VOA标准英语2012--Global Fund and Big Business Partner against AIDS

Global Fund and Big Business Partner against AIDS

 

As donor¹ countries tighten² budgets to reduce debt, organizations like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria³ are feeling the effects. The fund announced last November it would not make any new grants until 2014. A recent meeting in Washington brought together U.S. and fund officials, NGOs and big business to discuss the fund’s future.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis⁴ and Malaria is a 10-year-old public / private partnership⁵. It accepts donations from governments, charity groups and major corporations. It has provided nearly $23 billion in grants for more than 1,000 programs in 150 countries.

Corporate⁶ investments in health

Coca-Cola and energy producer Chevron⁷ were among the major corporations taking part in the March 20th panel meeting in Washington, D.C. Chevron was named the first Global Fund Corporate Champion. It invested $30 million for the three-year period between 2008 and 2011 and has pledged another $25 million through 2013.

“Our involvement in AIDS, in particular, goes back 25 years. We’re a San Francisco-headquartered company. So we felt this issue acutely at the outset, not only in our home town, but also other areas we operated in Africa and Angola, where we’ve operated for over 75 years,” said Matt Lonner is manager of Chevron’s Global Partnerships⁸ Programs.

Some of the first AIDS cases in the United States were reported in San Francisco more than 30 years ago.

Lonner said for Chevron, good health is good business.

“It wasn’t just an issue that’s personal, but it’s certainly a business issue as well. It affects our employees, our workforce⁹, their families. So we have a very close connection to some of these most intractable diseases,” he said.

Chevron nearly has 60,000 employees worldwide.

Round 11 knockout

The cancellation¹⁰ of the funding cycle known as Round 11 has raised concerns among healthcare and treatment providers and patients. The worldwide recession struck just as major advancements¹¹ had been made using antiretroviral therapy as a prevention method. Also, there was encouraging news regarding vaccine¹² research and microbicides.

Lonner said, “I think that the global economy’s obviously affected¹³ funding from donor governments, who obviously have competing priorities, but we think these pandemics are important ones.”

He added contributions from corporations like Chevron and Coca-Cola could set an example in tough economic times.

“The private sector¹⁴ I believe brings credibility to these issues. When national governments see the private sector, which is inherently bottom line-oriented, make these kind of investments I would hope that it encourages national governments to take the same step and make the commitments to address issues in their own countries and in countries in need. The private sector collectively can make a significant impact, but still can’t come close to touching¹⁵ the scale of national governments,” he said.

When the global recession began, those providing treatment and prevention for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria were told to be more efficient, to do more with less.

The Chevron official said it’s important for programs to be innovative¹⁶.

“Programs like our workplace wellness program, train the trainer programs – these are not high cost programs. But they do require boots on the ground. You have to do more than write a check. You have to mobilize and activate¹⁷ the kind of human capital in communities where we operate. That’s why we tend to focus our social investments in communities where we have a presence. We have very talented medical professionals that run our own health clinics for our employees that are actively¹⁸ involved in helping¹⁹ to partner with local organizations to build capacity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has formed a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide antiretroviral treatment in developing countries. Coke is also working with RED, a campaign to raise money for health programs through the sale of certain brand name items. It’s estimated the campaign has raised nearly $200 million for global fund programs in Africa.

1 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

2 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

3 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

4 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 chevron   

n.V形臂章；V形图案

参考例句：

• He wore shoulderstrap rank slides with sergeant's chevrons.他佩戴标示级别的肩章，上面有中士的V形标志。
• The chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.V形或箭头路标表示有向左或向右的急转弯。

8 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

9 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

10 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。

11 advancements   

n.（级别的）晋升( advancement的名词复数 )；前进；进展；促进

参考例句：

• Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来，人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网

12 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

13 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。

14 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

15 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

16 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

17 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

18 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

19 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。