2006年VOA标准英语-Looking Back at 10 Years of UN Leadership by Ko

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington, DC
21 December 2006
 
watch Annan's Legacy¹

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan of Ghana is stepping down as United Nations secretary-general at the end of this month.  He became the U.N.'s seventh secretary-general on January 1st, 1997.  Replacing Egyptian Boutros Boutros Ghali, he became the first U.N. staff member elected to lead the international organization, and he won unanimous approval for a second five-year term in 2002.  As Mr. Annan's time in office draws to a close, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was elected to succeed him.

VOA Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera looks at Mr. Annan's 10 years of U.N. leadership.

Many experts say Mr. Annan leaves a mixed legacy.  On the one hand, his quiet dignity made him a strong voice for individual rights, for development and the poor.  Some even called him the conscience of the international community, and the United Nations and Mr. Annan shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.

On the other hand, Mr. Annan could not persuade member states to agree to his plan for sweeping² U.N. reforms and his reputation was tarnished³ by the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal.

Those who study the United Nations say one of Kofi Annan's greatest triumphs was persuading member states to agree on a principle known as "the responsibility to protect."

Karl Inderfurth, a former deputy U.S. representative on the U.N. Security Council, says the principle addresses the issue of intervening in cases of genocide or ethnic⁴ cleansing⁵, such as in Rwanda.  "So what do you do, though, when a government is not protecting its own people?  What do you do when there is no rule of law -- like in Somalia, where you've got competing factions⁶?  What do you do when there is, as we saw in Rwanda with genocide - what do you do to protect those who need protection within a country?

The doctrine⁷ that Kofi Annan championed, that the world's nations have the "responsibility to protect" those who are helpless in the face of power or tragedy, has now been accepted by the United Nations.  Inderfurth says, however, the key issue is how do you implement⁸ it?  He sees that as one of the principal challenges facing Ban Ki-moon.

Kofi Annan also won the United Nations' approval of a new Human Rights Council, intended to deter⁹ human-rights abuses around the world.  But the secretary-general did not succeed with another of his key proposals -- adding new members to the 15-nation U.N. Security Council. 

Demands for greater representation are coming from Brazil, India and other countries in the developing world.  Stewart Patrick, a U.N. expert with the Center for Global Development, says enlargement of the Council is vital to maintain the United Nations' influential¹⁰ role throughout the world.  "But in this case, although it probably was the most disappointing aspect of U.N. reform that there was no movement on the Security Council, this responsibility has to be laid first and foremost to the member states, as opposed to the secretary-general himself."

The low point of Mr. Annan's tenure¹¹ was the corruption¹² scandal surrounding the U.N.-managed Iraqi oil-for-food program.  Set in motion after the first Gulf¹³ war, this was intended to control oil sales by Saddam Hussein's regime. 

Although this was supposed to lessen¹⁴ the hardship that Iraqi civilians¹⁵ were suffering as a result of U.N. sanctions, it became clear that a huge portion of the oil profits was being siphoned off by Saddam and his allies.  An independent inquiry¹⁶, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, found widespread corruption within the United Nations and by contractors¹⁷.

Stewart Patrick says the oil-for-food scandal tarnished Kofi Annan's reputation enormously. "He has been subjected to a witch-hunt, which to some degree continues.  It's been particularly popular amongst inveterate¹⁸ U.N. bashers, both in the media and on Capitol Hill.  The important thing that came out of the very exhaustive examinations of this question by Paul Volcker and his commission, is that there was no broad-based malfeasance, on the part of the secretary-general or those working most directly with him."

The report did find that Kofi Annan failed to exert control over the oil-for-food program, and it called for wide-ranging internal reforms at the U.N.  The secretary-general took personal responsibility for the management failures.

Mr. Annan has been looking back on his 10 years in charge of the United Nations.  He says he has learned five key "lessons" during that time.

"First, we are all responsible for each other's security.  Second, we can and must give everyone the chance to benefit from global prosperity.  Third, both security and prosperity depend on human rights and the rule of law.  Fourth, states must be accountable to each other and to a broad range of non-state actors in their international conduct."

Mr. Annan's farewell speech on December 11th was delivered to an American audience, at the museum and library in Independence, Missouri, that honors former U.S. President Harry¹⁹ S. Truman.

“My fifth and final lesson derives²⁰ inescapably from those other four.  We can only do all these things by working together through a multilateral system, and by making the best possible use of the unique instrument bequeathed to us by Harry Truman and his contemporaries -- namely, the United Nations."

Mr. Annan leaves to his successor, South Korean diplomat²¹ Ban Ki-moon, a United Nations in the midst of change.  It will be Mr. Ban's challenge to continue Mr. Annan's reforms, while also addressing the world's most pressing problems.

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

3 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

6 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

7 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

10 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

13 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

14 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

15 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。

16 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

17 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 inveterate   

adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的

参考例句：

• Hitler was not only an avid reader but also an inveterate underliner.希特勒不仅酷爱读书，还有写写划划的习惯。
• It is hard for an inveterate smoker to give up tobacco.要一位有多年烟瘾的烟民戒烟是困难的。

19 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

20 derives   

v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• English derives in the main from the common Germanic stock. 英语主要源于日耳曼语系。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derives his income from freelance work. 他以自由职业获取收入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。