VOA标准英语2015--国际货币基金组织(IMF)提供埃博拉相关的财政援助

 

IMF Offers Ebola-related Financial Aid 国际货币基金组织(IMF)提供埃博拉相关的财政援助

The International Monetary¹ Fund has announced a 330 million dollar financing package for the countries hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic². It includes 170 million dollars in debt relief. The economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have suffered over the past year as the disease has spread.

Under the plan, $100 million in relief would come directly from the IMF, while $70 million would come in the form of debt forgiveness by IMF member nations.

Jubilee³ USA Network Executive Director Eric LeCompte, said, “We’re incredibly excited about it and we had been working on this plan for quite some time. Initially⁴, we brought the idea to the White House for a hundred million dollars in debt relief – and to use an existing trust at the IMF to do that. They then brought it to the G20. The G20 then affirmed it and said we want at least a $300 million financing plan – and instructed the International Monetary Fund to create a financing plan that included debt relief, grants and loans.”

Jubilee is a faith-based anti-poverty organization.

“Essentially⁵, by international law debt relief has to go into building infrastructure⁶. So it’ll be building hospitals, health care facilities and schools in the three countries. This type of aid is aid that becomes immediately available. And the countries, instead of making debt payments, now put that money into building social infrastructure,” he said.

LeCompte would like to see an even broader relief for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The debt relief coming directly from the IMF is being done through the new Catastrophe⁷ Containment⁸ and Relief Window Trust.

He said, “What took place at the International Monetary Fund is they took a previous mechanism⁹ that was used to cancel the debt from Haiti in 2010 and they expanded that. And what this facility is able to do is when a very poor country – the poorest countries of the world – have an earthquake, a hurricane, any kind of major tragedy or health epidemic – they would qualify for either debt relief or innovative¹⁰ financing from grant-like monies provided from the International Monetary Fund.”

LeCompte said the trust could greatly change how debt relief is given.

“Right now, when any country is struggling or has a challenge, they need to go on their hands and knees to the International Monetary Fund or the Paris Club and beg for debt forgiveness. And it’s a very challenging process, but what we have right now is much more responsible. It will only impact essentially the 20 poorest countries in the world when they have an economic shock, like an epidemic or a hurricane, they have a place to go to for aid and relief.”

The Paris Club, created in 1956, is a group of creditors¹¹ that provides debt reduction or payment postponement¹² to some countries.

The Jubilee USA Network executive director spoke¹³ to VOA from the United Nations headquarters in New York. He addressed the General Assembly February 5th on debt, which he says is the main reason for global financial crises.

“The General Assembly of the United Nations has voted to create a legally binding¹⁴, international bankruptcy¹⁵ process. And this week in New York is the first week of negotiations¹⁶ on creating that process. And I was asked to address all the delegates to talk about how this process can move forward -- what’s necessary for the process,” he said.

The IMF plan will not eliminate all the debt for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The countries are reported to have a “combined debt stock of over three billion dollars.” That’s blamed on past dictatorships, civil wars and one party rule.

1 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。

2 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

3 jubilee   

n.周年纪念；欢乐

参考例句：

• They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
• Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 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。

7 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

8 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

9 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

10 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

11 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

15 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

16 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。