VOA常速英语2007-UNICEF Says Insecurity in Afghanistan Threatens

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
25 October 2007

A U.N. new report warns the recent upsurge of violence in Afghanistan is threatening the progress made in the welfare of women and children since the fall of the Taliban. The U.N. Children's Fund also raises concern about what it sees as slipping support for Afghanistan by the international community. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the launch of the UNICEF Child Alert Afghanistan report in Geneva.

Now, UNICEF says the Taliban is gone and six million children are going to school.  It calls this a remarkable¹ achievement, but says it is not without risk. 

Martin Bell is author of the report and UNICEF U.K. ambassador for humanitarian² emergencies.  He says in the first six months of this year, 44 schools were closed either because of direct attacks or intimidation³ of parents and children.

Despite the difficulties and the dangers, he says Afghan people are committed to giving their children an education and will, at times, go to extraordinary lengths to see this happen. 

"There is one in particular, a fortified⁴ village near Herat," Bell said. "A community-based school started by the parents.  It keeps going in spite of a degree of instability, in spite of the fact that teachers are not being paid, the textbooks are very few.  We have a situation in Afghanistan where all the investment and the help coming from as many as 70 countries is felt right down at the classroom level."

UNICEF says a survey by the U.S. Johns Hopkins University indicates that infant mortality rates have fallen from 250 per 1,000 to 191 per 1,000. 

Despite the ongoing⁵ war, it says thousands of volunteer health workers traveled throughout the country and immunized hundreds of thousands of children against polio. 

UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, Catherine Mbengue, notes these and other improvements were made during time of conflict and not during a time of peace when so much more could be achieved. 

While this is good news, she says Afghanistan has immense needs in every aspect of its social and economic life. 

"We need to extend health infrastructure," Mbengue said. "We need to train more teachers, particularly female if we want to attract girls to school.  We need to have midwives if we have to tackle the incredible high maternal⁶ mortality of Afghanistan.  We need to do all this.  This is not the time to forget the children of Afghanistan, the women of Afghanistan." 

UNICEF says Afghanistan has many serious problems to address.  It says the country is in a fragile state and needs the continued support and attention of the international community. 

It says this is not the time for donor⁷ countries to turn their backs on the children and on the women and men who are trying to create a better future for them. 

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 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。

3 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

4 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

7 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。