Beyoncé is lending her voice to a good cause. The pop superstar has announced plans to shoot a video for “I Was Here” in honor of World Humanitarian Day.
The 30-year-old singer has teamed up with the United Nations and humanitarian aid organizations to launch a global campaign to celebrate humanitarian work and encourage people worldwide to get involved by doing good for others.
The World Humanitarian Day music video for “I Was Here,” a ballad off Beyoncé’s 2011 album 4, will be filmed in front of a live audience at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York and released globally on August 19. Beyoncé and the song’s writer Diane Warren are donating the video to the campaign.
“We all see the headlines and we think what can I really do to help?” said Beyoncé. “World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity for all of us to work together to make a difference. This is our time to leave our mark on the world and show that we were here and we care.”
The video will be helmed by production company Ridley Scott & Associates and directors Kenzo Digital and Sophie Muller. The campaign aims to reach 1 billion people with a single message when it launches.
In 2008, the UN General Assembly designated August 19 as World Humanitarian Day to raise awareness for humanitarian assistance, recognize people who risk their lives to help others, and commemorate the day in 2003 when 22 people lost their lives in an attack on the UN offices in Baghdad.