From Billie Eilish in New York to BTS in Seoul and Elton John in Paris, one of the biggest-ever international charity events will kick off today with concerts around the world to raise awareness about climate change, vaccine equality and famine.

Global Citizen Live, a series of concerts from more than 60 artists in London, Lagos, Rio, Sydney, Mumbai and beyond, will be broadcast globally from 5pm (GMT) for a full 24 hours.

Eilish, Coldplay and Jennifer Lopez will perform in New York’s Central Park, where Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will also be on stage.

Stevie Wonder will play in Los Angeles, while Ed Sheeran will headline in Paris alongside Elton John, Black Eyed Peas and Stormzy.

Tens of thousands of spectators are due to attend the biggest concerts, on condition of vaccination proof or negative Covid tests.

There will also be pre-recorded performances from a huge number of stars, including BTS in South Korea, Green Day in Los Angeles, DJ superstar Alok in Rio, Kylie Minogue in London and Andrea Bocelli in Tuscany.

This week’s comeback gig by The Fugees in New York – their first in 15 years – will also be broadcast as part of the event.

“Across six continents, artists will help rally citizens in demanding that governments, major corporations and philanthropists work together to defend the planet and defeat poverty,” the NGO Global Citizen said in a statement.

It said it was focusing “on the most urgent, interrelated threats hitting those in poverty the hardest – climate change, vaccine equity, and famine”.

Global Citizen said it wants 1bn trees planted, 1bn vaccines delivered to the poorest countries and meals for 41 million people on the brink of famine.

The organisation has been behind other high-profile charity events, including Vax Live: The Concert To Reunite The World earlier this year in Los Angeles.

That brought together musicians, actors, celebrities, world leaders and even the pope, in a united call for global vaccinations to fight Covid-19.