VOA双语新闻 World's First Anti-Tobacco Treaty（在线收听）

The world's first treaty aimed at cutting tobacco-related deaths has come into force. The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control becomes legally binding upon countries that have ratified the landmark agreement.

全球第一个力求减少与香烟有关的死亡的条约《世界卫生组织烟草控制框架公约》开始生效。对正式批准条约的国家来说，这项国际公约具有法律约束力。

The World Health Organization says it believes the Tobacco Convention, the world's first international public health treaty, could save millions of lives. The WHO says tobacco is the second leading cause of preventable deaths globally after hypertension.

世界卫生组织说，他们相信，做为全球第一个国际公共卫生条约，这项烟草控制公约将拯救数百万人的生命。世卫组织说，在全球可预防的死亡原因当中，烟草排名第二，仅次于高血压。

The WHO estimates that nearly five million people die prematurely every year from tobacco-related diseases. If current smoking trends are not reversed, the WHO warns by 2020, tobacco will kill 10 million people a year, 70 percent of them in developing countries.

世卫组织估计，每年有将近500万人因为与烟草有关的疾病而提早结束生命。世卫组织警告说，如果目前吸烟的趋势不变，到2020年每年将有一千万人因此而死，其中70%会在发展中国家。

The coordinator of the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Douglas Bettcher, says the treaty is a tool that, if properly implemented, can curb the global tobacco epidemic.

《世界卫生组织烟草控制框架公约》的协调人道格拉斯·贝彻说，如果这个条约得到适当的贯彻，它将能够遏制全球性的吸烟成灾现象。

"It is an historical moment and we are very confident that this treaty is going to save lives," said Douglas Bettcher. "It has already started off a powerful process globally and we are very confident that it is going to continue to do so and it is going to prove itself as a very effective public health tool to really curb this unacceptable burden of disease and death."

他说：“这是个历史性的时刻，我们充份相信这项条约将拯救生命。条约已经在全球开启了一个很有影响力的进程，我们充份相信这样的影响还会持续。而且条约将自我证明，表明它是一个有效的公共卫生工具，真正能够抑制这种令人无法接受的疾病和死亡负担。”

In all, 167 countries have signed the treaty. But, it is legally binding only for the 57 countries that have ratified it. The treaty sets standards and guidelines for tobacco advertising, pricing and smuggling. It also aims to limit non-smokers' exposure to other people's smoke.

总共有167个国家签署了条约，不过，只有57个 国家已经正式批准条约，烟草控制公约只在这五十几个国家内具有法律约束力。条约订定了有关香烟广告、价格和走私等的标准和准则，同时还保护不吸烟者少受吸烟者的污染。

Anti-tobacco activists are concerned that the treaty will be weakened because powerful countries such as the United States and China have not yet ratified it. However, they point out that some of the largest tobacco growers, such as India, as well as big cigarette-producing countries, such as Britain and Turkey, have become part of the treaty.

反烟活动人士担忧，由于美国和中国等大国尚未批准条约，它的影响力将逐渐减弱。但是他们指出，英国和土耳其等部份主要烟草生产国已经成为执行条约国的一员。

The director of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative, Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva says treaty provisions aim to dissuade children from smoking and helping adults to kick the habit.

“世界卫生组织无烟行动”负责人达·科斯塔说，这个条约的内容包括劝阻儿童吸烟以及协助成人戒烟。

"The ban of advertising so as not to promote smoking propaganda, publicity, sponsorship and promotion," said Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva. "Measures to raise taxes and prices. One of the most important measures that I can describe is the measure that addresses smuggling, which is a big cause of increasing availability of cigarettes with small prices and cigarettes of totally unknown origin."

她说：“广告禁令是为了阻止散播有关吸烟的宣传、公关、赞助和促销，还有一些提高税收和价格的措施。我能想到的其中最重要的措施之一是针对走私而来。目前有越来越多的价格便宜以及来路不明的香烟在市场上流动，走私是其一大原因。”

WHO officials accuse the tobacco industry of trying to subvert the treaty by pressuring countries not to ratify it. Leading tobacco companies, such as British-American Tobacco and Philip Morris, deny these charges. They are on record as saying that they believe the treaty is important and they support it.

世界卫生组织官员指责烟草工业试图向各国政府施压，要各国不要批准条约。主要的烟草公司，例如英美烟草集团以及菲利普·莫里斯公司则否认这一指控。烟草公司的公开立场是，他们相信这项条约非常重要，而且也支持条约。