Bono, Geldof: G-8 Countries Not Paying Up

(CBS/ AP)  Bono, Bob Geldof and other celebrities pressed the world's wealthiest countries Wednesday to come through with more pledged financial aid for Africa.

The Irish rock stars-turned-activists presented a new report that found the Group of Eight countries have collectively donated a fraction of the $22 billion in extra funds they pledged in 2005 to be paid by 2010.

"What this big, long, exact, cold and brutal analysis shows us is that halfway to this historic date of 2010 - halfway - these wealthy countries ... have delivered 14 percent. How tragic is that?" Geldof told reporters in Paris.

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Photos: Bono

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"What a failure for all of us," he said.

The report by Data, an advocacy group aimed at wiping out extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa, says targeted aid is working, but countries are falling behind in their commitments.

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Photos: Doing The Red Thing

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DATA (Debt Aids Trade Africa) was co-founded by Bono in 2002 to work with religious groups on global disease and hunger issues. The rock star was awarded a Liberty Medal in the U.S. last September for his humanitarian work.

Bono, Geldof, singer Angelique Kidjo, tennis star-turned-singer Yannick Noah and aid workers laid out the findings in Paris, partly to put pressure on France near the July 1 start of its presidency of the European Union.

The report said that 2.1 million Africans are on life-saving AIDS drugs, up from 50,000 in 2002; that 26 million children were immunized against life-threatening diseases from 2001 to 2006; and that 29 million children in Africa entered school for the first time between 1999 and 2005 because of debt relief and increased aid.

It also said that France's assistance to sub-Saharan Africa fell $66 million from 2006 to 2007; that Germany, Italy and Canada are off "track;" and that "more is needed" from Japan.

But, the United States and Britain appear set to meet their targets by 2010, it said.

Bono is credited for successfully lobbying President Bush to help fund the distribution of AIDS medications in Africa.

"People openly laughed in my face when I suggested that this administration would distribute antiretroviral drugs to Africa," Bono told 60 Minutes in a 2005 interview. "They said, 'You are out of your tiny mind.' There's 200,000 Africans now who owe their lives to America."

[newview08]

Whenever you get the urge to take these people seriously, first look at their education levels. You''ll be amazed at what you fine (or don''t find). Most of them are not qualified to wash dishes, but somehow they seem to believe that they''re entitled to make decisions that affect other human beings. Arrogance, nothing more.

[keithle1]

Shut up. Who died & made you boss? Stick to playing music.

The world has sent enough money to Africa over the years. At least $700 billion. What do we have to show for it?

Does the aid to Africa ever end or does it go on forever? Is the West responsible for solving all their problems?

Africa is the basket case of the world. You name the problem & they have it. Everything from A to Z. The misery & tragedy never ends. Yet the babies keep coming.

[brianbwb-2009]

"The USA is a debtor nation in no position to give anyone anything. That being the case, all foreign aid and military expenditures should immediately cease."
Posted by kennedy7955

Now you''re talking, but I would say that they all should be reviewed and modified so that corrupt countries, get no aid until they clean it up, and countries rich enough to not need it, don''t get it, and the military should not for any reason be deployed as a tool of foreign policy, but only as the last line of defense against a foreign military incursion.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by MommaKat64

Certainly your point is valid, but this is a case of not keeping a word. I would rather have seen the US and other countries say from the outset that they could not afford to donate, than to see them welsh on a pledge.

Don''t write checks you cannot cash, and don''t make promises you cannot keep.

Is it any wonder, given the history of lies, that so many people, including most Americans, do not trust the government anymore?

[mommakat64]

I whole-heartedly agree with all the posters so far. We give and give, then get pooped on for our efforts. Personally, I''m getting extremely sick and tired of, and disgusted with, these overpaid "entertainers?", including the "movie stars?", who constantly snap at and bite the hands that feed them so extremely, luxuriously well. With all of their wealth, garnered from us, the common folk, and they DARE to try to make us feel guilty about anything!! And, Africa is "poor" because it''s dictators won''t let it come out from under it''s antiquated ways. Under-educated, poor peasant-like people are easy to overcome and push around, and they''ve never known anything else. I absolutely refuse to drop my hard earned money down some monster''s rabbit hole. Somalia, Sierra Leone, Mugabe''s country, Rwanda, Amin''s former kingdom, all of them are unstable, and nothing seems to change, or get better, no matter how much aid and money we shovel into them. And, Hollywood elitists condemn war in Afghanistan/Iraq, but beg us to go to war in Darfur/Sudan...whaaat? I no longer support their lifestyles by buy anything, especially, since I have cable TV/video rental stores. We need to drill for our own oil, stop ALL speculators, get our borders secured, bring our military home to protect US, not the rest of the world.

[kennedy7955]

The USA is a debtor nation in no position to give anyone anything. That being the case, all foreign aid and military expenditures should immediately cease.

[cdfoxtrot]

I''d like to see wealthy people like Bono pony up a bit of dosh first, before demanding hard-pressed taxpayers to do so. U2 moved it''s financial assets out of Ireland a few months ago, to dodge taxes and pay less. It''s hypocritical of Bono to go around demanding taxpayers and governments to pay more when he, himself, is depriving his own country''s government of tax revenues.

[newview08]

Enough with the Africa thing already, have these exceedingly wealthy celebrities turned on their HDTV''s lately? Massive layoffs, home forclosures, high energy costs, high food prices, high healthcare costs, massive trade deficits, a declining dollar, the outsourcing of high-paying domestic employment, an fabricated war in the trillions of dollars now, election-year paralysis of our government when we need them most, increasing illegal immigration, Wall Street run amuck, and monumental natural disasters to cap it all off. The list goes on and on and on... Our Red Cross has zero funds now, zero. Our country is in a serious decline. We''re having to borrow money just to keep our aid services going for our own people, simply shameful. Why don''t we save the USA instead? How much can Americans can take? I say cut back our aid to the world, and put Americans first! We''re not the planet''s police department and ATM machine. That''s my take on things.

[darnedsocks]

QUESTION: WILL NEW FUNDS BE GOING TOWARDS A FEW BOATLOADS OF CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES OR PERHAPS SURGERIES. THE WORLD SERIOUSLY NEEDS TO CUT BACK ON HUMAN PRODUCTION, AS THE EARTH CANNOT POSSIBLY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE RESOURCES. WE ARE OVERFISHING OUR OCEANS AND DEVOURING EVERY CREATURE''S HABITAT, AND DESTROYING THE OZONE, ETC., WE SERIOUSLY NEED TO DO SOMETHING. AT LEAST CHINA HAS A PLAN; PERHAPS WE NEED TO FOLLOW THEIR LEAD!