Inside Geneva

Send us Fan Mail 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 what is this, exactly, especially now that the US has left the United Nations Human Rights Council? Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinf...

Send us Fan Mail 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 that everyone can get the vaccine, if and when it's here.  Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you...

Send us Fan Mail 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 a new leader amid challenging times. Host Imogen Foulkes joins former WTO official Peter Ungphakorn, former Reuters correspondent and trade journalist Tom Miles, and analyst Daniel Warner,...

Send us Fan Mail 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 health, about the US threat to leave the World Health Organization, and about who might fill the gap left by the US. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulk...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Al Hussein, who provides an honest look at the challenges facing the UN system and what needs to change. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @sw...

Send us Fan Mail 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 atrocities? Do we still think those laws are worthwhile, or is “my country first” a more appealing policy? And where does that leave multilateralism? A look at the highs, and the lows, of the UN ove...

Send us Fan Mail 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 with Ken Roth of Human Rights Watch and Meg Davis of Geneva's Graduate Institute. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you...

Send us Fan Mail What does the coronavirus pandemic mean for us, our society, our economy and our future? A discussion with Dr Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization and Professor Vinh-Kim Nguyen of the Centre on Global Health at Geneva’s Graduate Institute. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like...

Send us Fan Mail 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 as chair of the UN’s humanitarian task force for Syria, and Fabrizio Carboni, now the ICRC’s director of operations for the Middle East. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Inside Geneva we take a look at the shifting influences in the United Nations – especially with regard to China. As the United States slowly withdraws from the multilateral system and focuses on its ‘America First’ policy, China appears to be filling the political vacuum. Host Imogen Foulkes is joined by analyst Daniel Warner, China watcher Meg Davis from the Gr...

Send us Fan Mail 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 analyse UN Secretary General Guterres's statement to the Human Rights Council and take a closer look at the human rights situation worldwide. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo...

Send us Fan Mail 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 talks to two health experts at the Graduate Institute Geneva, Gian Luca Burci and Suerie Moon, as well as political scientist Daniel Warner.  Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo...

Send us Fan Mail 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 humanitarian leaders to find out why Davos is important for them. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you l...

Send us Fan Mail 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 year? And what does the future hold for the international organization? As part of our Inside Geneva series, host Imogen Foulkes joins UN representative Véronique Neiss as well as New York Tim...

Send us Fan Mail 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 analyst Daniel Warner discuss the challenges of counterterrorism legislation and its effect on humanitarian work with Tristan Ferrero, an ICRC senior legal advisor, and Duncan Mclean, a MSF resea...

Send us Fan Mail 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 the legal and ethical aspects of killer robots with Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch and Frank Slijper of Pax for Peace. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @Imoge...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Foulkes and analyst Daniel Warner joined representatives from peacebuilding institutions in Geneva to discuss the ins and outs of the gathering. Who was – or wasn’t – invited to the Syria Co...

Send us Fan Mail 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 to Geneva every time the Council, is in session? Insider views from Bob Last, the Deputy Head of the UK Mission Political Team, John Fisher, the Geneva Director of Human Rights Watch, and an...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Geneva: Liz Throssell of the UN Refugee Agency, Matt Cochrane of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and analyst Daniel Warner of the Graduate Institute Genev...