Shows
Inside GenevaWomen, girls and cuts to humanitarian aidSend us a textOn Inside Geneva this week, aid agencies count the costs of funding cuts. “I am most sad for all the millions of people living with HIV and affected by HIV whose lives have been upended. They have lost access to life-saving medication. They have showed up at clinics for support, only to find no one there to help them,” says Angeli Achrekar, Deputy Executive Director for the Programme Branch at the Joint United Nations (UN) Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The cuts are hitting women and girls especially hard.“...2025-04-2943 minInside GenevaHow has the world changed in 2024? UN correspondents look backSend us a textIn this week’s Inside Geneva episode, UN correspondents in Geneva and New York look back at 2024. Dorian Burkhalter, journalist, SWI swissinfo.ch: ‘Wars everywhere, climate change, deepening inequalities, AI…it’s just threats everywhere. But it just seems like the more global our problems are becoming, the weaker the UN is also becoming.’ But is the biggest event of the year the US election? Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor, New York Times: ‘It’s hard to top the US election because it’s already dominating the conversation on everything else tha...2024-12-1032 min
The Swiss ConnectionYoung Swiss scientists boost rocket researchSend us a textSwiss students are propelling the future of space travel with innovative reusable rocket technology, putting Switzerland on the map in the global space race. SWI swissinfo.ch took a closer look at their projects in northern and western Switzerland. Visit SWI swissinfo.ch for more on these exciting rocket projects and a video on this story. Please come to SWI swissinfo.ch for more of our science stories from Switzerland.Jounalist: Christian RaaflaubHost: Jo FahyAudio editor/video journalist: Michele AndinaDistribution and Marketing: Xin...2024-11-1915 minThe Swiss ConnectionWhat Switzerland can learn from Silicon Valley: EP3 Connected through InnovationSend us a textIn this episode, SWI swissinfo.ch sat down with Claude Zellweger, Google's in-house design guru. We discussed the role of designers in tech innovation, AI, and the future of education. He also shared his thoughts on the challenges facing the tech industry and how we can overcome them by putting people first. You can find more written and video content about this story on SWI swissinfo.ch: in English in French (original) in German Journalist: Marc-André Miserez Journalist: Marc-André Miserez Host...2024-07-3014 minInside GenevaSpecial announcement: Please Join us for a Live Recording in Geneva!Send us a Text Message.Save the Date for a live recordingWe’d like to invite you to a live recording session of our Inside Geneva podcast about the role of the Geneva Conventions and international law. Mark your calendars – June 5, 2024, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm – at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Registration is required to secure your spot here.If you have any questions, please email us at event@swissinfo.ch.Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you fo...2024-05-3001 minInside GenevaLaws that changed our world and the people who fought for themSend us a textIn this week’s episode of our Inside Geneva podcast, we revisit our coverage of laws that changed the world. Save the Date for a live recordingWe’d like to invite you to a live recording session of our Inside Geneva podcast about the role of the Geneva Conventions and international law. Mark your calendars - June 5, 2024, from 12:30am to 13:30pm - at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Registration is required to secure your spot here. If you have any questions, please email us at event@swissinfo.ch.Fr...2024-05-2829 minInside GenevaWhat’s the future of UNRWA? The Struggle for Balance in Gaza's Aid OperationsSend us a textThe UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is the focus of major scrutiny after Israel claimed some UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7th attacks, and thousands more were members of Hamas, or supportive of it. Now one of two UN investigations has concluded that UNRWA does need to improve its measures to uphold the humanitarian principles of impartiality and neutrality, but that Israel has offered no supporting evidence for its claims that many UNRWA staff support Hamas. Many people around the world hadn’t really heard of UNRWA before this scan...2024-03-0536 minInside GenevaNarratives from the frontlines of human sufferingSend us a textIn the last Inside Geneva of 2023, UN correspondents look back at the year..and what a year it’s been.Emma Farge, Reuters: ‘This year has felt like lurching from one catastrophe to another.’Earthquakes, climate change, or war –the UN is always expected to step in.Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor, New York Times: ‘This is a multilateral system that is absolutely falling apart under the strain of all the extreme events it’s having to deal with.’Aid agencies have struggled to cope.Imogen Foulk...2023-12-2635 minInside GenevaBeyond declarations: UN voices reflect on 75 years of human rights advocacySend us a textThe world is marking an important anniversary: the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After the Second World War, this was supposed to be our "never again" moment. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises us the right to live, to freedom of expression, the right not to be tortured, to equality regardless of gender, race or religion. So how’s that working out? Throughout 2023 SWI swissinfo.ch has been talking to the men and women who have led the United Nations' human rights wor...2023-12-1240 min
