World Bank Calls for Better Public Services

By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: September 29, 2003

This is Robert Covent with the VOA Special English Development Report.
The World Bank says the poor quality of public services in developing countries is hurting world economic growth. This finding is based on a year of study of successes and failures involving services in different countries.
The World Bank says better services would reduce the divide between rich and poor people. This means better health care, education, electricity, water and waste treatment services.
The main message of the World Bank report is “Making Services Work for the Poor.” The report proposes three steps to improve public services.
First is the suggestion that poor people be given more choice and involvement in the services provided. The report says poor people should be empowered to demand better services by putting pressure on elected politicians.
And the report calls for a system to reward or punish service providers. The World Bank says that through this system, service providers would have to answer to the government and to the public.
The report was released last week before the yearly meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary² Fund. Officials from more than one-hundred-eighty nations gathered in Dubai. The 1)delegates discussed a number of issues during the two-day meeting.
These included efforts to reach the Millennium³ Development Goals. One goal is to cut world poverty in half by two-thousand-fifteen. That is the same goal for the number of people who cannot read or write.
In addition to improving services, many people believe an important way to help developing nations is to increase trade with richer ones. Two years ago, in Doha, Qatar, the World Trade Organization agreed to begin a new series of negotiations⁴ to reduce trade barriers. Member nations agreed to work for completion by two-thousand-five.
The latest talks, however, ended in disagreement earlier this month in Cancun, Mexico. Delegates argued over aid to farmers in wealthy countries.
Some delegates walked out of the meetings. They said wealthy counties were not making enough 2)compromises to help poor nations. They say development problems in the poorest countries are likely to continue until the issue of trade barriers is solved. A high-level WTO meeting is planned in Geneva by December fifteenth.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. I'm Robert Covent.

注释：
1) delegate [5deli^it] n.代表
2) compromise [5kCmprEmaiz] n.和解，折衷

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 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。

3 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

4 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。