聯合國祕書長潘基文國際慈善日致辭

Charity plays an important role in upholding the values and advancing the work of the United Nations. Donations of time or Money; volunteer engagement in one’s own community or on the other side of the world; acts of caring and kindness with no thought of recompense; these and other expressions of global solidarity help us in our shared quest to live together in harmony and build a peaceful future for all.
慈善事業對於弘揚聯合國價值觀念，推進聯合國的工作，具有重要作用。奉獻時間或捐獻款項；在自己的社區或在遙遠的世界其他地方投身於志願者的行列；力行關愛而不求回報；如此種種全球團結的善舉，幫助我們實現共同的追求，讓大家和睦相處，其樂融融，爲所有人建設一個和平的未來。

I welcome this first observance of the International Day of Charity, which was proclaimed last year by the United Nations General Assembly and which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, whose life and good works for some of the human family’s poorest and most vulnerable members inspired emulation across the world.
去年聯合國大會宣佈了國際慈善日，今年首次開展紀念活動，對此我表示歡迎。國際慈善日恰逢特里薩修女逝世周年紀念日，她一生爲人類大家庭中最貧窮、最脆弱的人們奔走呼號，作出傑出貢獻，成爲全世界競相學習的楷模。

Strangely, charity sometimes gets dismissed, as if it is ineffective, inappropriate or even somehow demeaning to the recipient. “This isn’t charity”, some donors take pains to claim, “this is an investment”. Let us recognize charity for what it is at heart: a noble enterprise aimed at bettering the human condition.
然而令人費解的是，慈善事業有時卻被人不屑，似乎這種事業沒有效益，不合時宜，甚至對於接受者來說有失尊嚴。有些捐助者會刻意宣稱：“這不是施捨，而是一種投資。”讓我們對慈善事業的實質予以承認：慈善是高尚的事業，其目標是讓人類生活更加美好。

At a time when we aim to accelerate our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and define a bold agenda for the period beyond 2015, the role of charity can and should grow.
目前，我們正在力求加快速度，實現千年發展目標，併爲2015年後規劃雄心勃勃的議程，此時此刻，慈善事業的作用可以也應當發揚光大。

UN bodies such as the UN Volunteers Programme and UNICEF offer venues for people across the world to get involved. In establishing the Day, the General Assembly asked that charity be encouraged through education and awareness-raising activities; initiatives such as the United Nations Academic Impact’s ASPIRE -- Action by Students to Promote Innovation and Reform through Education -- have encouraged young women and men to take on the responsibility of ensuring that their less fortunate peers have the financial opportunity to go to school. The UN’s humanitarian agencies rely on charitable donations from the public as well as the generosity of governments to continue their lifesaving work in response to natural disasters, armed conflicts and other emergencies.
聯合國的各個機構，如聯合國志願人員方案和聯合國兒童基金會，爲全世界人民參與提供了種種機會。大會在設定國際慈善日時要求通過舉辦教育和公共宣傳活動鼓勵慈善行爲；開展了各種舉措，如聯合國學術影響倡議所開展的“學生採取行動通過教育推動創新和改革”活動，鼓勵男女青年承擔起責任，確保同齡人中較爲不幸的人有錢上學。聯合國人道主義機構繼續開展拯救生命的工作，應對自然災害、武裝衝突及其他各種緊急狀況，這項工作有賴於公衆的慈善捐助，有賴於各國政府的慷慨資助。

On this new International Day, I call on people everywhere, of all ages, to act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being.
值此新的國際慈善日之際，我呼籲全世界人民，不分長幼，行動起來。慈善之心人皆有之，願此善心化爲善舉。