This song was originally written by U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen jnr) with Brian Eno for their 1995 project Passengers.
The tenor voice on the original had been contributed by Luciano Pavarotti.
In the booklet for their CD Original Soundtracks 1 U2 give an idea of what made them record this song:
"Bill Carter's award winning documentary Miss Sarajevo chronicles one of the more bizarre events of the war in former Yugoslavia - when several artists mounted an elaborate beauty contest under mortar fire. The camera follows the organizers through the tunnels and cellars of the city, giving a unique insight into life during a modern war, where civilians are the targets."
In recent interviews George Michael has always pointed out how helpless and sad he feels when he has to watch the pictures of the refugees of the Kosovo war on TV. Maybe that's why George included the song on his album Songs From the Last Century for which it has been co-produced by Phil Ramone.