Inside Geneva
News & Politics
About
Inside Geneva is a podcast about global politics, humanitarian issues, and international aid, hosted by journalist Imogen Foulkes. It is produced by SWI swissinfo.ch, a multilingual international public service media company from Switzerland.
Episodes
- Who controls landmines and drones?
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva , we look at weapons contamination and the harm it causes. “We have at least one casualty every single day in Afghanistan – someone killed or injured –and it is most likely a child,” says Nick Pond, from t…
- Challenges to press freedom
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we mark Press Freedom Day. Is there anything to celebrate? Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression: “The role of journalists has never been under such pressure, and the sector…
- Can the UN survive?
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we ask: in a world of violent conflict, is the UN – which was founded to keep the peace – doing its job? “On many fronts the UN is doing indispensable work every day, bringing food to hungry peo…
- Inside Geneva: women in peace
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: who are the peacemakers? “Women are completely absent in high-level politics and from high-level peacemaking at the moment. However, this is only the visible part. Our focus has been so much on…
- Inside Geneva: Myanmar, women and justice
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we look at women fighting for justice. In 2017, Myanmar’s military launched an assault on the Rohingya population. Almost a million were displaced, there were reports of horrific violations: rap…
- Inside Geneva: what justice means for women in Afghanistan
Send us Fan Mail In August 2021, the Taliban took back control in Afghanistan. Women face unprecedented repression. They can’t go to school or work; public parks are banned to them; they are not allowed to speak or sing too loudly. Are we…
- What’s our problem with immigration?
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we unpick the divisive topic of migration and asylum. Why are some countries closing their doors? “In Europe we are seeing one country after another erect barbed wire around their country and ar…
- The Board of Peace, war and impunity
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we take an in-depth look at US President Donald Trump’s new ‘Board of Peace’. Experts on conflict resolution are sceptical. “The US circulated an invitation to about 60 countries to join a new b…
- Can a science and diplomacy partnership save the world?
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: world leaders are gathering in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, but do they have any answers? “I think we are at an amazing moment in history. We have in our hands the opportunity to do well,…
- Inside Geneva Special: A bonfire of international law
Send us Fan Mail 2026 has started with some momentous events. Israel has banned dozens of aid agencies. What are the consequences? “We’re supporting one in five of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, and one in three babies that are born in G…
- Looking back at 2025, and looking forward to 2026
Send us Fan Mail This week on Inside Geneva , we discuss the key stories of 2025 that we know will continue to make the news in 2026. “The top story of 2025 has been the cuts to the humanitarian aid sector. We knew that, with Donald Trump…
- Peace talks but the war grinds on
Send us Fan Mail Inside Geneva joins aid workers staying in Ukraine this December. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) supports tens of thousands of people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed. Marcel van Maastrigt, UNHCR, Odessa: ‘At two…
- Inside Geneva: Are we throwing away international law?
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: what does international law mean to you? “When your government is not there to uphold your rights, it’s that safety net – to think that there’s something else out there, other sets of rules that…
- Inside Geneva: is climate change the forgotten crisis?
Send us Fan Mail COP30 has ended without a firm commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Inside Geneva talks to some campaigners who remain surprisingly optimistic. “I’m actually quite hopeful, and I think that the answer is probably coming f…
- War and the press
Send us Fan Mail How do journalists report on war when they’re denied access? “For the first time I think since the Second World War, Israel has not allowed foreign journalists to come into Gaza. This is unprecedented,” says Israeli journa…
- Taking the pulse of the UN at 80
Send us Fan Mail This week on Inside Geneva , we take the pulse of the United Nations as it turns 80. “Someone celebrating their 80th birthday cannot be expected to be in tip-top shape. The UN is an old lady,” says Corinne Momal-Vanian, ex…
- Are Democracies Copying Russia's Repressive Playbook?
