Podcasts by Inside Geneva

Cyber-attacks: what are the risks for aid agencies? from 2022-02-08T10:00

In January the ICRC was hacked, compromising the data of half a million vulnerable people. But how vulnerable are aid agencies themselves to cyber-attacks?

Podcast host Imogen Fo...

War and humanitarian aid in the 21st century from 2022-01-25T11:00

Henry Dunant witnessed the horrors of the battle of Solferino in 1859. This gave birth to his vision for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the first Geneva Convention. But ...

What does 2022 hold for Afghanistan? from 2022-01-11T09:00

Millions of Afghans have not been paid for months as foreign aid – which used to fund 75% of Afghanistan’s public spending – was frozen following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August ...

What happened in ‘International Geneva’ in 2021? from 2021-12-14T10:00

The Covid-19 pandemic, a Biden-Putin face-to-face summit and record humanitarian crises: Geneva-based journalists reflect on a busy year and offer a glimpse into the future.

Podc...

Do we need a pandemic treaty? from 2021-11-30T10:00

Covid-19 has dominated our lives for almost two years. Vaccines have been developed in record time, yet nearly half the world’s population has not received a single dose. What has gone wrong? Listen

Do we need to decolonize aid? from 2021-11-16T09:00

Decolonization has become a buzzword of late, especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the toppling of statues of figures tied to a nation's colonial past. 

Hu...

COP26: Why the climate crisis is also a humanitarian crisis from 2021-11-02T10:00

The increase in extreme weather events worldwide is evidence that climate change is already impacting our lives. The hardest hit of the global population are people in developing countries. Host...

The SDGs: Can we solve all of the world's problems? from 2021-10-21T16:00

In 2015 the world set itself 17 very ambitious targets: the Sustainable Development Goals. To end hunger, eradicate poverty, ensure health and education for all.

But are the SDGs over a...

How to prevent a cold war in science from 2021-10-11T11:00

Diplomats and scientists often live in different worlds and don’t have open access to each other’s community.

A new foundation known as the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GES...

Extinction: old work habits and hierarchies? from 2021-10-05T10:00

Covid 19 has changed the way we work. But has it changed how we value work?

Host Imogen Foulkes asks if our old workplace habits and hierarchies are about to become extinct. She speaks to ...

Killer robots: should algorithms decide who lives or dies? from 2021-09-21T10:00

In Geneva, complex negotiations are underway to decide if a treaty is needed to control, or even ban, lethal autonomous weapons – or killer robots. Imogen Foulkes talks to experts, lawyers, and ...

How 9/11 has eroded our human rights from 2021-09-07T10:00

How have our attitudes to human rights changed since 9/11? What about our laws?

Imogen Foulkes is joined by Fionnuala Ni Aolain, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counterterrori...

Afghanistan: aid agencies are staying from 2021-08-24T10:00

The troops have left Afghanistan but aid agencies say they’re staying. How will that work, with the Taliban back in control?

Join host Imogen Foulkes and regular analyst Daniel Warner w...

Chocolate, gold, human rights: what’s the Swiss Connection? from 2021-08-10T10:00

In this episode Imogen Foulkes is joined by Susan Misicka, host of sister podcast The Swiss Connection. We take a deep dive into what one country – Switzerland – is doing to honour the United Na...

Afghanistan: The forever war? from 2021-07-27T10:00

Some call the war in Afghanistan "the forever war". But now the US and NATO are leaving. The conflict is escalating. Inside Geneva tries to figure out what the future might look like.<...

Human rights: Holding businesses to account from 2021-07-13T10:00

Ten years ago, the United Nations adopted a landmark set of guiding principles on business and human rights.

"Those who have been harmed by business activity have a right to seek effe...

War crimes: Holding perpetrators to account from 2021-06-29T10:00

How do we bring war criminals to justice? Who can bring prosecutions? The country where the crimes took place? The International Criminal Court? Or anyone?

In this week's episode, ...

Biden-Putin: The Geneva summit expectations from 2021-06-14T10:00

Geneva is welcoming two of the most powerful men in the world: US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. What do they hope to gain? In this episode host Imogen Foulkes talks t...

Education: Making it a priority in humanitarian emergencies from 2021-06-01T10:00

Education is fundamental to the life of every child. Not being in school puts children at immediate risk and it ruins their futures. So why does education seem to come a poor second during human...

Finding common ground to battle future pandemics from 2021-05-18T10:00

The 194 members of the World Health Organisation will meet for the annual World Health Assembly from May 24. The body decides global health policy. What could be more important in this pandemic ...

