DEVELOPMENT REPORT - World Bank and I.M.F. Approve Debt Reli

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - World Bank and I.M.F. Approve Debt Relief for Poor Nations
By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, October 03, 2005

I'm Jim Tedder² with the VOA Special English Development Report.

 
IMF Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato, left, and Gordon Brown, Britain's Chancellor³ of the Exchequer⁴, right, at IMF Headquarters in Washington on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Finance ministers of one hundred eighty-four countries have accepted a plan to cancel the debts of some of the world's poorest nations. The plan forgives one hundred percent of debts owed to the World Bank, International Monetary⁵ Fund and African Development Bank.

The policymaking committees of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund approved the plan during meetings in Washington.

Leaders of the industrial nations in the Group of Eight agreed on the plan when they met in July in Scotland. The United States is joined in the G-Eight by Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

The leaders agreed to cancel about forty thousand million dollars in debt owed by eighteen nations. Most are in Africa. Four are in Latin America. Up to twenty more countries could also be approved for debt forgiveness if they, too, meet conditions. If so, this would increase the total amount of debt cancellation⁶ to fifty-five thousand million dollars.

The boards of directors of the World Bank and I.M.F. are expected to act quickly on final approval of the plan. The two lenders first proposed in nineteen ninety-six to cancel the debts of highly indebted poor countries.

The plan will save the eighteen countries about one thousand million dollars a year in debt repayments⁷. Officials want the countries to use the money for education and health care and to fight poverty.

Anti-poverty groups praised the agreement. But some countries said it might leave the World Bank with limited resources to provide new aid for developing nations.

To answer these concerns, G-Eight finance ministers sent a letter to World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz before the meetings. The ministers promised more money in the future to "cover the full cost" of the lost repayments.

G-Eight leaders, when they met in July, promised big increases in their development aid in the next five years.

Mister Wolfowitz says the next step now is to complete a world trade agreement that helps developing countries. Ministers of the World Trade Organization will try again to finish their negotiations⁸ when they meet in Hong Kong in December. Talks on a new trade agreement began in Qatar in two thousand one.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.  I'm Jim Tedder.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

3 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

4 exchequer   

n.财政部；国库

参考例句：

• In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with taxes and government spending.英国的财政大臣负责税务和政府的开支。
• This resulted in a considerable loss to the exchequer.这使国库遭受了重大损失。

5 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

7 repayments   

偿还，报答，偿付的钱物( repayment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The repayments of the loan are spread over 10 years. 贷款可在十年内分期偿还。
• The repayments of the loan are spread over 25 years. 这笔贷款分摊二十五年偿还。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。