Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly A/RES/73/141 peoples and countries of the South, based on their shared experie nces and objectives, and that it should continue to be guided by the principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, non-conditionality, non-interference in domestic affairs and mutual benefit; 21. Emphasizes that international public finance plays an important role in complementing the efforts of countries to mobilize public resources domestically, especially in the poorest and most vulnerable countries with limited domestic resources, and that an important use of international public finance, including official development assistance (ODA), is to catalyse the mobilization of additional resources from other public and private sources, and notes that ODA providers have reaffirmed their respective commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance (ODA/GNI) to developing countries and 0.15 to 0. 2 per cent of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries; 22. Welcomes the increase in the volume of ODA since the adoption of the Monterrey Consensus, expresses its concern that many countries still fall short of their ODA commitments, reiterates that the fulfilment of all ODA commitments remains crucial, commends those few countries that have met or surpassed their commitment to 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI and the target of 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries, urges all other countries to step up efforts to increase their ODA and to make additional concrete efforts towards the ODA targets, welcomes the decision by the European Union reaffirming its collective commitment to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI within the time frame of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and undertaking to meet collectively the target of 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries in the short term and to reach 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries within the time frame of the 2030 Agenda, and encourages ODA providers to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.2 0 per cent of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries; 23. Stresses the essential role that ODA plays in complementing, leveraging and sustaining financing for development efforts in developing countries and in facilitating the achievement of development objectives, including the internationally agreed development goals, in particular the Sustainable Development Goals, and welcomes steps to improve the effectiveness and quality of aid based on the fundamental principles of national ownership, alignment, harmonization, managing for results and mutual accountability; 24. Welcomes the contribution to the mobilization of resources for social development by the initiatives taken on a voluntary basis by groups of Member States based on innovative financing mechanisms, including those that aim to provide further access to drugs at affordable prices to developing countries on a sustainable and predictable basis, such as the International Drug Purchase Facility, UNITAID, as well as other initiatives such as the International Finance Facility for Immunization and the Advance Market Commitment for Vaccines; 25. Encourages Governments to support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all; 18-22176 13/15