"This year's Human Development Report takes stock of human development, including progress towards the MDGs. Looking beyond statistics, it highlights the human costs of missed targets and broken promises. Extreme inequality between countries and within countries is identified as one of the main barriers to human development - and as a powerful brake on accelerated progress towards the MDGs." "New approaches to international cooperation are vital if the promise of the Millennium Declaration is to be realized. Practical action is needed to make the next 10 years a "decade for development." Focusing on aid, trade and security, three of the central pillars of international cooperation, Human Development Report 2005 sets out a bold analysis of the problems and identifies solutions. It argues that rich countries need to move beyond encouraging words to align their policies with the commitments made in the Millennium Declaration."--BOOK JACKET