Bono and DATA Get a Heavy Medal

The unofficial dean of the global poverati, U2 lead singer Bono, and the advocacy organization he co-founded, DATA, will be the 2007 recipients of the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal, recognizing "groundbreaking work in raising awareness about and spurring a global response to the crisis of AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa."Bono called the medal, which will be awarded in a September ceremony in Philadelphia, "a real honor." "It's also a great excuse to go back to Philadelphia, where we launched the ONE Campaign which now has 2.4 million Americans signed up to fight for justice on behalf of the poorest of the poor. I don't suppose there are enough Liberty Medals to go around, but in truth those people should all be wearing one too."The recognition is well deserved, given DATA's persistence in trying to keep policymakers' attention focused on the needs of African nations. DATA has just released its 2007 report, in advance of the G8 summit this summer, and the main message is grim and forceful: "most G8 nations are seriously off track in delivering on the historic promises to Africa they made in 2005," referring to the summit at Gleneagles, Scotland, when a host of ambitious pledges were made -- to double aid and end all export subsidies by 2010, to ensure access to education and basic health care for all by 2015, and more. In releasing the report, Bono issued a stern warning to G8 leaders: "If the G8 fail to keep these promises, the price we pay will be infinitely more expensive. This will create a generation of cynics in our own countries, and in dangerous times, give those in the wider world a reason to distrust us when we need to do the exact opposite."Good to see that someone is noticing that the big job in the development game is not getting the populist pledges in the first place but making sure that, when the cameras are turned elsewhere, our leaders bother to honor their own words. Go ahead, Mr. Cool, turn up the heat.