Send us Fan Mail On our Inside Geneva podcast this week, we ask: are other countries following Russia’s lead in cracking down on freedom of expression? “I feel as though I’m monitoring a repression handbook used by the Russian government a…
- Inside Geneva’s final summer profile: ICRC physiotherapist Rieke Hayes
Send us Fan Mail This week, in the final episode of our Summer Profiles series on the Inside Geneva podcast, host Imogen Foulkes talks to Irish physiotherapist Rieke Hayes, who now works in Gaza for the International Committee of the Red C…
- Is the UN still relevant at 80?
Send us Fan Mail The United Nations General Assembly has officially opened and the organisation marked its 80th anniversary. Inside Geneva asks whether the body remains relevant. “If you're a refugee in Bangladesh, or seeking protection in…
- Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: Stéphane Jaquemet
Send us Fan Mail On World Humanitarian Day, Inside Geneva spoke to a man who has dedicated his life to humanitarian work. He grew up in a quiet Swiss village – so what inspired him to take this path? “When I was young, I quickly realised t…
- Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: the Red Cross Museum
Send us Fan Mail Inside Geneva’s fourth summer profile – not a person, but a much-loved museum. “In this museum, we ask an essential question: what does humanitarian action have to do with me, in my life, here and now?” says Pascal Hufschm…
- Inside Geneva's Summer Profiles: Rachael Cummings in Gaza
Send us Fan Mail Rachael Cummings of Save the Children is Inside Geneva’s summer profile this week. “When I went into nursing, I also wanted to travel, so nursing gave me that opportunity. That was sort of an 18-year-old thinking, ‘Okay, I…
- Inside Geneva's Summer Profiles: A Conversation with international lawyer Dapo Akande
Send us Fan Mail Inside Geneva brings you our second summer profile, with international lawyer Dapo Akande. “I’m one of those boring people who actually always wanted to be a lawyer. I’m not sure exactly what the motivation was when I was…
- Special announcement: Summer Profile 2025 is out now
Send us Fan Mail Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the i…
- Inside Geneva's Summer Profiles: Tammam Aloudat
Send us Fan Mail Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles are back! In this episode we talk to Tammam Aloudat, doctor, aid worker and now journalist. “I was born in Syria, and I spent most of my life there until my mid-20s. I studied there; I went…
- War, Peace and Cake: The World in 2025
Send us Fan Mail 2025 has been a year of conflict, upheaval, and huge challenges to the international system. Gunilla von Hall, Svenskadagbladet: "It all started downhill from 20th of January. Since then, it's just, well, ‘the Ukraine war…
- Gaza's Aid Crisis: The Failed Militarization of Humanitarian Relief
Send us Fan Mail Israel blocked aid into Gaza for 10 weeks. Then the US and Israel came up with a new plan – without the United Nations. Established aid agencies had doubts. Inside Geneva finds out why. Jan Egeland,secretary general, Norwe…
- Inside Geneva: pandemics and climate change, can multilateralism still work?
Send us Fan Mail The world just agreed a pandemic treaty. But without the United States. Is it really a milestone? ‘‘It is a major step forward. I mean, just imagine if we failed. We would not only go back to the point before the pandemic,…
- Toxic masculinity and the rollback of gender equality
Send us Fan Mail It’s been 30 years since the Beijing Declaration on Women, a landmark agreement to empower women and girls. “The Beijing declaration was such an incredible moment to say that enough is enough. Women are half of humanity an…
- Women, girls and cuts to humanitarian aid
Send us Fan Mail On 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-savin…
- Multilateralism, the Global South and the future
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we ask whether the United Nations (UN) and multilateralism have a future. “Is the UN anachronistic? I mean, it was formed after the Second World War. Obviously, it’s getting a little bit dusty,”…
- Democratic rights and freedoms at a crossroads?
Send us Fan Mail The world is changing fast. Are democracy and human rights under threat? Our Inside Geneva podcast takes a deep dive. “Donald Trump is unravelling the constitution, where I believe we could describe this as a coup d'état,”…
- Inside Geneva: where are women's voices in peace talks?
