U2 singer Bono has received France's highest cultural honor for his contribution to music and commitment to humanitarian causes.
BBC reports the Irish rock star was presented with the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti in Paris.
Bono said the award belonged to his band. "I've got the biggest mouth and the loudest voice but the music we make comes from each other," he said.
Mr Filippetti praised the singer saying: "You committed yourself and dedicated your fame and career to wage some of the greatest wars of our time. Not for charity's sake but in the name of justice."
Bono, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, has received a string of awards for his music and campaigning since the 1980s.
He founded the global anti-poverty charity One to raise public awareness of poverty in Africa and the fight against Aids. The singer was awarded France's Legion of Honour in 2003 and an honorary knighthood from the Queen in 2007.
U2 were recently in New York putting the finishing touches on a new album, the band’s first since 2009’s “No Line On The Horizon”; it is expected in the fall.
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