19 September 2013: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Gap Task Force’s annual report, titled ‘The Global Partnership for Development: The Challenge We Face.’ The report shows mixed progress on the MDGs, and calls for agreeing on a development-oriented multilateral trade agreement and recommitting to increasing aid.

According to the report, which assessed progress on MDG 8, the global partnership for development, developing countries gained greater access to debt relief, some essential medicines, markets for their exports and technologies. Still, the report stresses results are mixed; information and communications technologies (ICTs) are more affordable but disparities remain in access and costs. Similarly, access to some medicines, such as for HIV, increased but many are insufficiently available in developing countries.

The report finds the global economic slowdown continues to hinder MDG progress. Official development assistance (ODA) fell for two consecutive years, including to sub-Saharan Africa, land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).

Ban called on countries to deliver on commitments on climate finance, domestic resource mobilization and ODA. He said “greater progress towards the MDGs will fuel confidence and mobilize support for an ambitious post-2015 development agenda” with a stronger global partnership. Noting signs the global partnership is becoming weaker, Olav Kjørven, UN Development Programme (UNDP), urged countries to “show that we’re serious about this global partnership for the last two years.”

Among its recommendations, the report calls for: a working group to study options to enhance the international architecture for debt restructuring; and timely debt relief for critically indebted developing countries. It recognizes the December 2013 World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting as an opportunity to “break the impasse” on global trade negotiations.

The report further recommends: transferring climate-related and disaster preparedness technologies to developing countries; using ICT applications to improve service provision with an impact on the MDGs; and encouraging pharmaceutical companies to increase the affordability of medicines and to develop new medicines needed by developing countries. It calls for bolder action on basic education, child and maternal health, HIV prevention and pollution.

Ban established the Task Force in 2007 to track global commitments on MDG 8 and to identify gaps in their fulfillment. UNDP and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) co-chair the Task Force. [UNDP Press Release] [DESA Press Release] [Ban Statement] [Publication: The Global Partnership for Development]