2015年CRI 联合国中国维和部队加强平民保护

 

This year marks the 25th anniversary since China started contributing peacekeepers to United Nations peacekeeping missions across the globe.

Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic surge in the number of Chinese peacekeepers going abroad, with over 2-thouand troops, police officers and military observers deployed¹ in ten different peacekeeping operations in North and sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Cyprus.

China is currently the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

China's contributions to UN peacekeeping forces have been primarily engineers and medical staff building infrastructure³ and providing healthcare, rather than engaging in military activities.

However, Chinese authorities want to expand the scope of their on-the-ground operations to better protect civilians⁴.

A new training program, launched in collaboration⁶ with the United Nations Women's Program, is giving a group of Chinese peacekeepers a chance to sharpen their skills on mitigating⁷ sexual violence, child protection and their understanding of the UN guidelines on the protection of civilians.

Zhou Zhe, Director of China's Peacekeeping Centre with the Ministry⁸ of Defense⁹ says protecting people in conflict zones is very challenging.

"In some situations, militants¹⁰ or combatants may hide their weapons and don civilian⁵ attire¹¹ and hide in civilian areas. If we inadvertently protect such people, there is a risk that we might also get pulled into the conflict."

Cai Hui is a senior instructor¹² at the peacekeeping center who has served on three-separate UN peacekeeping missions in the Democratic republic of Congo.

He says peacekeepers under the UN flag are often tasked with various duties.

"Our mission was to construct the damaged bridges and the roads in Congo. Also some quick impact projects – we helped to restore the airfields¹³ and helipads One important task was also to help the locals to build some IDP camps because many of them are displaced, they have no place to go. So that is our priority task."

The number of fatal attacks on UN peacekeepers has been rising in recent years.

Cai Hui says UN peacekeepers often find themselves in the middle of war-zones.

"Actually, there are a lot of attacks and ambushes¹⁴ not only against the civilians but also against peacekeepers. In 2012, when M23 occupied the city of Gouma, there were riots or chaos¹⁵ all around the country. At that time I was on a trip to Boonia. When I arrived at the airport I was told that we cannot leave the airport because there were attacks on the streets and direct attacks against UN peacekeepers. So we stayed at the airport for 4 days and 4 nights. So we didn't have anything to eat. They only gave us some combat rations². We heard gunshots everywhere around us."

The Chinese government has 560 million US dollars pledged to the UN peacekeeping budget this year, the 6th largest contributor.

Chinese authorities say their missions abroad under the UN flag demonstrate the country's global responsibility.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

7 mitigating   

v.减轻，缓和( mitigate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Are there any mitigating circumstances in this case ? 本案中是否有任何情况可以减轻被告的罪行？ 来自辞典例句
• A sentencing judge is required to consider any mitigating circumstances befor imposing the death penalty. 在处死刑之前，要求量刑法官必须考虑是否有任何减轻罪行之情节。 来自口语例句

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

11 attire   

v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装

参考例句：

• He had no intention of changing his mode of attire.他无意改变着装方式。
• Her attention was attracted by his peculiar attire.他那奇特的服装引起了她的注意。

12 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

13 airfields   

n.（较小的无建筑的）飞机场( airfield的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For several days traffic fromthe Naples airfields was partially interrupted. 那不勒斯机场的对外交通部分地停顿了数天。 来自辞典例句
• We have achieved a great amount of destruction at airfields and air bases. 我们已把机场和空军基地大加破坏。 来自辞典例句

14 ambushes   

n.埋伏( ambush的名词复数 )；伏击；埋伏着的人；设埋伏点v.埋伏( ambush的第三人称单数 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• He was a specialist in ambushes, he said, and explained his tactics. 他说自己是埋伏战斗方面的专家，并讲述了他的战术。 来自互联网
• It makes ambushes rather fun. 它使得埋伏战术非常有趣。 来自互联网

15 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。