Thank you, President Varela . Thank you very much, Panama, for hosting this Summit of the Americas . And I thank everybody who’s traveled here from across the region for the courageous work that you do to defend freedom and human rights, and to promote equality and opportunity and justice across our hemisphere and around the world. 谢谢，巴雷拉总统。非常感谢巴拿马主办本次美洲峰会。我也感谢从本地区各地远道而来的每一位人士，感谢你们为捍卫自由与人权，为促进我们整个半球乃至全世界的平等、机遇与正义所做的勇敢工作。
I am proud to be with you at this first-ever official gathering of civil society leaders at the Summit of the Americas. And I’m pleased to have Cuba represented with us at this summit for the very first time. 我很荣幸能与各位一同出席美洲峰会历史上首次民间社会领袖正式会议。我也很高兴古巴首次派代表参加本次峰会。
We’re here for a very simple reason. We believe that strong, successful countries require strong and vibrant civil societies. We know that throughout our history, human progress has been propelled not just by famous leaders, not just by states, but by ordinary men and women who believe that change is possible; by citizens who are willing to stand up against incredible odds and great danger not only to protect their own rights, but to extend rights to others. 我们来到这里，原因很简单。我们相信，强大而成功的国家需要强大而有活力的公民社会。我们知道，纵观历史，推动人类进步的不仅仅是著名的领袖，也不仅仅是国家，而是那些相信变革是可能的普通男女；是那些甘愿冒着巨大困难和危险挺身而出的公民——他们不仅为保护自身权利，更为将权利扩展到他人。
I had a chance to reflect on this last month when I was in the small town of Selma, Alabama . Some of you may have heard of it. It’s a place where, 50 years ago, African-Americans marched in peaceful, nonviolent protest -- not to ask for special treatment but to be treated equally, in accordance with the founding documents of our Declaration of Independence, our Bill of Rights. They were part of a Civil Rights Movement that had endured violence and repression for decades, and would endure it again that day, as many of the marchers were beaten. 上个月，当我在阿拉巴马州的塞尔玛小镇时，我有机会思考了这一点。你们中有些人可能听说过这个地方。五十年前，非裔美国人在那里举行和平、非暴力的抗议游行——不是要求特殊待遇，而是要求得到平等对待，符合我们《独立宣言》和《权利法案》等建国文件的精神。他们是民权运动的一部分，这场运动已经忍受了数十年的暴力和压迫，而在那一天，他们再次承受了苦难，因为许多游行者遭到了殴打。
But they kept marching. And despite the beatings of that day, they came back, and more returned. And the conscience of a nation was stirred. Their efforts bent, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, the arc of the moral universe towards justice . And it was their vision for a more fair and just and inclusive and generous society that ultimately triumphed. And the only reason I stand here today as the President of the United States is because those ordinary people -- maids, and janitors, and schoolteachers -- were willing to endure hardship on my behalf. 但他们继续前行。尽管那天遭受了殴打，他们又回来了，而且更多的人加入进来。整个国家的良知被唤醒了。用马丁·路德·金博士的话来说，他们的努力让道德宇宙的弧线向正义弯曲。正是他们对一个更加公平、正义、包容和慷慨的社会的愿景，最终取得了胜利。而我今天能站在这里，担任美国总统，唯一的原因就是那些普通人——女佣、门卫、教师——愿意为我承受艰辛。
And that's why I believe so strongly in the work that you do. It's the dreamers -- no matter how humble or poor or seemingly powerless -- that are able to change the course of human events. We saw it in South Africa, where citizens stood up to the scourge of apartheid . We saw it in Europe, where Poles marched in Solidarity to help bring down the Iron Curtain . In Argentina, where mothers of the disappeared spoke out against the Dirty War . It’s the story of my country, where citizens worked to abolish slavery, and establish women’s rights and workers’ rights, and rights for gays and lesbians. 这就是为什么我如此坚信你们所做的工作。正是那些梦想家——无论多么卑微、多么贫穷、看似多么无力——能够改变人类历史的进程。我们在南非看到了这一点，那里的人民挺身反对种族隔离的祸害。我们在欧洲看到了这一点，波兰人团结在团结工会中，帮助推倒了铁幕。在阿根廷，"失踪者"的母亲们站出来声讨肮脏战争。这也是我们国家的故事——公民们致力于废除奴隶制，争取妇女权利、工人权利以及男女同性恋者的权利。
