United Nations Radio

UN Calling Asia - a weekly magazine programme, in English, that keeps you in touch with UN developments covering Asia and the Pacific.

One year after she was killed while campaigning for the presidency of her native Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. The ceremony was held at UN Headquarters on December 10th, which also marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. UN General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann presented the award during a special session capping the year-long global observance of the landmark declaration.

Thousands of former Maoist fighters in Nepal-and their families face an uncertain future

In Nepal, thousands of Maoist soldiers are facing an uncertain future. They are waiting for a crucial decision on their possible reintegration within the national army. Since the end of the war two years ago, the 19,000 soldiers of the Peoples Liberation Army, or PLA, have been confined to seven main cantonments and 21 satellites across the country, placed under partial UN monitoring. In 2006, the Maoist rebels and Nepalese government signed a peace agreement to bring an end to a decade-long conflict that killed more than 13,000 people and displaced nearly 200,000. Our correspondent in Nepal Sophie Boudre has the story.

The Maori language is thriving in New Zealand after teetering on the brink of extinction

International Year of Languages

2008 was the International Year of Languages.  UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, estimates that of the 7,000 languages spoken, about half are headed for extinction. Less than a quarter are currently used in schools or on the Internet. Under its campaign for the year "Languages Matter" it invited a few countries to share their success stories of preserving languages. One of these is New Zealand, where the Maori language is thriving under a 25-year-old government-sponsored programme. Bissera Kostova reports.

Producer:  Dianne Penn
Production Assistant:  Beng Poblete-Enriquez
(duration:  14'00")