Inside Geneva
Inside Geneva is a podcast that explores global politics, humanitarian issues, and international aid, with a focus on the United Nations and other international organizations based in Geneva. Hosted by journalist Imogen Foulkes, it offers insightful interviews and analysis on pressing global challenges. The show is produced by SWI swissinfo.ch, Switzerland's multilingual public service media company, bringing a Swiss perspective to international affairs.
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Pushback on human rights: defenders speak out
Send us Fan MailUN investigations have documented war crimes in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. So why is no one being held accountable?Why do some political leaders talk about human rights as though they were an optional nuisance? In this episode of our ‘Inside Geneva’ podcast, we speak with Phil Lynch and Pooja Patel from the International Service for Human Rights. We discuss impunity, scapegoating, fu
Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: Philippe Stoll
Send us Fan MailPhilippe Stoll, the Red Cross’s ‘techplomat’, is Inside Geneva’s Summer Profile this week.“I studied economics and I think I could have been a banker or something like that. A good Swiss indeed! But my mother was a volunteer at the Red Cross, and I think she influenced me a lot about maybe being human or taking care of humans,” he says. He’s helping the International Committee of t
Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: Trish Newport
Send us Fan MailTrish Newport of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland is Inside Geneva’s first summer profile this year.“My grandma was a humanitarian she had worked in Malawi and I remember when I was about 10 years old she said to me, ‘When you grow up and you become a humanitarian, you should work for MSF because they really have strong values and ethics that you will appreciate,’” says N
Can a woman lead the UN?
Send us Fan MailOn Inside Geneva this week, we look at the race to be the next UN Secretary-General. Is it time for a change?Susana Malcorra, candidate for UN Secretary-General 2016: 'I am deeply convinced this is a moment that requires a different type of leadership, and we have tested leadership nine leaders throughout 80 years that were all men.'Geneva recently hosted three of the can
Books to make you think
Send us Fan MailThis week, Inside Geneva presents the newest instalment of our “Books to make you think” series.We talk to an author who had a ringside seat as the US development agency USAID was being destroyed.“The people who so recklessly tore down the agency [...] are still sitting in high government positions and have not been held accountable for their actions, so I intentionally named names
What’s the point of foreign aid?
Send us Fan MailOn our Inside Geneva podcast this week, we host a debate on a key question: what’s the point of foreign aid?“What’s the point of mobilising taxpayers’ money and sending it to faraway countries to assist vulnerable people? And how do you sell that to your own taxpayers?” says Gilles Carbonnier, former Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).There are mo
Is aid failing?
Send us Fan MailOn this week's Inside Geneva podcast episode, we take stock of aid cuts and what they mean for new crises such as Ebola.“It is a catastrophe. It is not an opportunity. But now we have an obligation to transform the system: there’s no other way the humanitarian system can survive this crisis without any change,” says Professor Karl Blanchet from the University of Geneva.A new r
Who controls landmines and drones?
Send us Fan MailOn 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 the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. From old conflicts to new.“Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe and billions of square metres of land are suspected to be c
Challenges to press freedom
Send us Fan MailOn 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 itself is suffering. So these are very, very important times to take a deep breath and make sure that freedom of expression, and media freedom as part of that, is
Can the UN survive?
Send us Fan MailOn 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 people and ensuring practical standards for how we cooperate on the planet. Most countries follow the UN’s rules and principles on an everyday basis, so not too bad.
Inside Geneva: women in peace
Send us Fan MailOn 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 US President Donald Trump,” says Sara Hellmüller, professor of International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Two peace experts, both women, give us the
Inside Geneva: Myanmar, women and justice
Send us Fan MailOn 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: rape, the murder of children, including babies.“The accounts that affected me most are those of children. Now I’m a grandfather, I sit there and listen and I think of
Inside Geneva: what justice means for women in Afghanistan
Send us Fan MailIn 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 turning away?“This is the time for the international community and for other countries, especially the EU, to step in and to make sure they respond to the crisis
What’s our problem with immigration?
Send us Fan MailOn 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 around a continent,” says Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.When does restricting immigration turn into human rights violation?“We beli
The Board of Peace, war and impunity
Send us Fan MailOn 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 board of peace that would not just focus on Gaza but would instead be a global conflict prevention organisation, complete with a pre-baked charter that looks a bit
Can a science and diplomacy partnership save the world?
