Development Report - Ann Veneman, U.S. Agriculture Chief, No

Development Report - Ann Veneman, U.S. Agriculture Chief, Nominated to Lead UNICEF
By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, January 24, 2005

This is Phoebe Zimmermann with the VOA Special English Development Report.

 
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United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has nominated Ann Veneman to head UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency. Miz Veneman is leaving office as United States agriculture secretary. UNICEF directors must confirm her to replace Carol Bellamy as executive director. Miz Bellamy leaves in April after two five-year terms.

An American has always led the agency. The United States is the biggest financial supporter of UNICEF. But the Bush administration and the U.N. disagree about policies on reproductive health and sex education.

Last week, at a news conference, reporters asked Ann Veneman about her position on these issues. She said she does not believe that these or any other "social issues," as she called them, are part of the job of UNICEF. She said her main concerns will be to help children especially in the areas of education and health, and to deal with hunger issues.

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund was created in nineteen forty-six to help children survive after World War Two. Today, it leads human rights campaigns, educational programs and other efforts around the world.

Ann Veneman is a lawyer who grew up on a farm. She is an expert on agriculture, international marketing³ and food aid. She resigned as agriculture secretary to President Bush after his re-election.

Miz Veneman said she would try to help the U.N. work toward its Millennium⁴ Development Goals. Five years ago, U.N. members agreed to make an effort to reduce the number of hungry and extremely poor in the world by half. The goal is to do this by two thousand fifteen. Other goals are to stop the spread of AIDS and malaria⁵, and to provide education to all children.

But a new U.N. report says the Millennium Development Goals will not be reached without more money. More than two hundred experts prepared the report. They urge rich nations to increase their development aid by one hundred percent over the next ten years.

The plan calls on twenty-two countries to give almost fifty thousand million dollars more for next year than currently promised. The United States would be asked to give about forty percent of that additional aid.

World leaders will discuss the report at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. I'm Phoebe Zimmermann.

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 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 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。

5 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。