VOA标准英语2009年-Women Seek Voice In Climate Treaty

Humanitarian¹ organization pushes for gender² equality at the Copenhagen conference on climate change

Frances Alonzo 11 December 2009
 

Women in a flood-prone community in Gaibandha, Bangladesh, gather once a week to share ideas about how to adapt to worsening climate and rising seas

 

Women Central to Efforts to Deal With Climate Change, Says New UNFPA Report
"It's not just about nice words...we know that empowering women means effective change.” - Christina Chan, CARE
One of the world's largest private international humanitarian organizations wants to ensure women have a major say in any climate change agreement.

CARE, with anti-poverty programs in 65countries worldwide, has negotiators in Copenhagen pushing to give women equality all levels of policy-making leading to a final treaty.

"We know that empowering women means effective change,” says Christina Chan, a CARE senior policy analyst³. She says gender balance is needed from the local levels, all the way up to global policy making.

Seeking More Than Lip Service

"Some countries want that text eliminated," says Chan, referring to treaty language that would ensure a central role for women a role in decision-making processes. "Leaving it out," she adds, "could mean that adaptation money is not spent on things that make a difference in the lives of people most affected⁴ by climate change." 

And it's not just about including nice words to appease⁵ women.  Chan says specific language is critical. "It matters how money is allocated,  how it’s targeted, when it’s targeted, and that it’s targeted effectively."

CARE Says Role For Women Critical

Chan says the evidence showing the need for action is clear.  She cites a recent United Nations Population Fund report that shows women in poor, less developed countries are bearing the brunt of climate change.  The report says women are the most at risk because of traditional roles of tending to the family, cooking, collecting water and farming.

Chan says that CARE has been imploring⁶ delegates to not to forget the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world. She says the current negotiating text that parties are working on does include gender equality in the language.

Governments Divided On Addressing Gender Issue

Chan adds that the governments of Lesotho and Denmark have highlighted the need for more female posts under the convention as well as the treaty addressing the needs and rights of women. 

CARES says other countries supporting the language include Finland, Equador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Iceland, Norway, as well as the European Union and a large block of African nations.

The United States has been noticeably absent on the subject of including gender equality in the negotiating text of the climate treaty. But Kate Gordon, an energy policy expert at the Center for American Progress, says the Obama administration committed to the issue.

“I don’t think the U.S. has taken a formal position," says Gorden. "But we know that Secretary (Hillary) Clinton both historically and in her current position is very focused on the central role of women in global issues and in foreign policy.” 

Critics may question the need for gender-based language in the treaty.  But Gordon agrees women will bear the impact of climate change policies and need to have a say in what that impact will be. "I think that it would a travesty⁷ not to have them at some central place in the decision-making process,” says Gordon.
 

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 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

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 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

6 imploring   

恳求的，哀求的

参考例句：

• Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的，没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。
• She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。

7 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。