Send us Fan MailOn 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, to save our own environment, the planet, to take the right decisions to bring humanity onto a good path,” says Marilyne Andersen, Director General of the Geneva S
Inside Geneva Special: A bonfire of international law
Send us Fan Mail2026 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 Gaza are assisted by our staff on the ground. We’re doing surgical support, wound care, physiotherapy, maternity and paediatric care,” says Chris Lockyear, Secretar
Looking back at 2025, and looking forward to 2026
Send us Fan MailThis 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 returning to the White House, cuts were likely, but we did not expect them to be so brutal,” says Swissinfo journalist Dorian Burkhalter.“I wanted to talk about Gaz
Peace talks but the war grinds on
Send us Fan MailInside 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 in the afternoon you might have an air alert, and at three in the afternoon people in shops and restaurants are putting up Christmas decorations, because they want
Inside Geneva: Are we throwing away international law?
Send us Fan MailOn 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 can help right wrongs and bring about some form of justice as well,” says Kasmira Jefford, editor at Geneva Solutions. The Geneva conventions, bans on torture and
Inside Geneva: is climate change the forgotten crisis?
Send us Fan MailCOP30 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 from the countries and the communities that have the most to lose,” says Candy Ofime, from the Climate Justice Team at Amnesty International.Indigenous peoples made
War and the press
Send us Fan MailHow 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 journalist Meron Rapoport.Palestinian journalists, who live in Gaza, have paid a terrible price for their reporting.“Gaza has been a horror story. The Committee to Prote
Taking the pulse of the UN at 80
Send us Fan MailThis 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, executive director at the Kofi Annan Foundation.Some world leaders don’t have much time for the UN.“All I got from the UN was an escalator that stopped halfway on the
Are Democracies Copying Russia's Repressive Playbook?
Send us Fan MailOn 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 against its own civil society and, unfortunately, this handbook has been copied by other leaders in some democratic countries,” says Mariana Katzarova, the UN Speci
Inside Geneva’s final summer profile: ICRC physiotherapist Rieke Hayes
Send us Fan MailThis 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 Cross (ICRC).“I think I went into physio with the classic idea – I’d have a little clinic, do outpatients, you know, back pain, neck pain. Turns out I really, real
Is the UN still relevant at 80?
Send us Fan MailThe 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 South Sudan, the UN may be imperfect but it’s still relevant,” says Richard Gowan from the International Crisis Group.The UN is bigger than many of us think
Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: Stéphane Jaquemet
Send us Fan MailOn 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 that many people didn’t have the same opportunities, they didn’t have equal chances. And to me, that felt fundamentally wrong,” says humanitarian worker Stéphane Ja
Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: the Red Cross Museum
Send us Fan MailInside 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 Hufschmid, director of the Red Cross Museum.This month there’s a special exhibition, “Tuning in” … to the sound of humanity. “It’s an exhibition conceived as an explorati
Inside Geneva's Summer Profiles: Rachael Cummings in Gaza
Send us Fan MailRachael 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 can use this to travel with’,” says Cummings.Since taking her nursing skills to humanitarian work, she’s been all over the world.“I think one of the things I’m
Inside Geneva's Summer Profiles: A Conversation with international lawyer Dapo Akande
Send us Fan MailInside 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 younger, but I think I was very argumentative as a child. And everyone used to say, ‘You should be a lawyer,’” says Akande.As a child in Nigeria, he also took a ke
Special announcement: Summer Profile 2025 is out now
Send us Fan MailGet in touch!Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.chTwitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_enThank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/Host: Imogen FoulkesProduction assitant: Claire-Marie GermainDistribution: Sara PasinoMarketing: Xin Zhang
Inside Geneva's Summer Profiles: Tammam Aloudat
Send us Fan MailInside 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 to medical school there,” says the CEO of The New Humanitarian.Was being a doctor in Syria his first choice? “One of the first side effects of autocratic dictator
War, Peace and Cake: The World in 2025
Send us Fan Mail2025 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 will be over in 24 hours?’ Nothing happened. It just got worse. Then we had Gaza, then we have Iran, Israel. Then we had the cuts of all the aid. It&apo
Gaza's Aid Crisis: The Failed Militarization of Humanitarian Relief
Send us Fan MailIsrael 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, Norwegian Refugee Council: ‘We would welcome anything that would allow us to resume work for a population that is starving and that has been suffocated by a siege over
Inside Geneva: pandemics and climate change, can multilateralism still work?
