VOA慢速英语20060814a

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Non-Governmental Organizations Influence Policy Around the WorldBy Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, August 14, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The sixteenth international AIDS conference opened on Sunday in Toronto, Canada. More than twenty-four thousand delegates from one hundred thirty-two countries are attending the six-day conference. They include scientists, health care providers, activists², political and business leaders and people living with the disease. Many people attending the AIDS conference represent private non-governmental organizations, or NGOs.

Political scientists often describe NGOs as pressure groups because of their effect on world issues. They have little official power over international decision-making. However, NGOs often influence international policy.


Maria Corina Machado leads Sumate, a Venezuelan NGO

A broad definition of NGO is any non-profit group that is independent of government. Most of these private organizations have one or more goals. For example, some support community development, provide social services and help poor people. Others support human rights and social justice. Still others work to protect the environment. NGOs support many issues and operate around the world. Some of the most well-known include Oxfam, Amnesty International and Greenpeace.

James Paul heads the Global Policy Forum³. It is an NGO in New York City that studies policy-making at the United Nations. He says that some NGOs represent industries or businesses, the interests of governments, or even criminal groups. He says it would be a mistake to believe that all NGOs are neutral.

The World Bank has divided NGOs into three main groups. The first is community-based organizations that serve populations in a small geographical⁴ area. The second is national NGOs, which operate in individual developing countries. International NGOs are the third kind. These organizations usually have their headquarters in industrialized countries. They carry out operations in more than one developing nation.

Information about the total number of non-governmental organizations is incomplete. However, experts estimate that tens of thousands of NGOs are active around the world. Large international NGOs may have operating budgets of tens of millions of dollars. However, most NGOs are much smaller.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can read transcripts⁵ of our reports and listen online at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.
DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Non-Governmental Organizations Influence Policy Around the WorldBy Jill Moss

Broadcast: Monday, August 14, 2006

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

The sixteenth international AIDS conference opened on Sunday in Toronto, Canada. More than twenty-four thousand delegates from one hundred thirty-two countries are attending the six-day conference. They include scientists, health care providers, activists, political and business leaders and people living with the disease. Many people attending the AIDS conference represent private non-governmental organizations, or NGOs.

Political scientists often describe NGOs as pressure groups because of their effect on world issues. They have little official power over international decision-making. However, NGOs often influence international policy.


Maria Corina Machado leads Sumate, a Venezuelan NGO

A broad definition of NGO is any non-profit group that is independent of government. Most of these private organizations have one or more goals. For example, some support community development, provide social services and help poor people. Others support human rights and social justice. Still others work to protect the environment. NGOs support many issues and operate around the world. Some of the most well-known include Oxfam, Amnesty International and Greenpeace.

James Paul heads the Global Policy Forum. It is an NGO in New York City that studies policy-making at the United Nations. He says that some NGOs represent industries or businesses, the interests of governments, or even criminal groups. He says it would be a mistake to believe that all NGOs are neutral.

The World Bank has divided NGOs into three main groups. The first is community-based organizations that serve populations in a small geographical area. The second is national NGOs, which operate in individual developing countries. International NGOs are the third kind. These organizations usually have their headquarters in industrialized countries. They carry out operations in more than one developing nation.

Information about the total number of non-governmental organizations is incomplete. However, experts estimate that tens of thousands of NGOs are active around the world. Large international NGOs may have operating budgets of tens of millions of dollars. However, most NGOs are much smaller.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can read transcripts of our reports and listen online at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

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 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

5 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句