Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is
launching a new organization to improve humanitarian assistance around the
world. Mr. Annan says the new organization, called the Global Humanitarian
Forum, will help people in poor countries play a greater role in finding
solutions to their developmental and humanitarian problems. Lisa Schlein reports
for VOA from Geneva, where the new organization will be
based.
The Global Humanitarian Forum officially gets under way
Monday. Mr. Annan, who left his U.N. post at the end of 2006, says the agenda
and strategies of the Forum are still being developed. But certain things are
clear.
He says the Forum does not intend to compete with other organizations. It
aims to complement the work that is being done and to chart new ways of
approaching humanitarian disasters so the victims can receive help in a more
efficient and timely manner.
For example, he says the United Nations and other members of the humanitarian
community would not have been able to deal with natural disasters such as the
Indian Ocean tsunami and the earthquake in Kashmir without the help of the
military.
"If the military had not come in and provided heavy logistical support … many
more people would have died as we would not have been able to get to them," said
the former U.N. chief. "And, so the military have become important players in
humanitarian relief. And, yet, when we get together to discuss humanitarian
issues, they are not around, they are not at the table."
"I think we would want to bring them to the table to discuss with
humanitarian actors how we could cooperate. And, from my own previous
experience, I know it is not an easy relationship," he added.
Mr. Annan says he recognizes private aid groups are not comfortable working
with the military. He says he hopes the Forum can improve this relationship.
The Forum, according to Mr. Annan, will deal with such issues as the
humanitarian consequences of climate change. He says more people are likely to
flee their homes as natural resources, such as water and food become scarcer.
Yet, these so-called environmental refugees have no legal protections under
international law. No one knows how to deal with them. This, he says, is an area
of fruitful research for the Forum.
He says his group will also work to persuade developing countries they have
an obligation to take carbon emissions and global warming seriously. Although
industrialized countries are chiefly responsible for these emissions, he says
China, India, Brazil. South Africa and other developing countries cannot afford
to just sit back and do nothing.
"Not only should they begin now, they should take advantage and avoid the
mistakes of earlier industrialization and frog leap some of the mistakes the
others make and really begin to look for green [environmentally friendly]
technology, even if it is a bit more expensive," he said.
"But there are reasonable technologies that can help them. I do not think
they can sit back and say let those who are responsible for the bulk of it take
care of it and pretend that stopping emission will slow their growth," he
continued.
On the contrary, Mr. Annan says, failure to protect the environment may turn
out to be the greatest constraint on growth and development around the
world.
sit back :袖手旁觀；不采取行動(dòng)
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（來源：VOA 英語點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
