Bono told CNN in a recent interview that we have to hold the G8 countries accountable for their performances one year after the Live 8 concerts were held around the world.
“They started to climb an Everest but over the past year they got lost at base camp.” Bono told CNN.
His remarks come after DATA – a charity of which he is a board member – released their DATA report analyzing the performances vs. the promises of the world’s richest countries in regards to debt relief and AIDS funding in Africa.
The leaders from The United States, Germany, Russia, Italy, Canada, The United Kingdom, Japan and France were met by Bono and Bob Geldof and urged to cancel the debt of the world’s 19 poorest countries.
While countries have done well in debt relief and AIDS funding, trade is still preventing these countries from escaping the cycle of poverty. (Without being able to subsidise local farmers, there will be cheaper tomatoes being imported from Italy than what the local farmer can sell them to his own people).
The full report of the top countries progress is available at www.thedatareport.org.
The Live 8 concerts were held last year simultaneously in London, Paris, Berlin, Philadelphia, Toronto, Tokyo, Rome and Cape Town, as well as a later concert held in Scotland while the leaders met.
