VOA标准英语2010年-UN: Somalia Faces Growing Needs Amid I

A Somali woman holds her malnourished child at Banadir hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, 26 Aug 2009 (file photo)

Marking World Humanitarian¹ Day, the United Nations said Somalia remains² one of the neediest countries in the world, but increasing security, operational, and funding challenges have hampered³ the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance this year in some parts of the country.

 

U.N. officials in the Kenyan capital paid tribute Thursday to humanitarian aid workers in Somalia, describing them as heroes who risk their lives to deliver aid to millions of Somalis affected⁴ by both conflict and natural disasters.

The U.N. Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator⁵ for Somalia, Mark Bowden, says while the humanitarian crisis in Somalia remains one of the worst in the world, the ability of aid workers to access people who need assistance is shrinking.  He says the situation is particularly worrisome in south-central regions, where Somalia's al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab has overwhelming control and influence. 

"Parts of Somalia are very difficult to get to," said Bowden.  "Agencies, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) find it difficult and dangerous to work in parts of Mogadishu, for example.  Aid workers have been targeted."

In the past two years, dozens of aid workers - mostly Somali - have been killed or kidnapped by armed insurgent⁶ groups.  Numerous humanitarian organizations, including the U.N.'s World Food Program, have been forced to shut down or suspend operations because of threats and attacks.

Maulid Warfa, a Somali aid worker working for the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, told VOA that even in communities where aid is welcomed, it is not easy to reach needy⁷ populations.

"Out of my 18 years of experience in Somalia, I have never had difficulties with the communities as such," said Warfa.  "But often, challenges come from warring groups, warlords, freelance militias⁸, and others we call 'gatekeepers,' who want you to come through them before you get to the most needy people."

This year, the U.N.'s office for the Coordination⁹ of Humanitarian Affairs also had to contend with reduced humanitarian funding for Somalia, due in part to donor¹⁰ concerns over a U.N. report released earlier this year that accused the World Food Program of diverting up to half the aid for Somalia to corrupt¹¹ contractors¹², Islamist extremists, and local U.N. workers.

Bowden says U.N. agencies are working to develop and implement¹³ new and better ways of providing humanitarian assistance in Somalia.

"We are putting more emphasis on employment generation," said Bowden.  "We have also introduced new mechanisms¹⁴ of greater accountability and transparency about how aid is given.  I hope that next year, we can address need more effectively than we have done this year, both in terms of improving access and in terms of the financial support we get for humanitarian assistance."

The United Nations says despite challenges, aid workers delivered food to 340,000 people in Mogadishu and nearly two million others throughout Somalia in the first six months of this year.

 

1 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。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

6 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

7 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

8 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

9 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

10 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

11 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

12 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

14 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》