Gordon Brown received the 2005 Commitment to Development Award for his efforts to improve the lives of people in developing countries. Brown, who later became the U.K. prime minister, played a key role as chancellor of the exchequer in the notable effort by the U.K. to apply solid economic analysis to the formation of specific proposals to improve rich country policies towards the developing world.
The award selection panel commended Brown for providing “global leadership on a range of critical development issues, including health, trade, aid and debt relief.’ The panel concluded that Brown’s initiatives “contributed greatly to ensuring that poverty reduction and sustainable development are at the top of the international agenda.”