DEVELOPMENT REPORT - UN Urges More Aid for Women's Health

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - UN Urges More Aid for Women's Health
By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, September 06, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

The United Nations says that developing nations have made great improvements in reproductive health and women's rights. But it says that rich counties have given only half of the six thousand million dollars they promised for these goals ten years ago.

The head of the U-N Population Fund made the announcement last week in London, England. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid spoke² at a conference of non-governmental organizations. The meetings examined progress to improve reproductive health around the world by two thousand fifteen.

The meetings observed the tenth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt. At that time, one hundred seventy-nine countries agreed to a U-N plan of action to improve women's health, education and rights.

Mizz Obaid says a new study by the U-N Population Fund shows that twenty-three countries have made the most progress toward improving the reproductive health of women. They include Zambia, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Nepal and the Philippines. But, Mizz Obaid says there has been little progress toward reaching other goals set ten years ago. The number of women who die during pregnancy³ and childbirth remains⁴ high. In addition, the spread of AIDS and the H-I-V virus is now affecting more women and children than ever before.

The report studied one hundred thirty-three countries with populations over one million. Researchers examined national rates of death among mothers and babies, number of children, national policies to end pregnancies⁵, and the average number of children with H-I-V or AIDS infections. Portugal, Kuwait, the United States, Botswana, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa are among the countries that made little or no progress.

Mizz Obaid identified three important areas for reaching the goals by two thousand fifteen. They are better health for mothers, efforts to fight H-I-V/AIDS and devices to prevent pregnancy and the spread of sexual diseases. Mizz Obaid says the amount of money that rich nations give to pay for such contraceptives has dropped by more than thirty percent. But, she says the need for contraceptives in developing nations will increase forty percent by two thousand fifteen.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Gwen Outen.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

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 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

4 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。

5 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。