The United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS on Friday praised former South African president Nelson Mandela for publicly acknowledging his son Makgatho died of AIDS.

Makgatho died in Johannesburg on Thursday and Mandela made a formal announcement, coupled with a plea for openness on the disease, later in the day.

UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said in a statement issued from Geneva "Mr. Mandela's public acknowledgment that his son ... died from an AIDS-related illness is a demonstration of the practical leadership that Mr. Mandela gives to the international efforts to fight stigma and discrimination."

He said Mandela continued to be an icon in the struggle against HIV/AIDS through his "unwavering and outspoken" stance on stigma and discrimination toward those living with and affected by the epidemic.

Piot said Mandela was one of the many southern African leaders, including his wife Graca Machel, former home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi and former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda, who had openly acknowledged the impact of HIV/AIDS on their own families.

He said UNAIDS joined the rest of the world in conveying its deepest sympathies to Mandela and his family.

(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2005)