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.
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Sep 29, 2026 · 28:55
Send us Fan Mail What takes a woman from a law career in Australia to Somalia, Afghanistan and then…Fiji? On our Inside Geneva podcast, host Imogen Foulkes talks to UN Women’s…
Sep 15, 2026 · 35:28
Send us Fan Mail Diversity, equality, inclusion, woke: are these concepts now toxic? The past two years have seen a pushback against gender equality, and it is having real-world…
Sep 1, 2026 · 30:14
Send us Fan Mail It’s been ten months since the ceasefire in Gaza. Almost a million people still live in tents. There are 60 million tonnes of rubble to clear. The UN estimates…
Aug 18, 2026 · 28:28
Send us Fan Mail UN 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…
Aug 4, 2026 · 27:11
Send us Fan Mail Philippe 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…
Jul 21, 2026 · 26:31
Send us Fan Mail Trish 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…
Jul 7, 2026 · 34:38
Send us Fan Mail On 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…
Jun 23, 2026 · 29:40
Send us Fan Mail This 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…
Jun 9, 2026 · 59:50
Send us Fan Mail On 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…
May 26, 2026 · 36:42
Send us Fan Mail On 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…
May 12, 2026 · 31:54
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…
Apr 28, 2026 · 45:38
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…
Apr 14, 2026 · 39:23
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…
Mar 31, 2026 · 24:04
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,…
Mar 17, 2026 · 30:16
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…
Mar 3, 2026 · 29:50
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…
Feb 17, 2026 · 31:59
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…
Feb 3, 2026 · 39:30
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…
Jan 20, 2026 · 31:38
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…
Jan 13, 2026 · 32:07
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…
Jan 6, 2026 · 41:20
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…
Dec 23, 2025 · 29:41
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…
Dec 9, 2025 · 37:43
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…
Nov 25, 2025 · 31:23
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…
Nov 11, 2025 · 36:39
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…
Oct 28, 2025 · 42:27
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…
Oct 14, 2025 · 29:55
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…
Sep 30, 2025 · 27:33
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…
Sep 16, 2025 · 30:10
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.…
Sep 2, 2025 · 29:40
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…
Aug 19, 2025 · 25:30
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…
Aug 5, 2025 · 30:21
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…
Jul 22, 2025 · 27:24
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…
Jul 8, 2025 · 1:44
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…
Jul 8, 2025 · 32:19
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…
Jun 24, 2025 · 41:52
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…
Jun 10, 2025 · 32:25
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.…
May 27, 2025 · 31:51
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…
May 13, 2025 · 31:55
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…
Apr 29, 2025 · 42:56
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…
Apr 15, 2025 · 33:03
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…
Apr 1, 2025 · 34:15
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…
Mar 18, 2025 · 39:33
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…
Mar 4, 2025 · 39:08
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…
Feb 24, 2025 · 34:43
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.…
Feb 18, 2025 · 41:28
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…
Feb 11, 2025 · 3:18
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…
Feb 4, 2025 · 41:40
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.…
Jan 21, 2025 · 28:48
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…
Jan 7, 2025 · 35:28
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…
Dec 24, 2024 · 35:58
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:…
Dec 10, 2024 · 32:00
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…
Nov 26, 2024 · 29:22
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…
Nov 12, 2024 · 29:16
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…
Oct 29, 2024 · 40:53
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…
Oct 15, 2024 · 36:34
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…
Oct 7, 2024 · 30:34
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…
Oct 1, 2024 · 29:42
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…
Sep 17, 2024 · 34:13
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…
Sep 10, 2024 · 34:55
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…
Sep 3, 2024 · 27:13
Send us Fan Mail Conflict-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…
Aug 20, 2024 · 23:43
Send us Fan Mail It’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…
Aug 19, 2024 · 28:22
Send us Fan Mail Join 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…
Aug 6, 2024 · 21:46