It’s not to say that my country is perfect -- we are not. And that’s the point. We always have to have citizens who are willing to question and push our government, and identify injustice. We have to wrestle with our own challenges -- from issues of race to policing to inequality. But what makes me most proud about the extraordinary example of the United States is not that we’re perfect, but that we struggle with it, and we have this open space in which society can continually try to make us a more perfect union . 这并不是说我的国家是完美的——我们并不完美。而这正是关键所在。我们永远需要愿意质疑和推动政府、揭露不公的公民。我们必须直面自己的挑战——从种族问题到警务问题，再到不平等问题。但最让我为美国这一非凡榜样感到骄傲的，不是我们的完美，而是我们为之奋斗，并且我们拥有一个开放的空间，让社会能够不断努力，让我们成为一个更完善的联邦。
We’ve stood up, at great cost, for freedom and human dignity, not just in our own country, but elsewhere. I’m proud of that. And we embrace our ability to become better through our democracy. And that requires more than just the work of government. It demands the hard and frustrating, sometimes, but absolutely vital work of ordinary citizens coming together to make common cause. 我们曾不惜巨大代价，不仅在自己的国家，也在其他地方为自由和人类尊严挺身而出。我为此感到自豪。我们拥抱通过民主变得更好的能力。而这需要的不仅仅是政府的工作。它需要普通公民的努力——艰辛的、有时令人沮丧的，但绝对至关重要的——他们团结起来，为共同事业而奋斗。
So civil society is the conscience of our countries. It’s the catalyst of change. It’s why strong nations don’t fear active citizens. Strong nations embrace and support and empower active citizens. And by the way, it’s not as if active citizens are always right -- they’re not. Sometimes people start yelling at me or arguing at me, and I think, you don’t know what you’re talking about. But sometimes they do. And the question is not whether they’re always right; the question is, do you have a society in which that conversation, that debate can be tested and ideas are tested in the marketplace. 因此，公民社会是我们各国的良知。它是变革的催化剂。正因如此，强大的国家不惧怕积极的公民。强大的国家拥抱、支持并赋能积极的公民。顺便说一句，并不是说积极的公民总是正确的——他们并非如此。有时候人们对我大喊大叫或争论不休，我会想，你根本不知道自己在说什么。但有时候他们是对的。问题不在于他们是否总是正确的；问题在于，你是否拥有这样一个社会：在其中，对话和辩论可以得到检验，思想可以在市场中得到验证。
And because of the efforts of civil society, now, by and large, there’s a consensus in the Americas on democracy and human rights, and social development and social inclusiveness. I recognize there’s strong differences about the role of civil society, but I believe we can all benefit from open and tolerant and inclusive dialogue. And we should reject violence or intimidation that’s aimed at silencing people’s voices. 由于公民社会的努力，如今美洲地区在民主与人权、社会发展与社会包容方面大体上已形成共识。我承认，对于公民社会的作用存在巨大分歧，但我相信我们都能从开放、宽容和包容的对话中受益。我们应当拒绝旨在压制人民声音的暴力或恐吓。
The freedom to be heard is a principle that the Americas at large is committed to. And that doesn’t mean, as I said, that we’re going to agree on every issue. But we should address those issue candidly and honestly and civilly, and welcome the voices of all of our people into the debates that shape the future of the hemisphere. 发表意见的自由是美洲各国普遍承诺的一项原则。而这并不意味着，如我所说，我们会在每一个问题上都达成一致。但我们应当坦诚、诚实、文明地探讨这些问题，并欢迎所有人民的声音参与塑造本半球未来的辩论。
