On the heels of two viral pro-Barack Obama singles, political activist and celeb wrangler extraordinaire will.i.am has released yet another star-studded music video into the online ether, this time in an attempt to eradicate global poverty.
The Black Eyed Pea frontman today launched the In My Name campaign to support the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. The announcement took place in front of the United Nations, with the rapper joined by Krisin Davis, Elle Macpherson and Jordan's Queen Rania Al Abdullah. All appear in the new video along with Scarlett Johansson, Fergie, Wyclef Jean, Annie Lennox and John Legend, among others.
The campaign seeks to encourage and hold accountable the foreign governments that promised in 2000 to halve the world's poverty by 2015. Although this year marks the halfway point to the so-called Millennium Development Goals, several countries have not made adequate progress.
Today's launch coincides with the start of the Millennium Development Goals summit, which is currently taking place at the United Nations headquarters.
Will.i.am teamed up with YouTube and the nonprofit organizations Oxfam, Save the Children and Comic Relief to call attention to the cause, even creating a new YouTube channel where users can upload their own video message encouraging politicians to make good on their pledges.
Those videos deemed the most compelling will be edited together by the campaign and broadcast to the United Nations General Assembly in November.