Send us Fan MailThe 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, before COVID-19 struck us, we'd go back to a point much further back,” said Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein from the International Peace Institute.But what about the g
Toxic masculinity and the rollback of gender equality
Send us Fan MailIt’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 and we have to be better,” says Lata Narayanaswamy, associate professor at the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds.But now, some
Women, girls and cuts to humanitarian aid
Send us Fan MailOn 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 Program
Multilateralism, the Global South and the future
Send us Fan MailOn 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,” says political analyst Daniel Warner.Younger generations from the Global South tell us wherethey see the UN’s flaws. “The countries of the Global North have not s
Democratic rights and freedoms at a crossroads?
Send us Fan MailThe 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,” says human rights lawyer Reed Brody.What happens when Big Tech gets involved in politics?“It is fine for Instagram or TikTok to realise that I am into biking
Inside Geneva: where are women's voices in peace talks?
Send us Fan MailIn 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 order to say ‘ceasefire’ and ‘stop the guns’, this is not peace,” says Deborah Schibler from PeaceWomen across the Globe (PWAG).“What the US is doing right now is an
Books to make you think 2025: Are Human Rights Being Ripped Away?
Send us Fan MailOn 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 Kumbaya. The defence of human rights is about playing hardball. It's about putting pressure on governments, making them realise that repression isn't payin
US-Russia talks on Ukraine: peace or appeasement?
Send us Fan MailOn 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? Or is it even some kind of capitulation or a power grab?” asks Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes.What does US President Donald Trump want?“Do you want to just st
Aid, cuts and consequences
Send us Fan MailOn 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 families have no work. And the alternative in the area, you know what it is: coca plants. So how is that in the US interest?” asks Tamar Gabelnick, director of the In
A new podcast is coming soon
Send us Fan MailGet in touch!Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.chTwitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_enThank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/Host: Imogen FoulkesProduction assitant: Claire-Marie GermainDistribution: Sara PasinoMarketing: Xin Zhang
Donald Trump, the UN and the future
Send us Fan MailWith 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 Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has come into effect.“UNRWA is what we call the backbone of the humanitarian operation. Meaning that the
What makes a good peace deal?
Send us Fan MailIn 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 Swisspeace.So, are quick peace deals possible?“When someone says, ‘I want to have an agreement in 24 hours,’ my response as a professional is, ‘Okay. What are our
Geneva and climate change, start local and change the world
Send us Fan MailFor 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 of human life on Earth,” says Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization.On Inside Geneva this week, we look at the damage from the
Can the UN and international law survive?
Send us Fan MailIn 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, Sudan, Syria. It’s about that wilful neglect of international humanitarian law. And as a result we seem to have lost our anchor somehow. That scaffolding, that we
How has the world changed in 2024? UN correspondents look back
Send us Fan MailIn 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
Europe, the UN and the battle for human rights
Send us Fan MailIs 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 can’t just say, ‘Do it because it’s a human right’ or ‘Do it because it’s in a treaty.’ We have to demonstrate: ‘Do it, and this is how it will make your society bet
Inside Geneva goes to New York: what really happens at the UN?
Send us Fan MailThis 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 in New York at the General Assembly. But hopefully we will be heard,” says Mariana Katzarova, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia.Ukraine, the Middle E
Love for life in Gaza and COP29’s ethical dilemma in Azerbaijan
Send us Fan MailOn 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 midnight – the peak of the risk, if you like – to get somewhere where they can get a better internet so they can actually talk to us,” says Mahmoud Muna, editor of Dayb
Does it matter to the UN who’s in the White House?
Send us Fan MailThe 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 the United Nations (UN) in Geneva?“When I was in the US, I definitely saw that there is no interest for anything called multilateralism or collaboration globally. B
Special episode: A year of war in the Middle East
Send us Fan MailIt’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 the immense stupidity of the wars that currently are in place. And here we are having to deal with wars of a sort that were better found in the history books devo
Forty years of the convention against torture: are we honouring it?
