The world witnessed a surge in new HIV infections in 2023, with 1.3 million new cases reported globally, according to a report released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva on Tuesday.
Released ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1, the report stressed the urgent need for global action to combat the rising tide of HIV infections.
A staggering 630,000 individuals succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses globally in 2023, the report showed. It further revealed that approximately 39.9 million people are currently living with HIV, a concerning increase of 900,000 from the previous year. Alarmingly, 9.3 million of of those affected by HIV are still denied access to life-saving treatment.
The report emphasized the urgent need to protect vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls, from disproportionately high infection rates. Around 570 young women and girls aged 15 to 24 acquired HIV every day in 2023.
On the same day, UNAIDS officials held a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York to unveil the findings of the report. Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, stressed the urgent need to intensify the global fight against AIDS.
"In 28 countries, the number of new HIV infections is on the rise, and of the nearly 40 million people living with HIV, 9.3 million people are still in need of treatment," she said.
Achrekar underscored that human rights abuses, such as denying women access to education and tolerating gender-based violence, hinder HIV prevention efforts and contribute to the alarming rise in HIV infections.
"Today, 1.3 million people around the world acquire HIV and AIDS. This is three times higher than the 2025 target that the globe is set to achieve, that's 4,000 new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women just in a week," she said.
"Adolescent girls and young women, key populations, children, for example, these are the populations that are hardest to reach and hardest to find," she added.
Global HIV infections rise by 1.3 million in 2023: UN
A 25 percent import tariff on all foreign-built vehicles entering the United States has raised serious concerns for manufacturers in South Africa.
Automotive giants like Mercedes and BMW have long used South Africa as a base for global exports -- but those plans may be shifting into reverse gear after the U.S. announced the punitive measures.
"If you take, for example, BMW, 97 percent of the X3 that we are producing in Rosslyn is exported out of the country. We only sell 3 percent in South Africa, and there's a huge number of those vehicles that also go into the U.S. So there are companies in South Africa that are purely here not because they are selling vehicles in South Africa; they are here to produce vehicles for the global market, and it's important for them to remain globally competitive," said Mike Mabasa, CEO of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
U.S. automaker Ford, which has deep roots in South Africa, is also in the crosshairs.
The company recently invested over 300 million U.S. dollars to upgrade its Silverton plant in Pretoria, South Africa, for the production of the world's only plug-in hybrid Ranger, which has just entered production but could face delays or restrictions.
"If an American citizen wants to buy specifically a Ford Ranger that is a plug-in hybrid, they can only place an order in South Africa, nowhere else in the world. So, that means, obviously, the capacity of Ford to be able to produce those vehicles in big volumes is going to be constrained, because Americans are going be looking at another Ford that is produced in another country, or even in the United States," said Mabasa.
South Africa has long enjoyed duty-free automotive exports to the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, but that relationship now hangs in the balance.
A sharp shift in U.S. foreign policy threatens to derail an industry that employs thousands and contributes around 5 percent to the country's economy.
"We produce less than 1 percent of global automotive vehicles, so to say. So, in reality, the impact on us is likely to be more disproportionate than those of our peers that produce at the same level. And the risk is actually created -- a concentration risk -- in countries that have greater capacity and are building more; in those countries will be able to absorb some of this," said Parks Tau, South Africa's minister of trade and industry.
Amid growing concerns about overreliance on the U.S. market, Amith Singh, national manager for manufacturing at Nedbank Commercial Bank, emphasized the importance of tapping into regional trade opportunities.
"I think we need to make better use of some of our local agreements, our African continental agreements. How do we leverage that? How do we partner with the government and private sector to start benefiting the countries and the economies aside from the United States? So, those could be the catalyst to drive our localization projects; it could be what we need to drive the African economy as opposed to being completely reliant on the States (United States)," he said.
South Africa is for now standing firm in its decision not to retaliate against steep U.S. import tariffs, set to take effect in just a few days.
Officials in Pretoria acknowledge the challenges posed by the current U.S. administration but are pursuing a diplomatic approach in hopes of maintaining stable relations and preserving the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
US tariffs rock South Africa’s auto industry
