truly delighted and honoured to partner with the world’s leading organisation for business on an issue of this magnitude at a critical time for our planet. It is only through initiatives like this that encourage cross-collaboration with the private and public sectors that we will inspire real action by all types of businesses to combat climate change and propel much needed intergenerational dialogue to drive transformational impact.”

The collaboration is in line with ICC’s commitment to enable multistakeholder partnerships which embed climate resilience into the economic rebuild and recovery from COVID-19. A portfolio of initiatives such as the SME Climate Hub – a one-stop shop for SMEs to make an internationally recognized climate commitment, access tools and resources and benefit from incentives designed to make it easier than ever for small and medium-sized businesses to cut carbon emissions, bring innovative green solutions to market and build business resilience.

To align with ICC’s role as the business and industry focal point to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the event will be held in November 2021 on the margins of COP-26 to raise ambition for government commitments to the Paris Agreement.

On ICC’s commitment to collective climate action, Secretary-General, John W.H. Denton AO said: “Covid-19 has left no doubt of the urgency with which we must confront the systems fragilities exposed by the spread of the virus. And as the effects of climate change are already being felt – if now is not the time for us to act, when will be?”

Numerous business leaders, musicians, and corporations have already voiced their support for the Music4ClimateJustice initiative. Through enhanced collaboration with ICC, the movement will drive massive behavioral changes at scale, empower people to adjust their purchase and investment behavior, and create more of an environmentally conscious world.

“Climate change and inequality both require swift action – greater scale and more partnership with everyone involved,” said Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and co-founder and chairman of Imagine. “From corporations and the financial market to our youth, climate warriors, government, artists, scientists, NGO’s and nonprofits, we must all rally together to make the changes necessary to save our planet or rather to save ourselves. We cannot go on to operate in silence to find the answers. It gives us some improvement, but not at the scale and speed that is needed.”

“The world is calling out for help…the answer must come from all of us,” echoed Michele Bongiovanni, CEO and Founder of HealRWorld.

To donate and to take the pledge, visit - https://www.music4climatejustice.org/