HARARE, Aug. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Human development in Zimbabwe has declined by 12 percent in the past five years, leading to a 21 percent increase in poverty and 26 years decline in life expectancy during the same period, according to Zimbabwe's Sunday Mail on Sunday.

    It said that the findings in the Zimbabwe Human Development Report 2003 recently launched by Zimbabwean Minister of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Paul Mangwana show that the negative impact of the AIDS pandemic has to a large extent, causedby a fall in human development, life expectancy and incomes.

    Human development is measured by assessing performance based onincome, health expectancy and educational attainment, which has been declining between 1995 and 2001.

    The fall in human development resulted in the increase of poverty, with Matabeleland North province experiencing the highestincrease of poverty.

    Life expectancy also fell in all provinces by an average of 26 years.

    A newly born Zimbabwean baby in 2001 is expected to survive 14 years less than a child born in 1995.

    A four percent fall in real expenditure between 1995 and 2001 also contributed to the general fall in human development.

    Surprisingly, provinces that registered highest income levels were observed to have the highest poverty levels.

    High incomes were associated with transactional and commercial sex. The fact that poverty causes susceptibility and vulnerabilityto HIV and AIDS is no longer disputed.

    Six border provinces - Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Manicaland, Masvingo, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central in that order - registered increases in real incomes mainly because of a lot of cross-border trading.

    There was a lot of foreign currency dealing and cross-border trading at the border posts, hence the increase in incomes.

    Matabeleland, which recorded the highest incomes, is known as the hub of tourism and there is a lot of foreign currency exchanged at parallel market rates. Enditem