今年是聯合國千年發展目標中期審評年。此時召開非洲發展高級別會議，有助于各方回顧對非洲發展承諾的落實情況，評估非洲發展的需求與挑戰，幫助和推動非洲加快發展，具有特殊意義。

This year is the year of mid-term review of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is of special significance that we are having the high-level meeting on Africa's development needs at this time, as this will help all parties review the delivery of their commitments to Africa's development, evaluate Africa's development needs and challenges and offer assistance and support to the accelerated development of Africa.

當今世界，求和平、謀穩定、促發展是各國人民的共同心愿。然而，天下并不太平，傳統熱點依舊，新的沖突時有發生，恐怖威脅、疾病傳播、環境惡化、貧富加劇等非傳統安全問題日益突出。經濟全球化給發展中國家帶來機遇，也造成挑戰。

In today's world, peace, stability and development are the shared aspiration of people of all countries. However, the world is not trouble-free. While traditional hotspot issues remain unresolved, new conflicts break out from time to time. Non-traditional security issues are growing more serious, including terrorist threats, spread of diseases, environmental degradation and widening income gaps. Economic globalization presents both opportunities and challenges to developing countries.

近年來，非洲和平安全形勢不斷改善，區域合作和 一體化進程穩步推進。非洲經濟保持了較快增長，貿易條件有所改善，債務負擔進一步減輕，政府治理能力不斷加強。非洲發展的步伐正在加快，勢頭令人鼓舞。同 時，非洲在前進的道路上仍面臨艱巨挑戰：和平穩定局面亟待進一步鞏固；農業基礎和糧食安全有待繼續加強；基礎設施薄弱、發展資金匱乏、外債負擔沉重影響著 投資環境的改善，制約著自主發展能力的提升；醫療衛生、文化教育等社會事業的嚴重滯后也阻礙著人民生活水平的提高。

In recent years, the peace and security situation in Africa has kept improving and steady progress has been made in regional cooperation and its integration process. Africa has maintained fairly rapid economic growth. Its terms of trade have improved, its debt burden eased further and its governance capacity strengthened. Africa is now showing an encouraging momentum of accelerated development. At the same time, Africa is still faced with daunting challenges on the way ahead. Its peace and stability need to be consolidated, and its agricultural basis and food security need to be strengthened. Its weak infrastructure, lack of development finance and heavy burden of external debt affect the improvement of its investment climate and independent development capacity. The serious shortfalls in social services such as health and medical care, culture and education also make it more difficult to improve people's living standards.