VOA常速英语2017--扭转非洲旱灾局势 需要尽快行动

Across South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Somalia, 20 million people are at risk for famine, said U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

南苏丹、也门、尼日利亚、索马里等国有2000万人面临饥荒的威胁，美国常驻联合国大使妮基 海利如是说道。

Speaking recently in New York at a UN Security Council Open Arria-Formula Meeting on the Risk of Famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Northeast Nigeria, Ambassador Haley warned, In Nigeria, those who have liberated¹ towns from Boko Haram have reportedly discovered people eating grass and bugs² off the ground. In Yemen, families cannot afford to pay for the transportation of their starving children to the few treatment centers that are still open. In Somalia, some mothers are forced to walk more than a hundred miles with their crying children just to find a reliable source of food and water.

最近，纽约市举行了联合国安理会有关应对也门、索马里、南苏丹、尼日利亚北部饥荒危机的会议，在发表讲话时，大使妮基警示人们称，据报道，尼日利亚那些将各个城镇从博科圣地手中解放出来的人发现，那里的百姓会生吃地上拔出来的草，不管草里有没有虫子。而在也门，很多家庭支付不起交通费，无法送嗷嗷待哺的孩子去为数不多的治疗中心，即使这些中心尚未关门。在索马里，一些母亲被迫带着孩子穿山越岭，只为寻找可靠的食物和水源。

她表示，尼日利亚、南苏丹、也门、索马里的人们并非死于天灾，而是死于人祸：武装冲突。

自去年秋天以来，美国已经向4个国家提供了10多亿援助资金。根据联合国的数据，2017年，这些国家的人道主义援助金中，有1/4是美国提供的。联合国将继续牵头集合资源，帮助这些国家渡过这次危机。同时，根据我们得到的消息，其他方也在加快援助进程，比如，世界银行就在扩大运营规模，首次将饥荒应急纳入运营范畴中。这些资金可以购置食物、洁净的水源、专业的营养和医疗服务、避难所、教育、保护和其他维系生存的服务。

大使妮基表示，无法获取资源依然是主要障碍。由于战争，食物无法抵达需要的人手中。南苏丹、也门、尼日利亚的争战各方需要让食物入境。而在索马里，长年累月与恐怖组织之间的冲突造成了诸多挑战，加重了旱灾的影响。所以，饥荒的解决方案并不是航天科学，而是在于我们必须向武装组织施压，让食物进入到无法获得食物的地方。

Across South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Somalia, 20 million people are at risk for famine, said U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Speaking recently in New York at a UN Security Council Open Arria-Formula Meeting on the Risk of Famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Northeast Nigeria, Ambassador Haley warned, In Nigeria, those who have liberated towns from Boko Haram have reportedly discovered people eating grass and bugs off the ground. In Yemen, families cannot afford to pay for the transportation of their starving children to the few treatment centers that are still open. In Somalia, some mothers are forced to walk more than a hundred miles with their crying children just to find a reliable source of food and water.

美国呼吁联合国安理会让那些拒绝给有需要的百姓以生活资源的政府付出代价。妮基 海利表示，我们越是迟迟不行动，所付出的代价就越高。

1 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

2 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》