Defending the Disappeared from 2021-05-04T10:00

Not knowing the fate of a loved one causes unimaginable heartbreak and anxiety for families. People go missing in wars and natural disasters, but they are also forcibly disappeared. What can fam...

Is the United Nations'top job for men only? from 2021-04-20T10:00

The United Nations is 75 years old – but there has never been a woman Secretary General. Now Antonio Guterres is standing for a second term, so it will likely be another five years before a woma...

Genocide: why we apply the term sparingly from 2021-04-06T10:00

It is regarded as the worst of all crimes, but what constitutes genocide? How does it differ from crimes against humanity? How are the atrocities of 1970’s Cambodia different from 1990’s Rwanda?...

Syria, a decade of war from 2021-03-23T10:00

The war in Syria began 10 years ago this month. Throughout that decade, Geneva has been at the heart of diplomatic efforts towards peace, and at the heart of the humanitarian operation. Were cha...

Is Facebook a danger to democracy? from 2021-03-09T10:00

Billions of us use social media – but how much control do we have over how it uses us? Big tech giant Facebook could block news content for its users in Australia without asking anyone. Authorit...

Are nuclear weapons really banned? from 2021-02-23T10:00

In January nuclear weapons were banned by international treaty. But the treaty doesn’t apply to any of the nuclear powers, since none of them signed it. So are nukes really banned? In this episo...

Covid 19: When hindsight is 20/20 from 2021-02-09T10:00

It’s a year since Covid 19 went global, and we all headed into lockdown. In this episode Imogen Foulkes revisits some eerily prescient interviews we did with health experts Vinh Kim Nguyen of MS...

How strong is US's renewed global commitment? from 2021-01-26T10:00

In this episode Imogen Foulkes is joined by journalists Gunilla von Hall and Tom Miles, and analyst Daniel Warner, to look at what 2021 might hold. Is the United States’ recommitment to the Worl...

Reporting the pandemic, one year on from 2021-01-12T10:00

Reporting a public health crisis is a huge responsibility. How do journalists tackle it? Whose message is the right one? Governments? Frontline doctors? Epidemiologists? Or all of them? 
Listen

The global treaty that has saved thousands of lives from 2020-12-29T10:00

Simply known as the Ottawa Treaty, the global convention banning antipersonnel landmines has saved thousands of lives. In the first of a series on landmark treaties, Imogen Foulkes talks to surv...

Is humanitarian aid broken? from 2020-12-15T09:00

In a year where crises seem to be everywhere, how will help get to those who need it? And are we even approaching humanitarian aid in the right way? A discussion with guests Rein Paulsen of the ...

What does a new US president mean for international Geneva? from 2020-12-01T09:00

Jussi Hanhimaki of Geneva’s Graduate Institute, Peggy Hicks of the UN’s Human Rights Office and analyst Daniel Warner join host Imogen Foulkes for an in-depth discussion about what the next four...

Africa and Covid-19: What can be learned? from 2020-11-17T09:00

Why does Africa have so few coronavirus cases compared to Western Europe and North America? What are countries on the African continent doing right, and is the West prepared to learn from  them?...

Special episode: The future of the United Nations from 2020-11-03T13:00

The United Nations: fit for another 75 years, or extinct in 5? Host Imogen Foulkes joins guests Mallika Goel, Mohamed-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou and Daniel Warner for a special live edition of Insid...

Who holds aid agencies accountable? from 2020-10-27T12:00

How do we know aid agencies and their workers are really delivering on what they promise? Host Imogen Foulkes discusses aid agency accountability with Tanya Wood of CHS Alliance, Charles-Antoine...

Coping with coronavirus as winter looms from 2020-10-13T08:00

Pandemic Fatigue: we’ve all got it. How are we going to cope this winter? Imogen Foulkes talks to global health expert Ilona Kickbusch, and members of the Swiss government’s Covid-19 taskforce f...

Aid organisations and racism: a reckoning from 2020-10-05T16:00

Geneva-based humanitarian aid agencies are soul searching as they stand accused of institutional racism. What's behind the accusations, and how are they being addressed? 

Unalienable rights, unpacked from 2020-08-29T18:00

In this episode we discuss the much-heralded intervention by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo into the human rights debate, with his report on what he calls "unalienable rights". But ...

