[originaltext]W: Hello, welcome to today’s program. I’m Jasmine. Here with me i

W: Hello, welcome to today’s program. I’m Jasmine. Here with me is Paul Hendrickson. He’s here with us talking about the UN’s peacekeeping troops.
M: Yes. As we all know, there are still some conflict areas in the world. Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host countries.
W: Yes. On TV and the Internet, we see peacekeepers help keep order out of chaos, save people’s lives and distribute food and medicine. So what are the strengths of peacekeeping? M. Peacekeeping has unique strengths. To begin with, as they are sent by the UN, they won’t assist either side of the conflict and they are mainly there to reach humanitarian goals. Besides, troops and police from around the globe are integrated with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates.
W: That’s true. And UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peacebuilding support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace. Ms You know, UN peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles: consent of the parties. impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate. Peacekeeping is flexible and over the past two decades has been deployed (部署，调度) in many arrangements.
W: So which office of the UN is responsible for the deployment of the peacekeeping troops?
M: UN peacekeeping is a unique global partnership. It brings together the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, troop and police contributors and the host governments in a combined effort to maintain international peace and security.
W: Should these units therefore cooperate with each other in order to fulfill their peacekeeping mandates?
M: Yes. Its strength lies in the legitimacy of the UN Charter and in the wide range of contributing countries that participate and provide precious resources. Peacekeeping has always been highly dynamic and has evolved in the face of new challenges.
W: That’s true.
M: The former Secretary General has established a 17-member High-level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations to make a comprehensive assessment of the state of UN peace operations today, and the emerging needs of the future.
W: Marvelous! I have looked for some information myself. As UN peacekeepers almost by definition go to the most physically and politically difficult environments, their tasks are always difficult to fulfill. However, they have built up a demonstrable record of success over the many years of existence, including winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
M: Yes, they have done outstanding jobs. Today’s multidimensional peacekeeping operations are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also to facilitate the political process, protect civilians, protect and promote human rights, assist in restoring the rule of law and so on.
W: Well, Mr. Hendrickson, thank you very much for staying with us today.
M: My pleasure.
1. What is the strength of peacekeeping?
2. Which of the following is a basic principle of UN peacekeeping?
3. Why is UN peacekeeping a global partnership?
4. What has the former UN Secretary General done?
5. What award has UN peacekeeping won?