Send us Fan MailFor 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 torture without putting ourselves in the shoes of what this is,” says Gerald Staberock from the World Organisation Against Torture.On our Inside Geneva podcast this we
Can the UN's Summit for the Future tackle today’s toughest challenges?
Send us Fan MailThis 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 blame it, but what is the UN? It’s just the sum of its parts: the governments,” says Christiane Oelrich, journalist for the DPA German Press Agency.Is the UN’s
Special episode: Can the WTO shape a fairer world economy?
Send us Fan MailThe 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 been a very powerful force for reducing between-country inequality. Since 1995, for example, since the foundation of the WTO, extreme poverty in the world has been r
Summer profiles: Recognising and supporting survivors of sexual violence
Send us Fan MailConflict-related sexual violence has existed for as long as war itself – forever.“It is a weapon of war. I would say it’s a weapon of mass destruction. It is really maximising harm,” says Esther Dingemans, Executive Director of the Global Survivors Fund.In Inside Geneva’s final summer profile, we talk to a woman working to support survivors of sexual violence…from Sudan, to Ukraine
Summer profiles: Afghan women’s struggle against Taliban oppression
Send us Fan MailIt’s three years since the Taliban took back control in Afghanistan. Inside Geneva talks to an Afghan human rights defender.“I was scared and I could see it coming. Yes, I mean, I think for the women of Afghanistan, we knew that the Taliban taking over would mean a dark future for women,” says Fereshta Abbasi from Human Rights Watch.In three years, women’s rights have been steadily
Special episode: World Humanitarian Day stories from crisis zones
Send us Fan MailJoin us for a special extra edition of Inside Geneva to mark World Humanitarian Day, with testimonies from aid workers who have given their all – and who have often lost a great deal.“So I had taken him to the airport together with our child, and, yes, it took me in fact many years to be able to use the same elevator in the airport where I last kissed him,” says Laura Dolci. Dolci’
Summer profiles: using sport to unite refugees and host communities
Send us Fan MailIn the fourth episode of our summer profile series on Inside Geneva, we talk to a Geneva career woman and a Geneva asylum-seeker about a project to unite communities through sport. Surely the world’s humanitarian capital is good at welcoming refugees and immigrants?“We have all these international organisations working on various global challenges. But when you talk to people from
Summer profiles: unlocking treatment for neglected diseases
Send us Fan MailOn Inside Geneva, we bring you part three of our summer profile series. This week we talk to a doctor looking for treatments for some of the world’s most neglected diseases.“Neglect means that there are diseases that affect an important proportion of humanity but for which no new drugs have been developed because there is no money in it. Because they affect very poor populations in
Summer profiles: challenges in humanitarian aid with MSF’s Secretary General
Send us Fan MailHere’s episode two of our summer profiles series on the Inside Geneva podcast. We talk to the head of one of the world’s leading humanitarian agencies. We start with his first assignment in Darfur, in western Sudan.“As I was one day building the shelter I realised for the first time in many years I hadn't thought of what’s next? I wasn’t thinking everyday where do I go from he
Summer profiles: women defending other women around the world
Send us Fan MailOn Inside Geneva, we’re bringing you a series of summer profiles, from doctors in war zones to researchers into the diseases that affect the world’s poorest.Today, we talk to international human rights lawyer Antonia Mulvey, who devotes herself to defending women.“With many of those that we work with, who have been subjected to sexual violence, part of it is listening to them, hear
Is international law dead?
Send us Fan MailGeneva is the home of international law, the rules that are supposed to stop the worst violations in war. But does anyone respect it anymore? Please watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.Andrew Clapham, Professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute, says: “It’s quite blatant that when we like what the International Criminal Court is doing we will supp
Laws that changed our world and the people who fought for them
Send us Fan MailIn 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.
Is the world brave enough to agree on a pandemic treaty?
