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AIDS slips country into under-development

    JOHANNESBURG

    Largely due to HIV/AIDS, South Africa is slipping backwards into under-development, a new UN Development Programme (UNDP) report has said.

    Using indicators such as life expectancy, educational attainment and income, the Human Development Report 2003 shows the country falling to 111th place out of 175 countries ranked worldwide. It was placed 107th last year.

    "South Africa has slipped mainly because of lower life expectancy due to AIDS, and the drop in [primary education] enrolment rates, again due to HIV/AIDS," UNDP resident representative, John Ohiorhenuan, said in a statement.

    He called for a critical look at the effectiveness of some of the government's policies.

    Local AIDS activists and medical experts have criticised the government for the lack of a national treatment plan, despite government insistence that existing HIV/AIDS strategies were successful.

    Access the full report at:
    http://www.undp.org/hdr2003/

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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