Owen abroad

2005 was to be the year of development. There have been some significant advances - particularly on debt relief and funding for vaccines. 

But as I explain in this longer assessment, overall, 2005 has not lived up to the ambitions that campaigners and some politicians had for it as a year of development.

As things stand, 2005 will be remembered as the year that the world recognised that the Millennium Development Goals would not be met, and decided to pass by on the other side.