Explore every episode of the podcast Inside Geneva
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside Geneva goes to New York: what really happens at the UN? | 12 Nov 2024 | 00:31:30 | |
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 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 East and Sudan are on the agenda. But so is the situation of human rights groups inside Russia. “The situation with political prisoners in Russia today is no longer a crisis, it’s a catastrophe. We now have more political prisoners in Russia alone than there were in the whole of the Soviet Union, so that’s 15 countries put together,” says Vladimir Kara-Murza, a former political prisoner. In Geneva, the Human Rights Council can order investigations – but will New York respond? “There is Gaza, the situation in Sudan, Myanmar, Syria – so many conflicts and humanitarian disasters, and there’s an inability of member states to reach an agreement,” says Louis Charbonneau, UN Director at Human Rights Watch NGO. “I do have moments where I perhaps would like to stand up in the middle of the chamber and say: ‘Hey, do something!’ But that’s not professional and I would lose my press pass,” says journalist Dawn Clancy. The UN’s main role is upholding peace and security. Is New York failing? “For peace and security, human rights are the core. Without human rights we cannot have peace or security,” says Katzarova. Get in touch!
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| Love for life in Gaza and COP29’s ethical dilemma in Azerbaijan | 29 Oct 2024 | 00:43:08 | |
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. Get in touch!
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| Summer profiles: using sport to unite refugees and host communities | 06 Aug 2024 | 00:24:00 | |
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 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 Geneva, they don’t really know what’s happening in this bubble,” says Lena Menge, from the Geneva Graduate Institute and co-founder of Flag 21. For asylum-seekers, arriving in a new country, even a safe one, can be hard. “I was very lonely. It wasn’t easy. You feel lost and don’t really know what’s happening or where you are. It takes time to realise where you are and what you are supposed to do,” says Mahdie Alinejad, an asylum-seeker from Iran and a coach with Flag 21. Flag 21 is a project that brings locals and asylum-seekers together – to run, swim, do yoga, and much more. “Sport was actually a meaningful tool to include people in need, people that needed a community around them as well,” continues Menge. The project benefits everyone. “It’s not easy to have this confidence and grow in society as an immigrant. So this is a very good thing that they’re doing, giving opportunities to people who really need it, to find themselves, their space, their place and their confidence,” says Alinejad. “They have such resilience and so much strength to share that you come away thinking ‘my God, my little problems are really nothing’,” concludes Menge. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva to listen to the full interview. Get in touch!
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| Genocide: why we apply the term sparingly | 06 Apr 2021 | 00:35:34 | |
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? What about Myanmar, or Xinjiang in China? Why have so few people ever been convicted of genocide? And why do human rights groups themselves use the term so carefully? In this episode host Imogen Foulkes puts those questions to Paola Gaeta, Professor of International Law at Geneva’s Graduate Institute, Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, and analyst Daniel Warner. Get in touch!
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| Syria, a decade of war | 23 Mar 2021 | 00:35:07 | |
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 chances for peace missed? Did we expect too much from the aid agencies? Host Imogen Foulkes is joined by Fabrizio Carboni of the ICRC, Jan Egeland, former head of the UN’s humanitarian taskforce for Syria, and Ayman Gharaibeh, of the UN Refugee Agency. Get in touch!
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| Is Facebook a danger to democracy? | 09 Mar 2021 | 00:38:19 | |
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. Authoritarian regimes use social media to promote their sometimes violent policies. Has the information sharing we once thought so liberating become a danger to democracy and to human rights? In this episode host Imogen Foulkes explores these questions with Shalini Randeria of Geneva’s Graduate Institute, Scott Campbell of UN Human Rights, and analyst Daniel Warner. Get in touch!
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| Are nuclear weapons really banned? | 23 Feb 2021 | 00:29:53 | |
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 episode, Imogen Foulkes talks to Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Officer of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Beatrice Fihn of the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons, and Elaine Whyte Gomez, the ambassador from Costa Rica, who steered the treaty through the United Nations.
Get in touch!
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| Covid 19: When hindsight is 20/20 | 09 Feb 2021 | 00:24:29 | |
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 MSF and Margaret Harris of the WHO one year ago – and brings us up to date talking to Suerie Moon of Geneva’s Global Health Centre. We ask: what did we think then, what do we know now, and what have we learned? Get in touch!
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| How strong is US's renewed global commitment? | 26 Jan 2021 | 00:35:54 | |
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 World Health Organisation a good sign for international Geneva? What about the future of the WHO itself? And how does our own future, our ‘new normal’ look, one year into the pandemic? Get in touch!
