In 1985, Bob Geldof organized the Live Aid concerts to raise money for famine relief in Africa. By July 2005, he had changed his strategy.
The Live 8 concerts, held in the days before the G-8 Summit for leaders of the eight top industrialized nations, had a goal of raising awareness, not money. The idea, Geldof explained, was to convince "normal people" they could influence their leaders to end poverty in Africa.
In conjunction with Live 8, many other organizations, including the ONE Campaign, joined forces to bring popular pressure on these leaders. The ONE campaign reported that it convinced more than 1 million Americans, many via the Internet, to sign a declaration committing them to "make a safer, better world for all."
These so-called normal people may have had some pull. At the G-8 Summit in summer 2005, leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia agreed to:
Attendance at rock concerts and signature campaigns don't fully explain these agreements. World events have also played a part. On July 7, 2005, opening day of the G-8 Summit, London's transportation system was hit by a series of bombings that killed more than 50 commuters.
The attacks may have helped unify the G-8 leaders and strengthen the argument that it is in the national security interests of wealthy countries to provide development assistance to poor countries.
