2007年VOA标准英语-New Secretary-General Pledges Stronger UN Role

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
08 January 2007

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has pledged to strengthen the world body's role in stopping wars and keeping peace. VOA's correspondent at the U.N. Peter Heinlein reports on Mr. Ban's first speech to the Security Council since taking office last week.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (file photo)

Mr. Ban told the 15-member Council that the demand for U.N. peacekeeping and mediation¹ services is at an all-time high. He noted² that the world body has 18 peacekeeping missions, most of them in Africa, with 100,000 employees, and more being added.

He said he would work to streamline³ U.N. efforts to enforce peace and strengthen post-conflict societies.

"I will make it my priority to strengthen the U.N.'s ability to play its role to the fullest extent in conflict prevention, peace-making, peacekeeping and peacebuilding," he said.

Speaking days after fresh revelations about sexual abuse among U.N. peacekeepers, Mr. Ban said the world body would have to find ways to do better.

"To meet the growing demands of globalized operations, we must identify ways and means to build a staff which is truly mobile, multi-functional and accountable - and which lives up to the highest ethical⁴ and professional standards," he said.

Acting⁵ U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Alejandro Wolff also addressed the Council's first formal session of the year. He warned of the growing threat to peacekeeping and peacemaking efforts from al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.

"Only last week, al-Qaida issued an explicit⁶ threat against the United Nations and its peacekeepers overseas," he said. "We know that terrorists still work to kill innocent civilians⁷ around the world, and this body has a responsibility to meet these threats with unity⁸ of purpose and clear resolve."

In a related development, U.N. officials say Secretary-General Ban will name an American diplomat⁹ to the world body's top political post. Sources close to Mr. Ban say U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe is likely to be appointed Undersecretary General for Political Affairs, with some additional responsibilities in the field of peacekeeping.

The political affairs job had long been held by British diplomats¹⁰, but is currently held by former Nigerian foreign minister Ibrahim Gambari.

The expansion of Pascoe's responsibilities is seen as part of the effort to reorganize the rapidly expanding peacekeeping operations. The current undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, Frenchman Jean-Marie Guehenno, is expected to stay on. But a new position may be created to handle the growing workload¹¹. That post is expected to go to Japan.

The United States and Japan pay roughly 45 percent of the total U.N. peacekeeping bill. There have been regular calls in Washington and Tokyo for more efficiency and a greater say in how the peacekeeping budget is spent.

1 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

4 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

9 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

10 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。