The Swiss ConnectionExploring Science in Davos: EP6 Lab 42 AI lab decoding the human brainSend us a textArtificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT generate remarkably human-like results. But how intelligent is it really? SWI swissinfo.ch visits Lab42, a new AI lab in Davos, which is deploying playful techniques to better understand the fundamentals of human intelligence.In addition to the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) gathering, Davos is home to several leading research institutes. The newest is Lab 42, which opened its doors in July 2022, an AI lab that aims to better understand the fundamentals of human intelligence. The experts working at the research institute in southeast Switzerland are...2023-12-0713 min
The Swiss ConnectionExploring Science in Davos: EP1 Orthopaedics gathering at the AO Davos Courses 2022Send us a textThe Swiss town of Davos is famous for mountain slopes, winter sports and the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. But did you know that it also attracts scientists and doctors from all over the world? In this six-part video series, SWI swissinfo.ch journalists Sara Ibrahim and Michele Andina take you on a journey to discover five of Davos’s research institutes.In this first episode, they take you to the AO Davos Courses, a two-week training congress for surgeons learning to treat bone fractures. In hands-on workshops and on...2023-10-2509 min
Inside GenevaUkraine, war crimes and PutinSend us a textRussian President Vladimir Putin has been indicted for war crimes. This week, Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks whether international law can really bring justice.“The real crime of crimes in this story is the decision to go to war. Every other crime – the deportation of children, the crimes against humanity, the war crimes – is a consequence of the decision to go to war,” says Philippe Sands, lawyer and author of East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity (2016).Will we ever see Russ...2023-04-1836 min
Inside GenevaAid Access DilemmasSend us a textIn this episode of Inside Geneva we take a long hard look at how aid is delivered, and why it is often obstructed. Did UN aid agencies fail Syria after the earthquake?Marco Sassoli from Geneva University speaking to Inside Geneva says: "The UN being a club it represents its members, and therefore it considers that it cannot do anything on the territory of a member state without the consent of the member state."But are there ways to get aid in immediately?Jan Egeland of the...2023-04-0430 minInside GenevaBooks to make you thinkSend us a textThis week Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes talks to authors who have written about humanitarian topics.What is it like to track down human rights violators?“Each day in court, seeing Hissène Habré I would pump my fist: ‘my God, we got him.’ But you never knew, and I have to say when they started reading the verdict it was such joy, but it was also a relief. I mean I felt like after 16 years, this weight had been lifted off me. I could finally recover...2023-03-2141 min
Inside GenevaHow to hold China to accountSend us a textThe UN Human Rights Council is set to discuss Ukraine, Ethiopia, Iran, and more. Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks: what about China?“If there’s no pressure coming from the international community, if there’s no scrutiny over China, if there’s nothing happening, China is basically going to take it as a sign that they’ve got the green light to continue their abuses,” says Zumretay Arkin, spokesperson at the World Uyghur Congress.Last year a UN report suggested China may have committed crimes against huma...2023-03-0726 min
Inside GenevaHow to make peace? The first anniversary of war in Ukraine.Send us a textOne year on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined by conflict resolution experts to discuss what the prospects for peace are, and how it can be won.“The fact that we’re talking about the possibility of using nuclear weapons, the fact that we’re talking about the possibility of the United States and China going to war over Taiwan; it’s frightening,” says Katia Papagianni, director of Policy and Mediation Support at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.“There is a concept t...2023-02-2343 minInside GenevaEarthquakes, aid and politicsSend us a textAfter two devastating earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes looks at the challenges aid agencies face when compassion and humanity run up against the obstacles of geopolitics.In Syria, the disaster comes on top of 12 years of conflict.“My teams ask me, the people ask me, our partners ask me: why is this happening to us? They just came out of a bitter conflict that’s been taking place for years,” says Wael Darwish of Caritas Switzerland in Syria.The confli...2023-02-1429 minInside GenevaChallenges for the new UN Human Rights chiefSend us a textThis week on the Inside Geneva podcast, host Imogen Foulkes has an in-depth conversation with Volker Türk, the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.“I have had a lifelong commitment to the human rights cause,” says Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, about what attracted him to a job some call the UN’s toughest.The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 75 in 2023. Where do we stand?