Send us Fan Mail In Ukraine, and in the Middle East, men say they are negotiating peace. But are they? “Ending war is necessary to peace without a doubt, but ending war does not mean peace. So, whenever these men use the word ‘peace’ in or…
- Books to make you think 2025: Are Human Rights Being Ripped Away?
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, we take a step back from the breaking news and talk to the authors of two books about the better side of humanity. “The defence of human rights is not a matter of holding a candle and singing Ku…
- US-Russia talks on Ukraine: peace or appeasement?
Send us Fan Mail On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Inside Geneva has some big questions about the US-Russia talks this week on ending the war in Ukraine. “Is this really a peace deal or is it just a deal about money…
- Aid, cuts and consequences
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva, we take a deep dive into the United States’ cuts in foreign aid. “In Colombia, they’ve just had to lay off 200 staff who were doing the demining in the south of the country. So, all of a sudden, these fam…
- A new podcast is coming soon
Send us Fan Mail Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the i…
- Donald Trump, the UN and the future
Send us Fan Mail With Israel banning UNRWA and the US planning to withdraw from WHO, our Inside Geneva podcast reports on a turbulent couple of weeks for United Nations agencies. In Gaza, Israel’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works…
- What makes a good peace deal?
Send us Fan Mail In this week’s Inside Geneva podcast episode, we ask: what makes a good peace agreement? “Peace is not just a status. Peace is a process, and it’s a process that is part of politics in general,” says Laurent Goetschel from…
- Geneva and climate change, start local and change the world
Send us Fan Mail For our planet, each year brings new climate records, and they’re not good ones. “We now know that 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record. At the same time, we have accumulated more CO2 than ever in the history…
- Can the UN and international law survive?
Send us Fan Mail In 2024 there are more than 100 conflicts ongoing, worldwide. A record number of aid workers have been killed. Tom Fletcher, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator: ‘It’s not just the ferocity of these conflicts, Gaza, Ukraine, S…
- How has the world changed in 2024? UN correspondents look back
Send us Fan Mail In 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 thre…
- Europe, the UN and the battle for human rights
Send us Fan Mail Is the world still committed to human rights? Our Inside Geneva podcast is in Strasbourg, where the Council of Europe is discussing how to defend the fundamental principles we agreed upon after the Second World War. “We ca…
- Inside Geneva goes to New York: what really happens at the UN?
Send us Fan Mail This week Inside Geneva goes to New York. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly is hearing multiple reports of serious human rights violations. “I think it’s more difficult to get the human rights message [across] here…
- Love for life in Gaza and COP29’s ethical dilemma in Azerbaijan
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week we talk to the people behind a new book about life in Gaza, told through the words of those who live there. “People are actually travelling in the middle of a war, in the middle of Gaza at midnig…
- Does it matter to the UN who’s in the White House?
Send us Fan Mail The presidential elections in the United States (US) are just a couple of weeks away. What will they mean for international affairs, for Ukraine, for the Middle East, for humanitarian work, for international law and for th…
- Special episode: A year of war in the Middle East
Send us Fan Mail It’s been one year since the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. Twelve months of violent conflict have followed, with tens of thousands dead. We look back at our coverage over the past year. “What we have to deal with is…
- Forty years of the convention against torture: are we honouring it?
Send us Fan Mail For 40 years, there has been an absolute ban on torture. But it still happens… “Horrific things can happen to you. Nobody is there to help you. Nobody is there to document it, etc. And I think sometimes we speak about tort…
- Can the UN's Summit for the Future tackle today’s toughest challenges?
Send us Fan Mail This month the United Nations (UN) will host the ‘Summit of the Future’ in New York. What's the point of this high-level event? Inside Geneva investigates. “The UN is not an entity that does anything. I mean, we can all bl…
- Special episode: Can the WTO shape a fairer world economy?
Send us Fan Mail The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum is underway in Geneva and its key theme is ‘re-globalisation’. Are we nervous of that word? Inside Geneva sat down with WTO officials to find out what it means. “Trade has be…