Send us Fan Mail In 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…
Jul 23, 2024 · 28:13
Send us Fan Mail On 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…
Jul 9, 2024 · 24:19
Send us Fan Mail Here’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…
Jun 25, 2024 · 19:50
Send us Fan Mail On 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.…
Jun 11, 2024 · 49:21
Send us Fan Mail Geneva 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…
May 28, 2024 · 28:32
Send us Fan Mail In 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 recording We’d like to…
May 14, 2024 · 33:45
Send us Fan Mail Four 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,…
Apr 30, 2024 · 24:31
Send us Fan Mail In 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…
Apr 16, 2024 · 36:55
Send us Fan Mail The 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…
Apr 2, 2024 · 31:44
Send us Fan Mail In 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…
Mar 19, 2024 · 38:29
Send us Fan Mail In 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…
Mar 5, 2024 · 35:12
Send us Fan Mail The 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,…
Feb 20, 2024 · 39:11
Send us Fan Mail The 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…
Feb 6, 2024 · 36:07
Send us Fan Mail It’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…
Jan 23, 2024 · 29:22
Send us Fan Mail The International Court of Justice (the United Nations’ top court) is considering charges of genocide against Israel. The case was brought by South Africa. Adila…
Jan 9, 2024 · 29:02
Send us Fan Mail The bitter conflict in Gaza has polarised opinions. Aid agencies are caught in the middle. Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director of the Near and Middle East…
Dec 26, 2023 · 34:48
Send us Fan Mail In 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…
Dec 12, 2023 · 39:58
Send us Fan Mail The world is marking an important anniversary: the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After the Second World War, this was supposed…
Nov 28, 2023 · 22:30
Send us Fan Mail This 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…
Nov 14, 2023 · 38:01
Send us Fan Mail Geneva 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…
Oct 31, 2023 · 23:29
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: part six of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Imogen Foulkes talks to Michelle…
Oct 24, 2023 · 28:34
Send us Fan Mail The current conflict in the Middle East is the most violent in decades. An Inside Geneva special asks what the rules of law allow, and what they forbid. Marco…
Oct 17, 2023 · 28:14
Send us Fan Mail It’s more than a year and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine. The war shows no sign of ending, and Moscow is cracking down on all opposition. This week, Inside…
Oct 3, 2023 · 25:50
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: part five of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Imogen Foulkes talks to Zeid Ra’ad…
Sep 19, 2023 · 34:27
Send us Fan Mail Inside Geneva is marking its 100th podcast episode this week. In this episode host Imogen Foulkes looks back at some of the podcast highlights. This episode…
Sep 5, 2023 · 27:34
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: part four of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Imogen Foulkes talks to Navi…
Aug 22, 2023 · 33:44
Send us Fan Mail August marks two important days in the humanitarian calendar First, the International day of the disappeared. Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC: ‘I look at my kids, I look…
Aug 8, 2023 · 30:56
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: part three of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Host Imogen Foulkes talks to…
Jul 25, 2023 · 43:49
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week we take a deep dive into the pros and cons of artificial intelligence. Should the United Nations (UN) help to regulate it? Could it…
Jul 11, 2023 · 28:17
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week: part two of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Imogen Foulkes talks to Mary…
Jun 27, 2023 · 34:06
Send us Fan Mail On Inside Geneva this week, host Imogen Foulkes asks if the United Nations (UN) should still work in Afghanistan, now the Taliban are banning women from work,…
Jun 13, 2023 · 20:50
Send us Fan Mail This week Inside Geneva starts a new series marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Born out of the terrible cruelty of World…
May 30, 2023 · 34:44
Send us Fan Mail Inside Geneva was at the World Health Assembly over the last week, finding out what lessons are being learned from Covid-19 now that the WHO says the global…
May 15, 2023 · 27:27
Send us Fan Mail The Sudan conflict began over a month ago, and the consequences for the population are getting more and more serious. In this episode we take a long hard look at…
May 2, 2023 · 37:45
Send us Fan Mail This week, Inside Geneva goes behind the scenes with the ICRC’s prisoner exchange in Yemen. Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC: "I look at my kids, I look at my family, and…
Apr 18, 2023 · 35:50
Send us Fan Mail Russian President Vladimir Putin has been indicted for war crimes. This week, Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks whether international law can really…
Apr 4, 2023 · 29:26
Send us Fan Mail In 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…
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