Bono and DATA Receive Liberty Medal

09.27.07

Today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bono and DATA will jointly receive the Liberty Medal. According to the National Constitution Center, which administers the award, the 2007 Liberty Medal “will recognize Bono and DATA’s groundbreaking work in raising awareness about and spurring a global response to the crisis of AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.”

“DATA is honored to receive the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia, where some of the greatest ideas about human freedom were born,” said Jamie Drummond, DATA’s Executive Director. “And we are honored to receive this award at a time when the United States is on the forefront of extending freedom from disease and extreme poverty to millions of people in Africa.” Drummond and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Finance Minister of Nigeria and a member of DATA’s policy advisory board, will accept the award on behalf of DATA.

DATA has helped focus public attention on how to beat AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa by working closely with politicians, the media and celebrities. In 2005, DATA and campaigners around the world helped persuade the G8 nations to reach an unprecedented agreement that included $25 billion in additional development assistance for Africa by 2010, broad debt cancellation, universal access to education and near universal access to AIDS and malaria treatment and prevention.

DATA is monitoring the G8's progress on keeping these commitments and holding government leaders to public account. If kept, these promises will save millions of lives and mark a turning point in the West's relationship with Africa.

Press Contact: Taylor Thompson, 202.215.2003, tthompson@data.org

Watch Bono's Liberty Medal Address

Read Bono's Liberty Medal Address

To learn more about DATA and our work, please go to:
http://www.data.org/about/mission.html

To read more press coverage of Bono and DATA receiving the Liberty Medal, please go to:

Philadelphia Inquirer - Editorial: Bono's Sweet Song

Philadelphia Inquirer - Feature: Being hailed here 'a very big deal'

Philadelphia Daily News - Editorial: Saluting Team America

To read more about the Liberty Medal please go to:

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal/