New Human Development Report 2003 Released

On July 8, the 14th annual Human Development Report was released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The 2003 edition's subtitle is "Millennium Development Goals: A Compact Among Nations to End Poverty". According to the report, water supply and sanitation account for three-quarters of aid to the water sector in 1997-2000. Most of this, however, was for large systems. The number of projects drawing on low-cost systems offering the best prospects of increased coverage for poor people – hand-pumps, gravity-fed systems, rainwater collection, latrines – is very small. The report concludes that the composition of aid for water and sanitation has to change. To read the full report, go to www.undp.org/hdr2003.