FROM THE FIELD: COVID-19 just the latest crisis facing Somalia

16 June 2020

UN Health

Devastating floods, desert locusts and the COVID-19 pandemic constitute a ‘triple threat’, that risks reversing political and security gains made in Somalia in recent years, the United Nations is warning.

Devastating/ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/ causing a lot of damage and destruction 破坏性极大的；毁灭性的;extremely shocking to a person 令人震惊的；骇人的; impressive and powerful 给人印象深刻的；令人钦佩的；强有力的

locust /ˈləʊkəst/a large insect that lives in hot countries and flies in large groups, destroying all the plants and crops of an area 蝗虫 eg. a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫

constitute /ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt/1.[ V-N ] ( not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时 ) to be considered to be sth （被认为或看做）是；被算作2.[ V-N ] ( not used in the progressive tenses 不用于进行时 ) to be the parts that together form sth 组成；构成•Female workers constitute the majority of the labour force. 女性雇员占劳动力的多数。3.[ VN ] [ usually passive ] to form a group legally or officially （合法或正式地）成立，设立

Somalia /səˈmɑːliə/索马里

Close to 500,000 people have been displaced and more than a million affected, by recent floods in Somalia’s central regions; a severe locust infestation which threatens food security and nutrition; and at the same time, as the country is responding to the spread of COVID-19.

displaced ：1.V-T If one thing displaces another, it forces the other thing out of its place, position, or role, and then occupies that place, position, or role itself. 取代•  These factories have displaced tourism as the country's largest source of foreign exchange.  这些工厂已经取代了旅游业而成为该国最大的外汇来源。

2. V-T If a person or group of people is displaced, they are forced to move away from the area where they live. 使背井离乡

infestation/ˌɪnfeˈsteɪʃn/ 感染，侵扰 负面词汇

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is calling for swift action from the international community, to avoid a major humanitarian crisis in a country whose ability to cope with disasters is significantly less than that of surrounding countries.

Humanitarian /hjuːˌmænɪˈteəriən/ concerned with reducing suffering and improving the conditions that people live in 人道主义的（主张减轻人类苦难、改善人类生活）；慈善的

 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs：联合国人道主义事物协调办公室

swift ：~ (to do sth) happening or done quickly and immediately; doing sth quickly 迅即发生的；马上做出的；迅速的   swift action快速反应

cope with：处理，应对

The pandemic has led to major disruption nationwide, including a reduction in remittances from the diaspora, a mainstay for many Somalis, and a reduction in casual labour opportunities due to COVID-19 restrictions.

remittance /rɪˈmɪtns/1.[ C ] ( formal ) a sum of money that is sent to sb in order to pay for sth 汇款金额2.[ U ] the act of sending money to sb in order to pay for sth 汇付；汇款

diaspora /daɪˈæspərə/ 1.the diaspora the movement of the Jewish people away from their own country to live and work in other countries （犹太人的）大流散2. the movement of people from any nation or group away from their own country （任何民族的）大移居

mainstay/ˈmeɪnsteɪ/~ (of sth) a person or thing that is the most important part of sth and enables it to exist or be successful 支柱；中流砥柱• Cocoa is the country's economic mainstay. 可可是这个国家的经济支柱。

原文链接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066422