VOA常速英语:Improving Lives Through Explosive Hazard Reduction

Next, an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.
接下来，是一篇反映美国政府观点的社论。
Around the world, excess and loosely-secured stockpiles of small arms, light weapons, and munitions, along with landmines and explosive remnants of war,pose a serious danger not only to local populations, but also to regional stability and prosperity.
在世界各地，大量疏于管理的小型武器、轻武器和军需品等储备，以及地雷和战争遗留爆炸物，不仅对当地人民、而且对地区的稳定和繁荣都构成了严重威胁。
“The dangers posed by mines and UXO can linger for decades,” wrote Tina Kaidanow, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. “In areas reeling from recent fighting, stabilization and humanitarian assistance efforts are effectively blocked until key sites are cleared of explosive hazards. Civilian populations near contaminated land could face permanent injury or death by performing everyday activities such as accessing clean water or walking to work or school.”
“地雷和未爆炸弹药构成的危险可能会持续数十年，”负责政治军事事务的美国首席副助理国务卿蒂纳·凯达诺写道。“在最近遭受战乱的地区，维稳及人道主义救援工作因一些关键区域未清除的爆炸隐患而受到严重阻碍。在受影响区域生活的人们，很有可能因获取清洁水源或步行上班上学等日常活动而面临永久性的伤害甚至死亡。”
That is why the U.S. Department of State funds and manages conventional weapons destruction programs in 47 countries around the world. Its To Walk The Earth In Safety Report, issued in mid-December by the State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, highlights our enduring commitment to making post-conflict communities safer and setting the stage for their recovery and development.It also touches on many of the problems these communities must overcome.
这就是美国国务院在全球47个国家资助和管理常规武器销毁计划的原因。2017年12月中旬，美国国务院武器去除与削减办公室发布了《关于安全行走在地球上的报告》，报告强调了美国将长期致力于保障战后的社区安全，为其恢复与发展奠定基础。报告还提到了很多这些社区必须克服的问题。
In Africa, decades of past conflicts have left behind dense minefields, while porous state borders and weak governments have allowed extremist groups such as Boko Haram and al-Shabaab, to easily arm themselves with weapons and explosives.
在非洲，几十年来的冲突在这边土地上留下了密集的雷区，同时，千疮百孔的国界与力量薄弱的政府让博科圣地组织、索马里伊斯兰青年党等极端组织有隙可乘，使他们得以轻易地用武器和爆炸物来武装自己。
In East Asia and the Pacific, due to a series of armed conflicts going back to the 1940s, landmines and unexploded ordnance have remained a persistent threat.Similarly, in the Balkans and in Ukraine, minefields and poorly-secured stockpiles of weapons are also a cause for concern.
在东亚和太平洋地区，上世纪四十年代的一系列武装冲突使得地雷和未爆弹药仍然是一个持续的威胁。同样，在巴尔干半岛和乌克兰，雷区、以及武器安全管理不善的问题也十分令人担忧。
In the Middle East and North Africa, efforts at regional stabilization and conflict resolution are hampered by unexploded ordnance and surplus weapons resulting from decades of instability and conflict. The same can be said for Afghanistan and some of its Central Asian neighbors.
在中东和北非，区域稳定和冲突解决工作受到了很大阻碍，因为该地区几十年来的动荡与冲突留下了大量未爆弹药和遗留武器。阿富汗及其一些中亚邻国也难逃这种厄运。
And in Latin America, conventional weapons destruction is crucial to stem regional threats of violence and weapons trafficking that go hand in hand with illegal narcotics trafficking and criminal violence.
在拉丁美洲，常规武器的销毁至关重要，这有利于遏制区域性暴力及武器贩运的威胁，以及遏制与之相关的非法毒品贩运和暴力犯罪。
“Supporting conventional weapons destruction is a cornerstone of our national security policy,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kaidanow. “The success of our programs is built on strong bipartisan support from Congress and the people of the United States,who recognize that our nation benefits from helping to create a world in which all may walk the earth in safety.”
“支持销毁常规武器是美国国家安全政策的基石”，首席副助理国务卿凯达诺说。“这些计划的成功要基于国会与美国人民中两党的大力支持，他们认识到，帮助建立一个人人可以安全行走于地球的世界，将使我们整个国家受益。”