彭丽媛女士在联合国全球“教育第一”倡议高级别活动上的发言

Speech at the Global Education First Initiative Event at the United Nations

在联合国“教育第一”全球倡议高级别会议上的讲话

 

Madame Peng Liyuan

彭丽媛

 

September 26, 2015

2015年9月26日

 

Director-General Bokova,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

尊敬的博科娃总干事，女士们、先生们：

 

It gives me great pleasure to join you for this important initiative as the UN marks its 70th anniversary.

 

我非常高兴在联合国成立70周年之际出席这一“教育第一”倡议高级别会议。

 

Education is very close in my heart. My father grew up in a small village in China. In those days, not many villagers could read. So my father opened a night school to teach them how to read. With his help, many people learned to write their own names; with his help, many people learned to read newspapers for the first time; with his help, many women were able to teach their children how to read.

 

我非常关注教育。我的父亲生长在中国的一个小山村。那个时候，许多的农民都不识字。当时，我的父亲是村夜校校长，专门帮助扫盲。在他的帮助下，许多的人第一次写出了自己的名字，第一次看懂了报纸和书刊，而在他的帮助下呢，许多的女性也能教够把自己学会的字教给她们的孩子们。

 

As his daughter, I know what education means to the people, especially those without it. After generations of hard work, China has come a long way in education. I myself am a beneficiary of that progress. Otherwise, I would never have become a soprano and professor of music.

 

在父亲的教导下，我自幼就清楚地意识到，教育对每个人尤其是对得不到教育的人来说是多么的重要。经过了几代人的努力，中国的教育事业取得了显著成就。我自己就是中国教育发展的受益者。否则的话，我也永远都不可能成为一个女高音歌唱家和一个音乐教师。

 

I am following in my father’s footsteps by teaching at the China Conservatory of Music to help continue China’s success story. I want to thank Director-General Bokova and UNESCO for naming me the Special Envoy for Girls’ and Women’s Education. I am truly honored to work with the UN and do something for global education. I have visited many schools around the world and seen first-hand how much more we can do on education.

 

我现在也追随我父亲的脚步，投身教育工作，（在中国音乐学院任教，）为推动中国教育事业的发展尽绵薄之力。我想要感谢博科娃总干事和（联合国）教科文组织授予我“促进女童和妇女教育特使”称号，我非常荣幸能够与联合国组织共同为全球教育贡献一己之力。我走访了世界很多国家的学校，我也亲自看到了在教育方面我们可以做出更多的努力。

 

Education is about women and girls. It is important for girls to go to school because they will become their children’s first teachers someday. But women still account for over half of the world’s poor in population and 60% of adults who can’t read.

 

教育要关注妇女和女童。女童一定要上学，这是很重要的，因为她们长大之后会成为自己孩子的第一位老师。但是，全球贫困者中，女性过半，而全球成年文盲中，女性仍占60%以上。

 

Education is crucial in addressing such inequalities. In China, the Spring Bud Education Program has helped over 3 million girls go back to school. Many of them have finished university education and they are doing well at work.

 

教育是改变女性不公平待遇的重要途径。中国的“春蕾计划”帮助了300多万女童重返学校。其中很多人已经从高校毕业，并且成为社会的有用之才和优秀分子。

 

Education is about equality. In poor countries and regions, the number of school dropouts is astonishing. We call for more educational resources to these places.

 

教育要倡导公平公正。在许多的贫困国家和地区，辍学比例很高。我们呼吁加大对这些地区的教育投入。

 

Education is about the young people. Young people are the future. Education is important because it not only gives young people knowledge and skills, but also helps them become responsible citizens. As UNESCO Special Envoy and a mother myself, my commitment to education for all will never change.

 

教育要面向青年。青年是我们的未来。教育之所以重要，因为它不仅要教授知识和技能，而且也帮助青年人成长为具有强烈社会责任感的公民。作为教科文组织的一名特使和一名母亲，我也愿意恪尽职守，实现教育的进展和进步。

 

Many years ago, my father made a small difference in his village. Together, we can make a big difference in the world.

 

多年前，我的父亲通过他的努力，改变了他所在的小村庄。今天，只要大家携手努力，就能改变世界。

 

I was once asked about my Chinese Dream. I said I hope all children especially girls can have access to good education. This is my Chinese Dream. I believe one day “Education First” will no longer be a dream, it will be a reality enjoyed by every young woman on this planet.

 

有人问过什么是我的中国梦，我说，我希望所有的孩子，特别是女孩，都能接受良好的教育，这就是我的中国梦。我坚信，总有一天，“教育第一”的梦想将不会是一个梦想，将会成为全世界（年轻女性）共享的美好现实。

 

Thank you very much.

 

谢谢大家。