Can Covid-19'vaccine multilateralism'work? from 2020-07-24T14:00

Where are we in the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine, and who will have access to it? A discussion with pharmaceutical manufacturers and those behind international collaborations meant to ensure t...

World trade at a crossroads from 2020-07-09T12:00

Every country has to trade: to sell goods, and to import others that aren’t produced at home. But who makes the rules around trade? A look at the role of the World Trade Organization as chooses ...

Why can’t we unite in the face of a global health crisis? from 2020-06-30T10:00

In this episode, we speak with Ilona Kickbusch of the Graduate Institute, Maria Guevara of Medecins sans Frontieres and Daniel Warner about the challenge of bringing a multilateral approach to h...

In charge at the UN in trying times from 2020-06-16T13:00

With questions swirling about the role of the United Nations and its agencies in today’s world, what’s it like to be in charge of one? We speak with former UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Raad...

What’s the point of multilateralism? The UN at 75 from 2020-05-26T10:00

As the collective memory of the Second World War fades, how much do we know about the international laws and conventions designed to protect civilians during health crises and prohibit atrocitie...

Pandemics and power from 2020-04-28T13:00

Under the coronavirus pandemic, the relationship between leader and citizen has changed. World leaders have more power - in some cases, much more. Host Imogen Foulkes unpacks the implications wi...

A decade of war in Syria from 2020-03-27T17:00

We take a look at the ongoing conflict in Syria. Shouldn’t it be over by now? Could humanitarian groups be doing more? Host Imogen Foulkes is joined by Jan Egeland, who served for several years ...

A decade of war in Syria from 2020-03-27T17:00

We take a look at the ongoing conflict in Syria. Shouldn’t it be over by now? Could humanitarian groups be doing more? Host Imogen Foulkes is joined by Jan Egeland, who served for several years ...

What should we be doing about human rights violations? from 2020-03-07T09:00

Host Imogen Foulkes welcomes Hilary Power of Amnesty International, Gerold Staberock of the World Organisation against Torture, and Nick Cumming-Bruce of the New York Times. Together they analys...

How to deal with coronavirus? from 2020-02-11T09:00

With the coronavirus epidemic claiming thousands of lives, global health officials are increasing their efforts to contain its spread – as well as any rumours about the disease. Imogen Foulkes t...

Why humanitarian groups go to Davos from 2020-01-22T12:00

For 50 years the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been a venue for the world’s political and business leaders, but increasingly, the big humanitarian aid agencies go to Davos, too. We talk to huma...

What kind of year will it be for the UN? from 2020-01-12T12:00

From US tensions with Iran to wildfires in Australia, 2020 got off to an intense and challenging start for the world. How will the United Nations handle these and other issues coming up this yea...

Humanitarians and counter-terror laws from 2019-12-17T11:00

To do their work, humanitarian organisations must talk with everyone in the field, including groups that have been labelled terrorists. How do they do it? Correspondent Imogen Foulkes and analys...

How to cope with killer robots from 2019-11-21T10:00

Most people in Switzerland would support a ban on lethal autonomous weapons systems -  for example, drones that can shoot people. Correspondent Imogen Foulkes and analyst Daniel Warner discuss t...

Potential and pitfalls for Syrian peace talks from 2019-10-31T12:00

A group of 150 people arrived in Geneva to try to work out the next steps for Syria, where war has raged for nearly a decade. Can these talks in Switzerland lead to peace in Syria? Host Imogen F...

How the Human Rights Council works from 2019-10-06T11:00

You’ve probably heard of the Human Rights Council, the UN body that’s responsible for protecting human rights all over the world. But what does it do, exactly? And who are the people who flock t...

How the Human Rights Council works from 2019-10-06T11:00

You’ve probably heard of the Human Rights Council, the UN body that’s responsible for protecting human rights all over the world. But what does it do, exactly? And who are the people who flock t...

How the Human Rights Council works from 2019-10-06T11:00

You’ve probably heard of the Human Rights Council, the UN body that’s responsible for protecting human rights all over the world. But what does it do, exactly? And who are the people who flock t...

Populist rhetoric and humanitarian work from 2019-09-07T11:00

How do humanitarian groups cope when politicians launch verbal attacks on refugees? swissinfo.ch correspondent Imogen Foulkes discusses that question with people who deal with it every day in Ge...

Populist rhetoric and humanitarian work from 2019-09-07T11:00

How do humanitarian groups cope when politicians launch verbal attacks on refugees? swissinfo.ch correspondent Imogen Foulkes discusses that question with people who deal with it every day in Ge...