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| Reporting the pandemic, one year on | 12 Jan 2021 | 00:38:53 | |
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? Get in touch!
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| The global treaty that has saved thousands of lives | 29 Dec 2020 | 00:31:16 | |
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 survivors, doctors, and campaigners about how they achieved their goal - and what still needs to be done. Get in touch!
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| Is humanitarian aid broken? | 15 Dec 2020 | 00:35:47 | |
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 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Julie Billaud of Geneva's Graduate Institute, and analyst Daniel Warner. Get in touch!
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| What does a new US president mean for international Geneva? | 01 Dec 2020 | 00:39:59 | |
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 years might hold for Geneva, the US, and the world. Get in touch!
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| Summer profiles: unlocking treatment for neglected diseases | 23 Jul 2024 | 00:30:28 | |
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 neglected diseases. Valverde is the clinical lead on a project looking for treatments for sleeping sickness. “It’s a disease caused by a small parasite that almost always kills if untreated. During the first half of the 20th century there were huge epidemics. It not only destroyed communities but also caused the desertification of entire regions of Africa,” he adds. Cases of sleeping sickness with no effective treatment had been rising again until DNDi began combing medical trials – some abandoned by big drug companies as not profitable – for other options. They found one promising lead and began testing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “The motivation, concentration and interest shown by our doctors in the DRC who were developing the clinical trial, were totally amazing. For them it was an opportunity to serve their people. And that was absolutely beautiful,” says Valverde. The drug worked and sleeping sickness is on the way to being eradicated. “I think this is what I always wanted to do; to do something that could be helpful to others. And this is what satisfies me. Just seeing that people have opportunities.” Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva to listen to the full interview. Get in touch!
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| Africa and Covid-19: What can be learned? | 17 Nov 2020 | 00:31:01 | |
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? A discussion from Geneva. Get in touch!
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| Special episode: The future of the United Nations | 03 Nov 2020 | 00:54:48 | |
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 Inside Geneva to mark 75 years of the UN. Get in touch!
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| Who holds aid agencies accountable? | 27 Oct 2020 | 00:32:28 | |
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 Hofmann of Unicef, and analyst Daniel Warner. Get in touch!
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| Coping with coronavirus as winter looms | 13 Oct 2020 | 00:29:25 | |
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 for perspective. Get in touch!
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| Aid agencies face racism accusations | 05 Oct 2020 | 00:29:36 | |
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? Get in touch!
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| Unalienable rights, unpacked | 29 Aug 2020 | 00:31:27 | |
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!
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| Can Covid-19 'vaccine multilateralism' work? | 24 Jul 2020 | 00:35:13 | |
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!
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| World trade at a crossroads | 09 Jul 2020 | 00:36:34 | |
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, to look at what the WTO can do, and what it can’t. Get in touch!
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| Why can’t we unite in the face of a global health crisis? | 30 Jun 2020 | 00:32:53 | |
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!
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| In charge at the UN in trying times | 16 Jun 2020 | 00:24:15 | |
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!
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| Summer profiles: challenges in humanitarian aid with MSF’s Secretary General | 09 Jul 2024 | 00:26:33 | |
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 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 here, what do I do, what’s my plan? I’d just been so absorbed in the work,” Chris Lockyear, Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) told host Imogen Foulkes. We also discuss the current crisis in Gaza, where, amid terrible destruction, MSF is providing medical care. "What are we [on] now 37,000 people killed? It’s astonishing. Neighbourhood after neighbourhood after neighbourhood which has been completely flattened,” continues Lockyear. In Gaza, MSF staff have met children as young as five, who said they wished to die. “They've been going through this for months and months and months, and the brutality of what is happening, what they’re living through, yes, people are saying that they would rather end it than continue. And that can't be a surprise to us.” MSF has been outspoken when it believes international law has been violated: “What does it mean elsewhere? How could this be translated into other countries? Into Sudan, into the future if we can operate as a world with such impunity? Where does that leave us?” says Lockyear. Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast to listen to the full interview. Get in touch!
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| What’s the point of multilateralism? The UN at 75 | 26 May 2020 | 00:34:24 | |
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 over the last 75 years. Get in touch!
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| Pandemics and power | 28 Apr 2020 | 00:31:07 | |
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!
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| Coronavirus: global scenarios and impact | 09 Apr 2020 | 00:22:21 | |
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!