Just to take one example: As the United States begins a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba , we hope it will create an environment that improves the lives of the Cuban people -– not because it’s imposed by us, the United States, but through the talent and ingenuity and aspirations, and the conversation among Cubans from all walks of life so they can decide what the best course is for their prosperity. 仅举一例：随着美国开启与古巴关系的新篇章，我们希望这将创造一个改善古巴人民生活的环境——不是因为美国将其强加于人，而是通过古巴各界人民的才能、智慧和抱负，以及他们之间的对话，让他们自己决定什么才是实现繁荣的最佳道路。
As we move toward the process of normalization, we’ll have our differences, government to government, with Cuba on many issues -- just as we differ at times with other nations within the Americas; just as we differ with our closest allies. There’s nothing wrong with that. But I’m here to say that when we do speak out, we’re going to do so because the United States of America does believe, and will always stand for, a certain set of universal values. 在我们走向关系正常化的过程中，我们与古巴政府之间会在许多问题上存在分歧——就像我们有时与美洲其他国家存在分歧一样；就像我们与最亲密的盟友也存在分歧一样。这没有什么不对。但我在这里要说，当我们发声时，我们这样做是因为美利坚合众国确实相信，并将始终代表一套普世的价值观。
And when we do partner with civil society, it’s because we believe our relationship should be with governments and with the peoples that they represent. 而当我们与公民社会合作时，是因为我们相信，我们的关系应当既与政府建立，也与他们所代表的人民建立。
It’s also because we believe that your work is more important than ever. Here in the Americas, inequality still locks too many people out of our economies. Discrimination still locks too many out of our societies. Around the world, there are still too many places where laws are passed to stifle civil society, where governments cut off funding for groups that they don’t agree with. Where entrepreneurs are crushed under corruption. Where activists and journalists are locked up on trumped-up charges because they dare to be critical of their governments. 这也是因为我们相信，你们的工作比以往任何时候都更加重要。在美洲，不平等仍将太多人排斥在我们的经济之外。歧视仍将太多人排斥在我们的社会之外。在世界各地，仍有太多的地方通过法律压制公民社会，政府切断他们不认同的团体的资金来源。企业家被腐败压垮。活动人士和记者因敢于批评政府而被以莫须有的罪名关押。
Where the way you look, or how you pray, or who you love can get you imprisoned or killed. 在那些地方，你的长相、你的信仰方式、你爱的是谁，都可能让你身陷囹圄或招来杀身之祸。
And whether it’s crackdowns on free expression in Russia or China, or restrictions on freedom of association and assembly in Egypt, or prison camps run by the North Korean regime -- human rights and fundamental freedoms are still at risk around the world. And when that happens, we believe we have a moral obligation to speak out. 无论是俄罗斯或中国对言论自由的镇压，还是埃及对结社和集会自由的限制，抑或是朝鲜政权经营的集中营——人权和基本自由在世界各地仍面临风险。当这种情况发生时，我们认为我们有道义上的义务发声。
We also know that our support for civil society is not just about what we’re against, but also what we’re for. Because we’ve noticed that governments that are more responsive and effective are typically governments where the people are free to assemble, and speak their minds, and petition their leaders, and hold us accountable. 我们也知道，我们对公民社会的支持不仅仅是关于我们反对什么，更是关于我们支持什么。因为我们注意到，更具回应性和更有效率的政府，通常是那些人民可以自由集会、自由表达意见、向领导人请愿并追究我们责任的政府。
We know that our economies attract more trade and investment when citizens are free to start a new business without paying a bribe. We know that our societies are more likely to succeed when all our people -- regardless of color, or class, or creed, or sexual orientation, or gender -- are free to live and pray and love as they choose. That’s what we believe. 我们知道，当公民可以自由创业而不必行贿时，我们的经济会吸引更多的贸易和投资。我们知道，当我们所有的人民——无论肤色、阶级、信仰、性取向或性别——都能自由地按照自己的选择生活、信仰和去爱时，我们的社会更有可能取得成功。这就是我们所相信的。
