One Year On

29 Jun 2006
One year after Live 8, the richest countries are falling short on promises made to Africa. Bono, Bob Geldof and other campaigners have marked the anniversary by ramping up the pressure on the politicians with the release of a 'country-by-country report card'.

Speaking to CNN Bono said that while the G8 leaders promised a year ago to take huge steps to wipe out poverty, their action hasn't yet matched their words. A DATA report finds that wealthy countries have made strides on their promise to cancel the debts of 19 poor countries, most of them in Africa, but promises on funding to fight AIDS, to boost development assistance and to create fairer global trade rules are not being delivered.

'They started to climb an Everest but over the past year they got lost at base camp. ' Bono told CNN. 'Overall, there is one cheer on debt, half a cheer on AIDS and boos and wolf-whistles for what is happening on trade.'

View Bono's CNN interview here.

Live 8 helped build one of the largest civil movements in history in 2005, with millions lobbying the G8 to make poverty history, and political leaders announcing an ambitious plan to accelerate Africa's economic development and save millions of lives.

"Live 8 was and remains a brilliant moment but what is more important is the brilliant movement of which it was a part." explained Bono. " This gives the poorest of the poor real political muscle for the first time. It is this movement of church people and trade unionists, soccer moms and student activists, that will carry the spirit of Live 8 on. It is this movement, not rock stars, that will make it untenable in the future to break promises to the most vulnerable people on this planet. That was always why we put on the concerts."

The DATA Report will monitor G8 progress annually until the promises are kept. It is not only a report card on 2005, but a road map forward to 2007 and beyond to 2010. Download the report here.

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