VOA常速英语2017--美国将于2018年退出联合国教科文组织

The United States has announced it will withdraw from UNESCO at the end of 2018. UNESCO is the Paris-based UN body whose mission is to coordinate 1 international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. A well-known part of its job is to help protect the world's important cultural and natural heritage sites through the World Heritage program.

美国宣布将于2018年底退出联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)。联合国教科文组织是总部位于巴黎的联合国组织，其使命是协调国际社会在教育、科学、文化、交流方面的合作。其工作中为人所熟知的一部分内容是通过世界遗产项目的方式来助力保护世界重要文化和自然遗址。

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said the decision to withdraw from UNESCO came after a long and deliberative process. The decision was based on a number of concerns.

国务院发言人诺尔特表示，退出联合国教科文组织的决定是经过很长时间的思考的。这个决定基于很多考虑。

The United States is in arrears 2 to UNESCO in the amount of almost $550 million dollars. That's because under federal legislation passed in the 1990's, the United States is required to stop sending funds to any UN agency that grants Palestinians recognition as a full member state. The fact is such a move disregards the necessity for negotiations 3 between the Palestinians and the Israelis that will result in a Palestinian state making a real difference in the lives of both peoples. In 2011, UNESCO made such a move, and the United States, as legally required, cut off its funding to the organization

美国拖欠联合国教科文组织近5.5亿美元。这是因为，根据20世纪90年代通过的联邦法律，美国有义务停止向任何认可巴勒斯坦为联合国成员国的联合国机构提供资金。而实际上，此举忽视了巴以协商的必要性，而巴以协商可能会让巴勒斯坦成为一个造福巴以两国人民的国家。2011年，联合国教科文组织做出了这样的举动，而美国只是根据法律要求而切断了其向该组织的资金供应。

A second concern governing the U.S. decision to withdraw is the increasing politicization, including anti-Israel bias 4, at UNESCO. In July, for example, as the US Mission to the United Nations noted 5, UNESCO made its latest politically biased 6 decision designating the Old City of Hebron and the Tomb of the Patriarchs as part of Palestinian territory. Such an action is an outrageous 7 attempt to separate Israel and the Jews from their history of thousands of years.

美国退出的第二个原因是联合国教科文组织的政治化愈发明显，包括反以色列的偏见。例如，美国驻联合国大使馆注意到，7月，联合国教科文组织做出了最近的一次具有政治偏见的决定，它指定希伯伦旧城和列祖之墓为巴勒斯坦的领土。这样的行为是公然企图将以色列和犹太人从其数千年历史中分割出去。

Finally, Spokesperson Nauert cited the need for fundamental reform at UNESCO, as President Donald Trump 8 has called for across the United Nations.

最后，诺尔特强调了联合国教科文组织进行根本性改革的必要性，这一点，特朗普总统已经在联合国内进行了呼吁。

She added, however, that the United States wants to remain engaged with UNESCO and will seek to become a non-member observer state, in order to contribute U.S. views, perspectives and expertise 9 on some of the important issues undertaken by the organization.

诺尔特补充道，然而，美国向与联合国教科文组织保持交涉，并将寻求成为一名非成员国的观察国，目的是在一些该组织负责的重要议题上贡献美国的观点、视角、专家见解。

The decision to withdraw will also not alter U.S. policy supporting international cooperation in educational, scientific, cultural, communication and information activities where there are benefits to the United States.

退出的决定也将不会改变美国支持教育、科学、文化、交流、信息活动方面的国际合作，因为这些领域对美国也有利。