VOA标准英语2010年-New Report Calls for Healthier, Safer,

Joe DeCapua 22 March 2010

A new report says the United States can advance its interests around the world by investing in a strategic global health policy.  It says besides saving lives, a new policy could bolster¹ national security and build new partnerships².

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan Washington think tank, published the report: A Healthier, Safer and More Prosperous World.

It’s based on the recommendations of a commission that includes health and business leaders and members of Congress, media foundations and others.

Stephen Morrison is director of the CSIS Center on Global Health Policy.

He says, “We formed this commission in April of last year because we felt there was a need to look strategically and long term at what the U.S. approach on global health should be.  This is an area where the United States had made major achievements in the last decade.  It is an area that has enjoyed very strong bipartisan support.  And we’re in a period of transition and it would be important to have a smart strategic long-term strategy.”

But what is a smart strategy?

“What we mean by that is using all U.S. assets to full advantage.  And that means both soft and hard power to advance U.S. national interests.  And when we talk about global health and a smart approach, what we mean by that is that this is an area of U.S. investment that has multiple payoffs,” he says.

 

He says those payoffs include better health for the world’s population, stronger economic growth and political stability.  What’s more, he says, it “enhances America’s standing³ in the world.”  In other words, it’s good diplomacy⁴.

“It’s very much an instrument of foreign policy and it should be seen as such. It’s not purely⁵ a humanitarian⁶ endeavor.  But clearly, the objective of saving lives and enhancing lives is the lead and core element, but it’s not the only element,” he says.

A strategic international health policy can also balance the view of the United States being a superpower.

“You could make that argument in the sense that it is an instrument on the softer side of our toolbox that is very, very effective, exceptionally effective,” he says.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies report makes five recommendations.

“First,” says Morrison, “the U.S. government needs to stay the course, continue a trajectory⁷ of growth on HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria⁸.  These are the bedrock.  These are the foundation for U.S. programmatic successes up till now and we need to sustain those.”

The second recommendation is to make women and children a priority in global health efforts.  The report says there’s been “considerable neglect” on the issue over the past few decades.

“There’s a really unconscionable record of high mortality, disability, morbidity⁹ associated for both children and for mothers,” says Morrison.

Other recommendations include strengthening U.S. capability¹⁰ to deal with emerging threats, such as a pandemic flu; and making good investments in multilateral institutions, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

It also places an emphasis on the prevention of tobacco and alcohol abuse.

The report calls for the creation of a new deputy adviser¹¹ on the National Security Council, who would be a link between the president and agencies carrying out international health policies.

Many groups have called on the Obama administration to boost spending for HIV/AIDS and other health issues.  They describe current U.S. spending as flat during the economic slowdown.  However, the director of the CSIS Center on Global Health Policy does not share that view.

“Well I disagree that there’s flat funding.  This budget request that’s been put forward by this administration in its first true budget for 2011 calls for an increase from $6.8 billion to $7.5 billion.  And that’s a substantial increase.  It’s over 8 percent,” he says.

The CSIS panel was co-chaired by retired¹² U.S. Admiral William Fallon and Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE.

 

1 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

5 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

6 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。

7 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

8 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。

9 morbidity   

n.病态；不健全；发病；发病率

参考例句：

• MC's also significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality induced by honeybee venom. 肥大细胞同样也能显著降低蜜蜂毒液诱发疾病的发病率和死亡率。 来自互联网
• The result shows that incidence of myopia morbidity is 44.84%. 结果表明：近视眼的发病率为44.84%。 来自互联网

10 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

11 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。