I'm with Bono This guy deserves a medal, by George
U2 FRONTMAN Bono has won a prestigious award in the United States for his humanitarian work in Africa.
The rock star became the first non-politician to receive the Liberty Medal, which was granted in recognition of his work to get governments to cancel third world debt.
Accepting the Medal in Philadelphia last night, the U2 frontman called on people to keep working to solve the world's problems, and spoke about those without freedom.
"When you are trapped by poverty, you are not free. When trade laws prevent you from selling the food you grew, you are not free," said Bono.
"When you are a monk in Burma this very week, barred from entering a temple because of your gospel of peace ... well, then none of us are truly free."
Bono was presented with the award by former Liberty Medal recipient George Bush senior at the National Constitution Centre.
The $100,000 prize money will be given to DATA, Debt AIDS Trade Africa, the organisation founded by the singer in 2002.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister of Nigeria who sits on the group's policy advisory board, accepted the award for the Washington-based group.
The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to honour individuals or organisations whose actions represent the founding principles of the United States.
Last year, former presidents Bush and Bill Clinton won the medal for putting politics aside to help raise more than $1bn for disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in southeast Asia. Previous Liberty Medal winners have included Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former US President Jimmy Carter and US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Six former recipients have subsequently gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
