2007年VOA标准英语-UN to Create Safety Net for Horn of Africa

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
30 March 2007

Two U.N. agencies are working on a plan that they hope will enable people in the Horn of Africa to keep their food supplies secure and to protect their livelihoods¹ even in times of crisis.  The joint² initiative by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programs (WFP) aims to help millions of people in emergency situations.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

The U.N. reports more than 70 million people in the Horn of Africa live in abject³ poverty.  They face food shortages and remain vulnerable to natural disasters, such as drought and floods.   

The U.N. secretary-general's special humanitarian⁴ envoy⁵ for the Horn of Africa, Kjell Bondevik, says many people in Darfur have become dependent on international support.

"The majority of these people find themselves caught in cycles of deprivation⁶ after emergencies, receiving insufficient⁷ assistance to enable them to recover their productive capacity and little or no long-term development support." 

Michael Wales is the principal adviser⁸ in the investment sector⁹ of the Food and Agricultural Organization.  He says the U.N. initiative aims to do more than prevent people from starving.

"I see things really rather than a safety net as a safety trampoline," he explained.  "So, we ought to have  something which will allow people to bounce back into productive livelihoods rather than simply maintaining them and preventing them from starving to death." 

Wales says U.N. aid agencies are preparing concrete action plans both to help people cope with emergencies and to protect their assets through a combination of food reserves and cash.

Food seller at a market in Alem Kitmama, Ethiopia

"So, that instead of selling off all their seed, all their animals, their tools in order to feed themselves, we can find a way of helping¹⁰ them have a cushion or a buffer¹¹ between the little they have and total destitution¹²," he added.  "When total destitution arrives, this is when the food aid is brought in.  What we are aiming to do ultimately is eliminate the need for food aid." 

The plan also envisions ways to help people protect their environment.  These include giving people seedlings¹³ to plant trees, helping them to construct devices to harvest water and finding ways to protect their soil.

Officials of the two U.N. agencies say they will be holding workshops in the Horn of Africa to come up with, what they call, a road map to achieve food security.  They say local communities will play an important role in devising the measures to be taken.

1 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 abject   

adj.极可怜的，卑屈的

参考例句：

• This policy has turned out to be an abject failure.这一政策最后以惨败而告终。
• He had been obliged to offer an abject apology to Mr.Alleyne for his impertinence.他不得不低声下气，为他的无礼举动向艾莱恩先生请罪。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

6 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。

7 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

8 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

9 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。

10 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。

11 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

12 destitution   

n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷

参考例句：

• The people lived in destitution. 民生凋敝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His drinking led him to a life of destitution. 酗酒导致他生活贫穷。 来自辞典例句

13 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》