Send us Fan MailFour years ago, our lives were upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. Countries locked down, millions became ill, millions died. And when the vaccine finally arrived, it was not fairly distributed. Rich countries bought too many, poor countries waited, with nothing. “What we saw during the Covid-19 pandemic was collapse. Basically, a complete failure of international cooperation,” says
New wars, new weapons and the Geneva Conventions
Send us Fan MailIn the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, new, autonomous weapons are being used. Our Inside Geneva podcast asks whether we’re losing the race to control them – and the artificial intelligence systems that run them. “Autonomous weapons systems raise significant moral, ethical, and legal problems challenging human control over the use of force and handing over life-and-death
The Rwandan genocide 30 years on: witnessing atrocities - and trying to stop them
Send us Fan MailThe world is marking 30 years since the Rwandan genocide. Inside Geneva talks to those who witnessed it. “We came to one village where there were a few survivors and a man came to me with a list and said ‘look, the names have been crossed out one by one, entire families, they were killing everybody from those families,’” says Christopher Stokes, from Médecins Sans Frontières (Docto
Eyewitness in a Gaza hospital and defending human rights defenders
Send us Fan MailIn Inside Geneva this week we get an eyewitness account of a mission to supply Gaza’s hospitals. Chris Black, World Health Organisation: ‘People have told me oh you must be very brave for going to Gaza. I don’t think so, I think what’s brave is the people who have been doing this work since early October, and who go back every day, to do it again and again and again.’ Aid agencies
Is AI a risk to democracy?
Send us Fan MailIn 2024, four billion of us can vote in elections. Can democracy survive artificial intelligence (AI)? Can the UN, or national governments, ensure the votes are fair? “Propaganda has always been there since the Romans. Manipulation has always been there, or plain lies by not very ethical politicians have always been there. The problem now is that with the power of these technologie
What’s the future of UNRWA? The Struggle for Balance in Gaza's Aid Operations
Send us Fan MailThe 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,
Reflecting on Ukraine's Struggle and Perseverance Two Years into the Russian Invasion
Send us Fan MailThe war in Ukraine is two years old. Inside Geneva discusses the latest military developments in Ukraine, the chances of peace and where the war will go from here.“Isn’t there a limit when there are so many civilian deaths so you as a state have a responsibility to stop?” asks journalist Gunilla van Hall. How will this war end? Ukraine, with the West’s support, is fighting a regime
Humanitarian and business alliances: Reflecting on Earthquake Rescue Efforts in Turkey and Syria
Send us Fan MailIt’s one year since devastating earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria. Inside Geneva talks to search and rescue teams who were there: Filip Kirazov, from Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID) says: “Every member of SARAID is a volunteer. So no one gets paid for any of the work we do. Our sole aim is to minimize human suffering, due to the impact of natural or manmade disast
A look into South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
Send us Fan MailThe International Court of Justice (the United Nations’ top court) is considering charges of genocide against Israel. The case was brought by South Africa.Adila Hassim, the lawyer for South Africa, says: “Palestinians are subjected to relentless bombing. They are killed in their homes, in places where they seek shelter, in hospitals, in schools, in mosques, in churches and as they
Israel, Gaza and the challenge to humanitarianism
Send us Fan MailThe bitter conflict in Gaza has polarised opinions. Aid agencies are caught in the middle.Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director of the Near and Middle East division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): “People tend to believe we can do things that actually we can’t. I mean we have no army, we have no weapons.”Some say the ICRC hasn’t done enough to help Israeli hos
Narratives from the frontlines of human suffering
Send us Fan MailIn 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 t
Beyond declarations: UN voices reflect on 75 years of human rights advocacy
Send us Fan MailThe 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.
Baptism of fire for UN's new human rights chief
Send us Fan MailThis week Inside Geneva sits down for the last in our series of exclusive interviews with UN human rights commissioners.Volker Türk has a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that he was given at school more than 40 years ago. Growing up in his native Austria, he focused his mind on human rights."In light of the history of my own country, Holocaust, its own atroci
The UN, Peace Week and the Middle East
Send us Fan MailGeneva recently hosted the Peace Week annual forum. Inside Geneva asks what’s the point, especially when there seems to be so much conflict still going on.“What we have to deal with is the immense stupidity of the wars that currently are in place. And here we are having to deal with wars of a sort that were better found in the history books devoted to the 20th century and ought not
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