Musicians across the world stand in solidarity on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day #ConcertForAHealthyPlanet
New Delhi, 22 April 2020: On Earth Day, 5 Grammy® Award-Winners led by UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP)’s, #KindnessMatters for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) campaign ambassador, Ricky Kej, and an ensemble of stellar musicians came together for a one-of-a-kind online #ConcertForAHealthyPlanet: Ricky Kej LIVE at One Page Spotlight. The musicians collaborated to promote the message of “solidarity” during the Covid-19 and performed from their respective homes to encourage #StayHome and #StaySafe.
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, thousands of people from around the world joined the #ConcertForAHealthyPlanet to support togetherness, solidarity and kindness for our planet. The Concert was deferred-live to the world over the internet and the official music video of the #KindnessMatters Anthem — “Shine Your Light”, was launched by Ricky Kej with performances in 13 cities of 6 countries, including – India, USA, Canada, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Switzerland. The #KindnessAnthem is an energetic, upbeat song, filled with positivity and has a central theme of “Kindness to Everyone”. The anthem is about showcasing simple acts kindness in our everyday lives, and how these acts can help solve our problems. The Anthem was developed for the #KindnessMatters Global Campaign, which has thus far received over 7,300 stories from people in more than 140 countries.
Speaking about the #ConcertForAHealthyPlanet, Prof. Dr. Anantha Duraiappah, Director UNESCO MGIEP said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global community closer and made us realise that collectively we can make a difference for humanity and our planet. Thus, it is imperative for us to empower youth, promote their actions to preserve the environment, thereby strengthening a culture of tolerance and respect, supported by kindness. This concert is a perfect example of our belief in #KindnessMatters. UNESCO MGIEP is proud to be joined by dozens of musicians in this concert to celebrate the power of kindness, togetherness and most importantly physical distance with social connect. Remember, kindness is contagious and does wonders for our flourishing and for the planet.”
Talking about the concert and its relevance, UNESCO MGIEP’s #KindnessAmbassador and Grammy Winner, Ricky Kej said, “Given the current situation, an online concert is the best way for musicians to express ourselves. I am honored and humbled to collaborate with such accomplished musicians from around the world, this is truly a global musical experience. All the musicians have performed from their own homes to encourage #StayHomeStaySafe. I am also excited to have released my new song “Shine Your Light”, the official anthem for UNESCO MGIEP’s #KindnessMatters Campaign.”
UNESCO MGIEP joined forced with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Earth Day Network and One Page Spotlight to put together a virtual #ConcertForHealthyPlanet in collaboration with accomplished musicians from around the world
Link to the official #KindnessMatters video is available here: #KindnessMatters Anthem
The concert featured performances by some of the biggest names in music such as Ricky Kej – Grammy® Winner and internationally renowned Indian music composer (India), Lonnie Park – Grammy® nominee (USA), Wouter Kellerman – Grammy® winning South African flutist (joined from Australia), IP Singh – lead vocalist of the band ‘Fardikot’ (India), Mzansi Youth Choir – globally recognised finest show choir (S. Africa) and Laura Dickinson – Grammy® Winner and popular voice actress in Hollywood (USA) among others.