VOA新闻杂志2022--埃塞俄比亚政府称世卫组织总干事对提格雷地区的评论“不道德”

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Ethiopia Calls WHO Chief's Comments on Tigray ‘Unethical’

Ethiopia's government is criticizing a statement by the leader of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

On Wednesday, the WHO director-general said the crisis in the Ethiopia's Tigray area is "the worst disaster on Earth." He suggested that world leaders might be ignoring the situation because of Tigrayans' "skin color."

A spokeswoman for Ethiopia's prime minister on Thursday described Tedros's comments as unethical and "unbecoming of such a high-profile position."

The spokeswoman said the WHO chief, himself an ethnic² Tigrayan, should recuse himself from his position if he wants to talk that way.

Tedros had given an emotional statement at a press conference. He told reporters that the 6 million people in Tigray have been "under siege" for the last 21 months after fighting began between Ethiopian and Tigray forces.

"I haven't heard in the last few months any head of state talking about the Tigray situation anywhere in the developed world. Anywhere. Why?" Tedros asked. "Maybe the reason is the color of the skin of the people in Tigray," he said.

Earlier this year, Tedros asked whether the world's major focus on Russia's war in Ukraine was based in racism³. However, he also noted⁴ that the Ukraine situation affected⁵ much of the world.

Very little humanitarian⁶ aid was permitted into Tigray after Tigrayan forces retook much of the area in June 2021. Humanitarian workers and local health providers described people there starving to death and a severe need of medical supplies.

Aid started flowing more in the past few months with international efforts. However, the deliveries are widely described as inadequate⁷ to meet the needs of the millions of people trapped by the conflict. Aid groups say major shortages of fuel remain, limiting the transportation of supplies.

Tigrayan leaders continue to demand the return of basic services and banking⁸. On Thursday, the prime minister's spokeswoman said "an operable environment needs to happen" for the return of those services. She said safety guarantees are needed for service workers in the area.

She noted a government proposal for "peace talks in the coming weeks," to be held without preconditions. She accused the Tigrayan leaders of "looking for excuses to avoid these peace talks."

She also dismissed reports from Tigrayan forces of new attacks by Ethiopian forces.

Ethiopia's government has said it is willing to hold talks "any time, any place." But, it said such discussions must be led by the special diplomat⁹ for the African Union.

Words in This Story

unethical –adj. morally bad, not ethical¹

unbecoming – v. (formal) not acceptable for a person in a particular job or position

recuse –v. (legal) to disqualify (oneself or another) for a legal proceeding¹⁰ because of a real or apparent conflict of interest

focus –n. a main purpose or interest

delivery –n. the act of taking something to a person or place

inadequate –adj. not good enough for a purpose

1 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 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。

6 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。

7 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

8 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

9 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

10 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。