Live 8 organizer Bob Geldof is scheduled to receive a peace award in Rome today (Nov. 24) from a foundation headed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The musician/activist is expected to attend the ceremony on Rome’s Capitoline Hill and receive the Man for Peace award from Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni and Gorbachev, organizers said.
The ceremony marks the opening of a meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates organized every year in Rome by the Gorbachev Foundation and city hall.
Geldof has dedicated himself to African issues, calling for debt cancellation and fair trade. He organized the Live 8 concerts in July in cities across the world, including London and Rome, to raise awareness about Third World poverty.
In 1985, his legendary Live Aid concerts raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Other recipients of the Man for Peace award include Italian actor/director Roberto Benigni, who directed and starred in the Oscar-winning movie “Life is Beautiful,” and singer Yusef Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, who was last year’s honoree.Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.