2006年VOA标准英语-UN Humanitarian Official Says Aid Going to

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
02 May 2006

A drying corn stalk in one of many farms in Adinefas in southern Eritrea  
  

The U.N. humanitarian¹ representative for the Horn of Africa says Eritrea's government is holding onto almost 100,000 tons of donated relief food, some of which is rotting as people go hungry.   Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi the U.N. official has wrapped up a five-nation tour of drought-stricken East Africa. 

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Kjell Bondevik told reporters in Nairobi the Eritrean government's policy of limiting the amount of foreign food aid as a way of encouraging self-reliance is good in theory, and that with time and proper planning, could go far in improving Eritrea's food security situation.

But Bondevik says he is concerned about existing food aid that appears to be going to waste as the drought continues in the tiny Horn of Africa country.

"We are talking about 90-thousand tons in concrete warehouses²," Bondevik says.  "Some of this food is more fresh, more new, than other parts of it, but we are concerned, and therefore I raised it.  It is a delicate issue.  I was promised a report - we are looking forward to that - about how they (Eritrean government) have integrated these food stocks in the further plans.  The warehouses are closed, and the government has the keys."

Bondevik says the government assured him that the food was being used in its food security programs.

In an earlier interview, Eritrean presidential spokesman Yemane Gebremeskel told VOA international aid efforts must fit in with the government's long-term food security strategy, which includes implementing⁴ water conservation, improving farming methods, and modernizing⁵ traditional agricultural techniques.

Bondevik made his remarks during a news conference signaling the end of his tour of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya.  He was investigating the drought situation, which the United Nations says directly threatens the lives of more than eight-million people and places more than 15 million people at risk.

The U.N. official says government policies and practices have made the situation worse. 

For instance, in Kenya, some food relief meant for starving Kenyans was diverted by local government officials and sold in the market.

The humanitarian official tells VOA good governance is core to solving the problems of drought and hunger and shares his assessment⁶ of each country's governance challenges.

"Kenya, yes, corruption⁷.  Somalia, for many years without a normal political system," Bondevik says.  "Eritrea, well, rather difficult working conditions for the humanitarian community, but I was welcomed back, that was important in itself.  Let me say about Ethiopia that they have moved quicker, I believe, than some of the other countries in dealing⁸ with food security.  They have developed the safety net program, which seems to work well."

He urged governments to implement³ programs and services to help the region's 25 million farmers and herders cope with the drought.

In early April, the U.N. launched a $443-million appeal to help eight million people affected⁹ by the drought in the Horn of Africa.  To date, donors¹⁰ have pledged about $95 million.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Bondevik as special humanitarian envoy¹¹ in February in response to the recurring¹² drought and food insecurity in the region.

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 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

3 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。

4 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

5 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

6 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 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。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

12 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。