2007年VOA标准英语-UN: Sub-Saharan Africa Not on Track to Reduce P

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
14 September 2007

United Nations and development officials say sub-Saharan Africa will not be able to meet U.N. Millennium¹ Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing extreme poverty and improving health by 2015 without immediate² action. From U.N. headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon chaired the inaugural³ meeting of the Africa Steering⁴ Group Friday. The meeting brought together leaders from top development agencies including the World Bank and International Monetary⁵ Fund, as well as the African Development Bank to address why Africa is failing to make progress.

Halfway⁶ to the 2015 deadline, Secretary-General Ban says he is worried.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

"We are concerned that many African countries are off track," he said.  "Particularly for the countries in sub-Saharan regions. That is the only region in the world where not even a single country is on track. We must help those countries so they will get on track. We need to have balanced development by the time we reach 2015."

African Union Commissioner⁷ for Economic Affairs Maxwell Mkwezalamba, says one way of achieving that is for international donors⁸ to make good on pledges made at earlier conferences to increase assistance to Africa to 50 billion dollars annually⁹.

"International support has not been as forthcoming as promised, and this has been one of our major concerns. You look at the commitments made since Monterey [Mexico] in 2002 and Glen Eagles [G-8] summit in 2005, and we find that there is not much that has come to Africa. This indeed is something that needs to be addressed if Africa is to attain¹⁰ MDGs by target date of 2015," he said.

The Steering Group says it is vital for African governments to know how much aid they can count on so they can allocate¹¹ it to such millennium development goals as eradicating¹² hunger and poverty, reducing child mortality, and combating HIV/AIDs, malaria¹³ and other diseases.

European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian¹⁴ Aid Louis Michel says the type of assistance is also very important.

"We have a special focus for aid-for-trade," he explained.  "There cannot be sustainable development in the developing countries without a very strong support of trade. Because trade can of course bring prosperity and jobs, and also give to the states the means they need in order to bring the basic services to the people and to help the people."

While the Steering Group finds Africa's lack of progress alarming, it says it can be turned around in time to meet the 2015 target.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick points to the progress Mozambique has made in lowering infant mortality rates, enrolling¹⁵ more children in primary school and increasing public spending on health, education, agriculture and infrastructure¹⁶ projects.

"One can see very clearly that with the right leadership, the right programs and the right support you can really be quite successful, as Mozambique has been," he noted¹⁷.

While sub-Saharan Africa has had the least success in meeting these goals, the United Nations says Asia has seen the fastest progress. Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa have had mixed results.

1 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

4 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

5 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

7 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

8 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

10 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

11 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。

12 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

13 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

14 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

15 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

16 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

17 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。