UNAIDS - September 10, 2008

Important gaps remain in delivering on the global commitments in the areas of aid, trade, debt relief, and access to new technologies and to affordable essential drugs and treatment for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. A new report by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force identifies these gaps in detail and provides recommendations to all major stakeholders on how to address these gaps. In the countdown to 2015, urgent responses are needed to bridge the existing implementation gaps to make good on the promises made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Inadequate access to essential medicines for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis

The findings of the report show that in some developing countries strong partnership between government, pharmaceutical companies and civil society, including consumers can lead to improved access to affordable essential medicines for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.

However, access to essential medicines in developing countries is far from adequate. Information available in a number of countries suggests the existence of large gaps in the availability of medicines in both the public and private sectors as well as a wide variation in prices which render essential medicines unaffordable to poor people.

Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force

The report was launched by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 4 September. The Task Force was created by the Secretary-General following discussion of the Policy Committee on 1 May 2007 to improve monitoring of the global commitments contained in the Millennium Development Goals.

The main purpose of the Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force is to systematically track existing international commitments and their fulfillment at the international and country level in the areas of official development assistance, market access, debt relief, access to essential medicines and technology.

The Task Force integrates more than 20 UN agencies, including participation from UNAIDS, the World Bank and the IMF, as well as the OECD and WTO. The United Nations Development Programme and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (UN/DESA) are lead agencies in coordinating the work of the Task Force.

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