VOA标准英语2010年-US Billionaire Gives $100 Million to H

Global financier George Soros will give $100 million to Human Rights Watch.
 

U.S. financier George Soros has made a $100-million matching grant to Human Rights Watch through his New York-based Open Society Foundations.

The global recession has taken a heavy toll¹ on humanitarian² contributions.

That is one reason non-governmental organizations and non-profit groups gathered in New York this week when the Open Society Foundations awarded a $100-million, 10-year matching grant to Human Rights Watch.

Why Human Rights Watch?

"Our purpose is to promote the development of open societies or more open societies - that is, societies where more open points of view can be expressed, the rule of law is observed, minorities are treated fairly," says Aryeh Neier, president of Open Society Foundations.  "Those are the general aims of the foundation."

Neier says that there are many worthy³ NGO's doing important human-rights work around the world.  But his foundation was especially eager to help Human Rights Watch expand its operations. 

 
Courtesy Open Society Foundations
Aryeh Neier, president of Open Society Foundations
 

"Human Rights Watch started as a U.S.-based organization in 1978, and its early activities focused to a significant extent on using the power, purse, and influence of the United States in order to promote human rights in other countries," he says. "Over time, it has evolved in to a global organization, doing research on human rights globally. We wanted to assist Human Rights Watch in going further along those lines."   

Branching out

Human Rights Watch is highly regarded for its research reports that chronicle human-rights abuses in more than 90 countries.  These reports are made available to the media in an effort to shame human-rights violators into stopping their abuse.

In the past, the group has also furnished this information to policy makers⁴, mostly in the United States and Europe.  It has lobbied those governments to use their influence to get offending nations to respect human rights.  But geopolitical power has shifted in recent years, says Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth, and so the focus of his organization must change as well. 

"There are various emerging powers in the global south who are often are the most significant players in their region.  For example, in a place like Zimbabwe, even though the U.S. government or the European Union have very strong human-rights positions, the most important actor is South Africa," says Roth. "If you take a place like Sri Lanka, again the Western governments are very strong about its abysmal⁵ human-rights record. But it is various Asian governments who have more influence. So we would like to open up offices in places like Brazil, South Africa, India, and places that are democracies at home, but which we hope will begin to develop foreign policies that reflect those values in their region."

Economic strategy

One of the most effective ways for friendly governments to exert their influence, adds Roth, is with direct or indirect economic threats, and so Human Rights Watch is working in this area as well.

He says one of the most effective ways for friendly governments to exert their influence is with direct or indirect economic threats, and so Human Rights Watch is working in this area as well. 

For example, Roth says the group might suggest to a friendly government that the next time it considers an arms sale to an abusive government, that the deal be conditional⁶ on an end to summary executions.  Or Human Rights Watch might advise a national leader to withhold⁷ an economic aid package to a rogue⁸ nation's military or police force until it stops all torture practices.

Billionaire financier George Soros, who created the Open Society Foundations, is both confident and hopeful that Human Rights Watch can meet these goals.  He says human rights underpin⁹ America's greatest aspirations¹⁰.

Soros said human rights are at the heart of open societies, adding that the gift is from his heart and that Human Rights Watch is one of the most effective organizations he supports.  

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

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 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 abysmal   

adj.无底的，深不可测的，极深的；糟透的，极坏的；完全的

参考例句：

• The film was so abysmal that I fell asleep.电影太糟糕，看得我睡着了。
• There is a historic explanation for the abysmal state of Chinese cuisine in the United States.中餐在美国的糟糕状态可以从历史上找原因。

6 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

7 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

8 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

9 underpin   

v.加固，支撑

参考例句：

• China needs regional stability to underpin its continued economic growth.中国需要地区稳定来巩固其持续的经济增长。
• These developments are underpinned by solid progress in heavy industry.重工业的稳固发展为这些进展打下了基础。

10 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。