Hugh Evans, the Australia-born CEO and co-founder of Global Citizen, is the first Australian recipient of the Sunhak Peace Prize.
Last Friday, April 11, the humanitarian was lauded at the 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Seoul, Korea, recognition for his tireless work to stamp out poverty.
With Evans at the helm as CEO, Global Citizen has emerged as the world’s leading international advocacy organisation driving action to end extreme poverty. Since launch in 2009, some $49 billion in funding commitments have been announced on Global Citizen platforms.
“I am deeply honoured to receive the 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize. While over $49 billion has been committed toward the end of extreme poverty, impacting 1.3 billion lives, our mission is more critical now than ever before,” he comments.
“We are rising to the challenge – we’re innovating, expanding and will be activating across five continents in the coming year. I share this award with our incredible team, long-standing partners, generous supporters, and global citizens everywhere who have taken action with us over the past decade and beyond.”
Global Citizen takes the “strength in numbers” concept, and puts it to work.
Its team identifies causes to support, and then suggests actions for its members to pursue in support of it. By posting, tweet, messaging, voting, sign, and inspiring others to listen, its members can earn rewards, which can then be redeemed for tickets to concerts, festivals and more.
“It’s all I’ve ever cared about, since I was literally 12 years old, was the eradication of extreme poverty. It’s the simplest truth about me and our co-founders,” Evans told The Music Network in 2022.
Its flagship Global Citizen Festival has been staged in India, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, France, Germany, and the United States, with this year marking its first Latin American edition in Brazil.
Global Citizen NOW, the summit driving action to end extreme poverty, returns to New York City for its fourth year, on Wednesday, April 30th, with actor and Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman among participants.
Australia hosted its first Global Citizen NOW action summit event March 2024 in Melbourne, wrapping with a live music event, headlined by Crowded House performing a free, ticketed event at the Palais Theatre.
Evans received the main peace award alongside laureates Patrick Awuah Jr. founder and President of Ashesi University (Ghana).
“It was an honour and a privilege to share my story, and Global Citizen’s vision for the future, with everyone at the Sunhak Prize Peace ceremony,” Evans comments on a social post.
“The Global Citizen movement has made a tremendous impact but we have much more to do until we achieve a world free from extreme poverty. Thank you to all of the global citizens who’ve joined our movement to help us achieve our impact. This honour is for you.”
The Sunhak Peace Prize committee is chaired by José Manuel Durão Barroso, former President of the European Commission.