“We’re losing the essence of what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a...2023-02-0724 minInside GenevaCyber WarsSend us a textThe war in Ukraine is almost a year old. Inside Geneva asks what role cyberwarfare has played.Christian-Marc Lifländer, head of NATO Cyber Defence Section: "Cyberspace has been central to the war in Ukraine. It has been used to shape the battle space. Cyberattacks were used to lay the ground for the invasion."Its influence has been stealthy…Charlotte Lindsey, CyberPeace Institute: "Everybody was expecting when cyber was used in warfare that there would be some cataclysmic, major humanitarian impact of the use of cyber."2023-01-2428 minInside GenevaAfghanistan: aid without womenSend us a textThe Taliban have banned women from working for aid agencies. This week on the Inside Geneva podcast, host Imogen Foulkes asks humanitarians what this means for Afghanistan’s future.“How can women be able to receive healthcare when there are no women doctors?” asks Adam Combs of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).Afghan women and girls are banned from secondary school and university too.“If there is no woman attending school, and then university, who will be tomorrow’s doctors, tomorrow’s midwives, nurses?” asks Filipe Ribeiro...2023-01-1025 minInside GenevaAid agencies reflect on 2022Send us a textThe year has seen huge humanitarian challenges: war in Ukraine, looming famine in Somalia, protracted crises in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. This week on the Inside Geneva podcast, aid agencies reflect on the year.“One of the things we see is that wars are not ending, they’re lasting, they’re enduring,” says Jason Straziuso, spokesperson at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).“There is no health without peace, so the only solution is peace, in these countries,” says Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson at the World Health Organ...2022-12-2734 minInside GenevaUN correspondents look backSend us a text2022 has been a momentous year: the war in Ukraine, unprecedented droughts and floods, new disease outbreaks. This week on the Inside Geneva podcast, journalists reflect on the past year.“It was quite shocking waking up in the morning to that news. I remember the UN Refugee Agency already on the first day was saying 100,000 people had been displaced,” says Nina Larson of Agence France-Presse (AFP).There is a new war in Europe. What does it mean for the UN and multilateralism?“The UN was here to pre...2022-12-1330 minInside GenevaWhat is the nuclear threat?Send us a textNuclear weapons have only been used twice. Now Russia has hinted they could be used again. In this podcast episode, Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes asks experts how big the threat is. “This is the reality of nuclear deterrence: that there is a nuclear armed country that can hold the rest of the world hostage,” says Alicia Sanders-Zakre of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).Have we forgotten how devastating these weapons are?“Blast, high-velocity projectile, trauma, burns, including bodies just melting into the gr...2022-11-2934 minInside GenevaQ&A on migration, asylum and refugeesSend us a textThis week on the Inside Geneva podcast, we answer questions from our listeners about migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Our listeners asked us the following questions: What’s the difference between asylum seekers, stateless populations, and undocumented migrants? How does third country resettlement work? Does the United Nations Refugee Agency, or the International Organization for Migration, have the power to prosecute countries if they violate their obligations to UN conventions? Podcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined by experts to provide answers on a topic that is...2022-11-1537 minInside GenevaCOP27, climate change and healthSend us a textThe United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) is due to start this Sunday in Egypt. Evidence shows too little is done against climate change. What does this mean for our health?In this podcast episode, host Imogen Foulkes is joined by health and climate experts.“A 1 degree or 0.5 degree [Celsius] increase has an exponential direct impact on the number of cases of cholera or the number of people dying from heatwaves,” says Ninni Ikkala Nyman of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red...2022-11-0131 minInside GenevaHelping Ukraine: lessons and challengesSend us a textIn this podcast episode, host Imogen Foulkes together with Swiss Solidarity ask: what are the challenges of delivering aid to Ukraine?“In the early days, it just looked like, five or six days, and Ukraine will be taken,” says Zuzana Brezinova, Ukraine country director at Swiss Church Aid HEKS.How do neutral, impartial humanitarian organisations really work in a war zone?“Because we’re a neutral organisation we cannot sign memorandums of understanding with military organisations,” says Damon Elsworth, senior glo...2022-10-1843 minInside GenevaDefending human rights in RussiaSend us a textRussia is diplomatically isolated. In this podcast episode, host Imogen Foulkes asks: what about Russian human rights defenders?“Right now, in Russia there are few means left to defend human rights, and to address human rights violations. It’s really hard,” says Violetta Fitsner, a Russian human rights defender.In Geneva, Russia has been expelled from the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).“Excluding Russia from various organisations: Council of Europe, Human Rights Council. Are you isolating them from all concepts like universal human rights?” asks analyst Da...2022-10-0428 minInside GenevaWhat is the ITU and why does it matter?Send us a textIn this episode, host Imogen Foulkes explores the most important UN agency most of us have never heard of. Malcolm Johnson, deputy secretary general, ITU: ‘Telephony, radio and tv broadcasting , satellite communications, the internet, they wouldn’t have developed.’ So what has the International Telecommunications Union ever done for us? Fiona Alexander, IT expert: ‘If you’re a beneficiary of any modern day communications network, you have benefitted from something that the ITU has done.’ And why are Russia and the United States competing to lead it? ...2022-09-2027 minInside GenevaDay of the DisappearedSend us a textFor more than 150 years the ICRC has been re-uniting those separated by war and natural disaster. Inside Geneva visits the Central Tracing Agency. Florence Anselmo, Head of the Central Tracing Agency: "People going missing, families getting separated, families not knowing what has happened to their loved ones." Now it’s busy letting Russian and Ukrainian families know what has happened to their sons. Anastasia Kushleyko, CTA: "I’m calling from the ICRC, I’m calling from Geneva and this is the Central Tracing Agency. As of last week he was sa...2022-09-0631 minInside GenevaSyria: the forgotten crisisSend us a textWhile the spotlight is on Ukraine, the UN says humanitarian needs in Syria are greater than ever. Podcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined in this episode by humanitarian experts.“The World Food Programme had to reduce by 13% their food rations because of funding,” says Sanjana Quazi, head of office at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Turkey.The UN budget for Syria is underfunded and further devalued by rising food and fuel prices.“What we’re seeing is a tren...2022-08-2334 minInside GenevaWomen, peace and securitySend us a textFrom war to food insecurity and climate change; would the world be a better, safer place if women took more decisions?Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined in this episode by women peace and security experts.“Participation of women in peace and security, obviously must go beyond an ‘add-women-and-stir’ approach,” says Julia Hofstetter, president of Women in International Security, Switzerland.How well are women represented in security discussions?“Thirty per cent of the delegates negotiating arms control and disarmament are women, so 70% are...2022-08-0935 minInside GenevaWhat do rights groups want from the UN?Send us a textBy the end of this month, the UN will have a new human rights chief. It’s sometimes called the UN’s toughest job. Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes talks exclusively to the leaders of the world’s top human rights groups, and asks them how they see the job. Ken Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch: "The High Commissioner has no aid budget, they have no army, they have no way to influence anybody, other than through their public reporting and their public voice." What’s the legacy of outgoing...2022-07-2631 minInside GenevaWhat does it take to lead the UN human rights office?Send us a textUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet will leave office at the end of August. The hunt is on for the world’s new human rights leader.Podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks former United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein what it is like to do the job.“Most of my time I was writing to governments, talking to them, calling them, but I had no hesitation of going public when I felt we needed to go public,” says Zeid. 2022-07-1225 minInside GenevaDrought and food insecuritySend us a textMillions of people are going hungry due to severe droughts in the Sahel and in East Africa. The Inside Geneva podcast looks at how the international community should help, now and in the future.Podcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined in this episode by climate and humanitarian experts.“Two boys, twins, they’re one year old. They’re severely malnourished, the children and the mother. And she walked 160 kilometres to reach an area where there is some food distribution,” says Rania Dagash, deputy regional director for East...2022-06-2831 minInside GenevaRefugee policy: the good, the bad and the uglySend us a textEurope has shown a big welcome to refugees from Ukraine. The Inside Geneva podcast asks whether this generosity will be extended to others.Podcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined in this episode by refugee policy experts.“The Ukraine crisis has really humanised the refugee issue, people have been able to see women, children, men in extremely difficult circumstances,” says Jeff Crisp, an expert on refugee policy with the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre.“As someone who understands the horrors of war v...2022-06-1431 minInside GenevaNeutrality, NATO and the new world orderSend us a textThis week on Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes discusses NATO, neutrality, and the new world order.Is neutrality even possible in response to the invasion of Ukraine?Sara Hellmüller, Geneva Graduate Institute: "The law of neutrality is very clear, so the law of neutrality applies to the military domain and says that a country is not allowed to participate in an armed conflict either directly or indirectly."Neutral Finland and Sweden want to join NATO. What does that mean for their neutral status?Daniel W...2022-05-3132 minInside GenevaWorld Health Assembly: lessons learned from the pandemic?Send us a textPodcast host Imogen Foulkes is joined in this episode by global health experts.“We should look at why zoonotic events happen, and maybe start banning wildlife trading. A new pandemic treaty should address the way we grow food and breed animals,” says Nicoletta Dentico, head of the global health programme at the Society for International Development (SID). Zoonotic diseases involve germs spreading between animals and humans.How can we prevent another devastating pandemic? How do we make sure vaccines and treatments are shared fairly?“That the TRIPS waiver...2022-05-1733 min