11-09-07

潘基文敦促国际社会就气候改变和贫穷采取行动 (Ban Ki-moon Urges International Action on Climate Change, Poverty)

联合国秘书长潘基文呼吁采取紧急行动控制气候变化。他说，气候变化对世界各地的发展构成威胁。潘基文星期四在访问智利期间表示，他作为联合国秘书长的首要任务之一就是敦促世界各国针对全球变暖采取行动。

潘基文定于星期五将前往南极，听取科研人员有关气候变化的介绍。然后，潘基文将前往巴西，视察亚马逊河的情况，并了解巴西政府怎样解决滥伐森林的问题。

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for urgent action to confront climate change, which he says is a serious threat to development everywhere. During a visit to Chile Thursday, Ban said galvanizing international action on global warming is one of his main priorities as secretary-general. 

The secretary-general is scheduled to visit Antarctica Friday to hear a briefing on climate change from research scientists. He will then travel to Brazil to visit the Amazon River and see how the Brazilian government has been dealing with deforestation issues.

东盟起草新宪章促人权民主但不干涉内政 (ASEAN Has New Draft Charter Promoting Human Rights, But Non-Interference)

东南亚国家领导人起草了一份历史性宪章，谋求促进人权与民主，同时维持不干涉成员国内部事务的政策。

这个宪章将在11月20号在新加坡举行的东南亚国家联盟年度高峰会议上正式推出。东盟拥有10个成员国，这将是东盟成立40年来首次将拥有一部成文的宪章，明确东盟的基本原则和组织规则。

东盟1967年成立时是一个反共产党联盟，但是现在却包括越南和老挝这两个共产党国家以及军人统治的缅甸。

宪章草案要求成员国加强民主、良制和法治，并促进和保护人权和基本自由。草案禁止东盟成员国干涉其他成员国的内部事务。

Southeast Asian leaders have drafted a landmark charter that seeks to promote human rights and democracy while upholding a policy of non-interference in each other's domestic affairs.

The charter is to be formally presented in Singapore November 20th at the annual summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It will be the first time in ASEAN's 40-year history that it will have a written charter spelling out its basic principles and organizational rules.

ASEAN was founded in 1967 as an anti-communist coalition, but now includes two communist states -- Vietnam and Laos -- as well as military-ruled Burma.

Its draft charter commits members to strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. However, it bars ASEAN countries from interfering in the internal affairs of another.