VOA慢速英语2015 援助组织建议免除尼泊尔债务

AS IT IS 2015-05-08 Aid Group Recommends Debt Cancellation 1 for Nepal 援助组织建议免除尼泊尔债务

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

美国之音慢速英语节目，这里是经济报道。

A group of international aid, religious and other groups is calling for debt cancellation for Nepal.

一个涉及国际援助、宗教以及其它方面的组织呼吁国际社会取消尼泊尔的债务。

The country is struggling with the effects of a powerful earthquake on April 25 that struck the central part of the country near the capital, Kathmandu. More than 7,300 people died in the quake. The United Nations says eight million people, more than one fourth of the country’s population, has been affected 2 by the disaster.

4月25日，强震袭击了尼泊尔中部地区，首都加德满都附近。国家正在努力应对地震造成的影响。7300多人在这场地震中遇难。联合国表示，八百万人——该国超过四分之一的人口受到这场灾难的影响。

Jubilee 3 Network USA is a coalition 4 of religious and aid groups that works to end extreme poverty. The group, a non-governmental organization, or NGO, says Nepal owes a total of $3.8 billion to foreign creditors 5 including the World Bank and the Asian Development bank.

Jubilee Network USA是各个致力于终结极端贫困的宗教和援助组织联盟。该非政府机构表示，尼泊尔背负着38亿美元的外国债务，包括世界银行和亚洲开发银行等债权人。

The coalition’s executive director Eric LeCompte says his organization is trying to persuade the agencies to do more to ease the financial burden on Nepal. He says Nepal was repaying $220 million a year to international lenders before the quake. He says money to repay Nepal’s debt should go to repair, rebuild, and help the nation recover.

该联盟执行董事Eric LeCompte表示，该组织正试图说服各机构进一步缓解尼泊尔的经济负担。他说，地震前，尼泊尔每年向国际债权人偿还2.2亿美元的债务。他说，用于偿付尼泊尔债务的资金应该用于修理、重建和帮助该国从地震中复苏。

Mr. LeCompte says international lenders have cancelled millions of dollars in debt owed by the West African nations devastated 6 by the Ebola crisis. He says he believes the debt relief programs should come with requirements for greater openness and accountability. He says that means the money that would have gone to repayment 7 goes to the most vulnerable citizens, rather than to tax breaks for companies or to support the military.

LeCompte先生表示，国际债权人已经取消了被埃博拉疫情危机影响的西非国家所欠的数百万美元债务。他认为这一债务减免方案的出台应该伴随着更大程度的透明度和责任制。这意味着这笔应该用于还债的资金将会用于帮助最弱势的民众，而不是用于减免各个公司的税款或支持军队建设。

The International Monetary 8 Fund’s Gerry Rice says the agency will send experts to study Nepal’s needs “as soon as the humanitarian 9 situation subsides 11.”  He says in cases of disaster, the IMF usually provides medium and long-term financing to help rebuilding efforts and offers technical support.

国际货币基金组织(IMF)发言人盖瑞·奈斯(Gerry Rice)表示，一旦人道主义形势稳定下来，该机构将会派遣专家调查尼泊尔的需求。他说，在发生灾难的情况下，国际货币基金组织通常会提供中长期融资帮助重建工作，并提供技术支持。

Nepal has a population of more than 28 million people. The World Bank says the country’s economic growth was greater than five percent each year. The loss of thousands of lives and widespread damage to roads, buildings and other infrastructure 12 is likely to hurt growth. The average income in the small country is $730 a year. One fourth of Nepal’s population lives in poverty.

尼泊尔人口超过2800多万。世界银行表示，该国每年的经济增长速度超过5%。数千人遇难，道路、建筑等基础设施广泛遭到破坏，这可能会损害经济增长。这个小国家的人均年收入为730美元，四分之一人口生活在贫困中。

And that is the VOA Learning English Economics Report. I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

devastated – adj. damaged to a great extent

relief – n. forms of aid, such as food, clothing and money, that are given to victims of disasters

accountability – n. the ability to explain decisions and actions

vulnerable – n. open to the possibility of physical or emotional harm

subside 10 – v. to become less strong or intense; to reduce over time