And, increasingly, civil society is a source of ideas -- about everything from promoting transparency and free expression, to reversing inequality and rescuing our environment. And that’s why, as part of our Stand with Civil Society Initiative , we’ve joined with people around the world to push back on those who deny your right to be heard. I’ve made it a mission of our government not only to protect civil society groups, but to partner with you and empower you with the knowledge and the technology and the resources to put your ideas into action. And the U.S. 而且，公民社会日益成为思想的源泉——从促进透明度和言论自由，到扭转不平等和拯救我们的环境，无所不包。正因如此，作为我们"与公民社会站在一起"倡议的一部分，我们与世界各地的人们一道，反击那些剥夺你们发声权利的人。我已将此作为我国政府的一项使命——不仅要保护公民社会团体，还要与你们合作，为你们提供知识、技术和资源，将你们的想法付诸行动。并且美国
supports the efforts to establish a permanent, meaningful role for civil societies in future Summits of the Americas. 支持在未来的美洲峰会中为公民社会确立一个永久的、有意义的角色。
So let me just say, when the United States sees space closing for civil society, we will work to open it. When efforts are made to wall you off from the world, we’ll try to connect you with each other. When you are silenced, we’ll try to speak out alongside you. And when you’re suppressed, we want to help strengthen you. As you work for change, the United States will stand up alongside you every step of the way. We are respectful of the difference among our countries. 所以我想说，当美国看到公民社会的空间正在缩小时，我们将努力打开它。当有人试图将你们与世界隔绝时，我们将努力让你们彼此联系。当你们被压制时，我们将努力与你们一同发声。当你们受到压迫时，我们希望帮助你们壮大力量。在你们为变革而努力的过程中，美国将在每一步与你们站在一起。我们尊重各国之间的差异。
The days in which our agenda in this hemisphere so often presumed that the United States could meddle with impunity, those days are past. 那些我们在本半球的议程常常自以为美国可以肆无忌惮地干涉他国内政的日子，已经一去不复返了。
But what it does mean -- but we do have to be very clear that when we speak out on behalf of somebody who’s been imprisoned for no other reason than because they spoke truth to power, when we are helping an organization that is trying to empower a minority group inside a country to get more access to resources, we’re not doing that because it serves our own interests; we’re doing it because we think it’s the right thing to do. And that’s important. 但这确实意味着——但我们必须非常清楚，当我们为那些仅仅因为向权力讲真话而被监禁的人发声时，当我们帮助一个旨在赋予一国内部少数群体更多资源获取渠道的组织时，我们这样做不是因为它符合我们自己的利益；我们这样做是因为我们认为这是正确的事情。这一点很重要。
And I hope that all the other countries at the Summit of the Americas will join us in seeing that it’s important. Because sometimes, as difficult as it is, it’s important for us to be able to speak honestly and candidly on behalf of people who are vulnerable and people who are powerless, people who are voiceless. I know, because there was a time in our own country where there were groups that were voiceless and powerless. And because of world opinion, that helped to change those circumstance. We have a debt to pay, because the voices of ordinary people have made us better. 我希望美洲峰会的所有其他国家都能与我们一道认识到这一点的重要性。因为有时候，尽管困难重重，但我们必须能够为弱势群体、无权无势者、无声者坦诚直言。我知道这一点，因为在我们自己的国家，也曾有过一些群体无声无息、无权无势的时代。而正是因为世界舆论的帮助，情况才得以改变。我们有一笔债要还，因为普通人民的声音让我们变得更好。
That’s a debt that I want to make sure we repay in this hemisphere and around the world. 这是一笔我希望确保我们在本半球和全世界都能偿还的债务。
Thank you very much, everybody. 非常感谢大家。
God bless you. 上帝保佑你们。