Each year, Africa Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate Africa’s achievements and to reflect on its challenges. The dominant story of the year has been the Ebola crisis that swept West Africa, claiming at least 11,000 lives and threatening hard-won social, economic and political achievements. With great courage and determination, and with the generous support of African nations and the international community, the affected countries have made remarkable progress toward ending the outbreak. Now, we have to intensify efforts to “get to zero and stay at zero” cases, repair the damage, and strengthen social and institutional resilience throughout the continent. To help mobilize support for this important task I will convene an International Ebola Recovery Conference at the United Nations in New York in July.
每年，非洲日使我们有机会庆祝非洲所取得的成就，并反思非洲面临的挑战。 今年最主要的事件是席卷西非的埃博拉危机，这场危机夺去至少11000人的生命，并威胁到来之不易的社会、经济和政治成就。受影响国家以巨大的勇气和决心，在非洲国家和国际社会的慷慨支持下，在平息疫情方面取得了显著进展。现在，我们必须加紧努力，使感染病例“降为零并保持在零”，修复损害，并加强整个非洲大陆的社会和机构复原力。为帮助动员各方支持这项重要任务，我将在7月份在纽约联合国召开一次国际埃博拉灾后恢复会议。
Africa continues to make steady economic, social and political progress. Overall, the continent’s economy grew by roughly 4 per cent in 2014, creating one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted positive economic expansion in Africa’s history. As a result, a growing number of Africans have joined the middle class each year. With investment in education, health and infrastructure increasing, the prospects for much of Africa are bright.
非洲继续在经济、社会和政治方面取得稳步进展。总体而言，2014年非洲大陆的经济增长了约4%，开创了非洲历史上最长的一段不间断的良好经济扩张时期。因此，每年有越来越多的非洲人进入中产阶级。随着对教育、卫生和基础设施的投资的增加，非洲大部分地区的前景是光明的。
The challenge is to spread these benefits of Africa’s progress more broadly and deeply, particularly to the women and girls who represent Africa’s future. If we empower women, we help build better, more equal and more prosperous societies. I commend the commitment of the African Union to gender equality and the empowerment of women as part of its Agenda 2063, and I welcome the declaration of 2015 as the year of women’s empowerment in Africa.
所面临的挑战是如何扩大非洲进步的受益面，并加大受益深度，特别是应惠及妇女和女孩，因为她们是非洲的未来。如果我们赋予妇女权力，我们就是在帮助建设更好、更平等和更繁荣的社会。我赞扬非洲联盟作为非洲联盟2063年议程的一部分，致力于促进性别平等和增强妇女权能，我还欢迎将2015年宣布为非洲增强妇女权能年。
While we work to break down the social, economic, environmental and cultural obstacles that women and girls face, let us also recognize the gains that have been made. Africa leads the world in female representation in Parliaments, and the continent has one of the highest rates of female entrepreneurship. Let us be inspired by these successes and intensify efforts to provide Africa’s women with better access to education, work and healthcare, and by doing so, accelerate Africa’s transformation. Let us also do more to end violence against women and girls while strengthening their role in all fields, including peacebuilding. Despite an overall decline in the number of conflicts, too many Africans still experience violent conflict. Women and girls bear the brunt, and are frequent targets of sexual violence and abuse.
在我们努力打破妇女和女孩面临的社会、经济、环境和文化障碍的同时，让我们也认识到已取得的成就。非洲在女性在议会中的代表性方面领先于世界，而且非洲大陆也是妇女创业率最高的大洲之一。让我们为这些成功感到鼓舞，并加紧努力为非洲妇女提供更好的受教育、就业和保健机会，并以此加快非洲的变革。 让我们加倍努力，制止暴力侵害妇女和女孩行为，同时加强她们在建设和平等各个领域中的作用。虽然冲突的数目总体在下降，但是太多的非洲人仍然身陷暴力冲突之中。妇女和女孩首当其冲，她们经常成为性暴力和性虐待的受害者。
We know that conflicts breed where people suffer from poor governance, human rights violations, exclusion and poverty. I therefore applaud Africa’s vision to build, by 2063, a peaceful and prosperous continent where democracy, human rights and the rule of law are entrenched and flourishing, starting with the aim to silence all guns by 2020. I reaffirm the commitment of the United Nations to work with the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, and African countries and their citizens, to make this vision a reality.
我们知道，哪里有民众深受治理不善、侵犯人权、排斥和贫穷之苦，哪里就容易诱发冲突。因此我赞扬非洲的愿景，即到2063年，建立一个和平与繁荣的非洲大陆，确保民主、人权和法治在那里生根开花，为此首要目标是到2020年平息所有战火。我重申联合国将努力与非洲联盟、各区域经济共同体、非洲国家及其公民携手合作，努力实现这一愿景。