VOA标准英语2008年-Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation to Honor Huma

A foundation established earlier this year to further the ideals and principles of the late Sergio Vieira de Mello reflects on its goals five years after the former diplomat¹ and 21 of his colleagues were killed in a terrorist attack on the U.N. headquarters in Iraq. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Five years have passed since the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad was bombed. Yet, Sergio Vieira de Mello's widow, Annie, says it is as difficult today as it was then.
　
Annie Vieira de Mello (file)

In an interview with VOA, Annie Vieira de Mello spoke² of the strong idealism of the dashing Brazilian who worked in hotspots from Cambodia to Kosovo and Timor-Leste during his 30-year career with the United Nations.

"I remember my husband...loved life, loved life," she said. "He loved nature. He loved people. He loved so much people. That is what I remember."

Annie Vieira de Mello tells VOA her grief extends to all the victims who have given their lives for the United Nations, to help others. She says they must not be forgotten. She says too often people forget the sacrifices made by humanitarian³ workers every day.

"And the very difficult circumstances under which they have to work sometimes," she said. "I remember too much of my husband working in difficult places and all the stress we had at home every day worrying about the situation, the wars."

De Mello's two sons and a close, former associate of his have created the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation, which aims to complete Sergio's mission and promote his ideals.
　
Sergio Vieira de Mello in 2002

Sergio was known for his efforts to promote understanding in difficult conditions. He held talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat while serving in the U.N. Interim⁴ Forces in Lebanon in the early 1980s, and successfully sought a decade later to help resolve the fate of Vietnamese boat people.

Chair of the Foundation, Anne Willem Bijleveld, tells VOA the Foundation has submitted a resolution to the U.N. General Assembly to declare the 19th of August as The World Humanitarian Day.

"That would be the day to commemorate⁵ all humanitarians⁶, be they from NGOs [non-governmental organizations], the Red Cross, ICRC, the U.N. family, all those who like Sergio and his colleagues in Baghdad gave their lives during their course of duty." she said. "Because there is nothing at the moment for families, for friends to hold on to. And, if we get this accepted, ..then we can use the U.N. system in order not only to have a commemoration in Geneva or New York, but to have it all around the world on the 19th of August."

Bijleveld says the 19th of August should be more than just a commemoration of those who have died. He says he would like to see the day become a celebration of what humanitarians can do to try to make this a better world.

 

1 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。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 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。

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

6 humanitarians   

n.慈善家( humanitarian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finally, humanitarians saw it as a means of helping to feed the hungry of the world. 人道主义者把这一计划看成是为世界上那些忍饥挨饿的人提供粮食的一项措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• All humanitarians fought against slavery. 所有人道主义者都为反对奴隶制而斗争过。 来自互联网