"You
have made people listen. You have made people care,
and you have taught us
that whether we are poor or prosperous, we have only one world to share.
You
have taught young people that they do have the power to change the world.
-- " Kofi Annan (UN Secretary General) paying tribute to Bono, November 1999.
Paul
David Hewson, better known as Bono, is the first person in history to have been
nominated for a Grammy Award, an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize. As the
lead singer for the Irish rock band, U2, Bono gained international fame, but he
is also widely known for his humanitarian activism. In 1979, after seeing The
Secret Policeman's Ball, a benefit show for Amnesty International, Bono was inspired
to become involved in charity work. In 1986 he joined Amnesty International's
Conspiracy of Hope Tour with Sting, and was involved in the Band Aid, Live Aid
and Live 8 projects with Bob Geldof. The 1999 Net Aid concert helped raise money
over the internet to relieve third world debt. The Jubilee 2000 campaign also
helped raise awareness and funds for this cause.
Bono
helped form DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) and the ONE Campaign to help eradicate
global poverty and HIV/AIDS. He helped launch Product Red, a brand that partners
with major companies to raise funds to fight global diseases, and with his wife,
Ali Hewson, helped launch EDUN, a socially responsible clothing company that pays
fair wages to its third world factory workers. Bono has received numerous honors
in addition to being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times, including
receiving the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, being named Time Magazine's Person
of the Year, and being granted British Knighthood.