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| A decade of war in Syria | 27 Mar 2020 | 00:28:15 | |
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!
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| The United Nations and China | 22 Mar 2020 | 00:33:48 | |
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 Graduate Institute, and Sarah Brooks from the International Service for Human Rights. Get in touch!
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| What should we be doing about human rights violations? | 07 Mar 2020 | 00:35:27 | |
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!
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| How to deal with coronavirus? | 11 Feb 2020 | 00:33:17 | |
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!
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| Why humanitarian groups go to Davos | 22 Jan 2020 | 00:36:46 | |
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!
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| What kind of year will it be for the UN? | 12 Jan 2020 | 00:29:47 | |
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 Times journalist Nick Cumming-Bruce and analyst Daniel Warner for a look at the year ahead. Get in touch!
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| Humanitarians and counter-terror laws | 17 Dec 2019 | 00:28:05 | |
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 researcher. Get in touch!
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| Summer profiles: women defending other women around the world | 25 Jun 2024 | 00:22:04 | |
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. 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, hearing them, acknowledging what has happened,” Mulvey says. From Somalia, to Sudan, or Lebanon, Mulvey and her colleagues offer support and advice, but the women affected are always in control. “Some have the courage and bravery to step forward, and we represent them in legal cases. But they have to lead the way,” she adds. Mulvey also hopes to inspire other women. “Let’s step up, let’s work with women, let’s work with women’s groups, to take more cases, to keep challenging it, to keep pushing that door open,” Mulvey concludes. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. Get in touch!
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| How to cope with killer robots | 21 Nov 2019 | 00:29:57 | |
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!
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| Potential and pitfalls for Syrian peace talks | 31 Oct 2019 | 00:26:07 | |
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 Constitutional Committee? What does that mean for a possible deal? And can there be lasting peace in Syria without justice for the atrocities committed during the war? Get in touch!
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| How the Human Rights Council works | 06 Oct 2019 | 00:29:01 | |
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 analyst Daniel Warner of the Graduate Institute Geneva. Get in touch!
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| Populist rhetoric and humanitarian work | 07 Sep 2019 | 00:24:09 | |
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 Geneva. Get in touch!
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| Is international law dead? | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:51:36 | |
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? 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 support it, but as soon as it steps out of line we will call it a ridiculous institution. So, it is a bit of a crossroads for international law.” The Geneva Conventions are 75 years old – are young people even aware of them? “We have the law, and at least my generation or younger generations tolerate much less those types of violations, and we are reporting more,” says Cristina Figueira Shah, international law student and co-President of the Human Rights, Conflict and Peace Initiative. Are there any rules of war that work? Laurent Gisel, Head of the Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit at the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), explains that “far fewer people know about the prohibition of blinding laser weapons than the mine ban treaty. Why? Because it has been prohibited before they were developed. And it was prohibited 50 years ago.” Does indicting a political leader achieve more than headlines? “Naming somebody as a potential war criminal has a huge effect because if the leader is named as a war criminal, like President Putin or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that means that assisting them to do what they are doing means that you are aiding and assisting, potentially, in a war crime,” says Clapham. How can we encourage more respect? “I think we should go back and understand all the reasons why we got to this point in the first place. How we wrote all the international treaties and understand from that what our generation can do to improve it,” says Shah. “Violation of international humanitarian law creates even more hatred. And if you want to live in peace afterwards, it helps to respect international humanitarian law during the conflict,” says Gisel. Join Imogen Foulkes for an Inside Geneva special from Geneva’s Graduate Institute where experts and audience ask: “Is international law dead”? Get in touch!
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| Laws that changed our world and the people who fought for them | 28 May 2024 | 00:30:46 | |
In this week’s episode of our Inside Geneva podcast, we revisit our coverage of laws that changed the world. We’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. Registration is required to secure your spot here. If you have any questions, please email us at event@swissinfo.ch. From the Convention against Landmines: "The very day that I entered the hospital for war victims, I realised that all these patients were without one or two legs," said Dr Alberto Cairo from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "Every day, just about, somebody was injured by a landmine, and they were rushed off to Khao-I-Dang hospital to have their legs amputated," said nurse Denise Coghlan, in Cambodia. The convention was adopted in 1997. Steve Goose, from Human Rights Watch, says: "This has been an extremely successful treaty, because it has saved so many lives, and so many limbs, and so many livelihoods." But landmines still cause huge harm. "Every morning when I get up in the morning I put on my artificial leg. That’s something that I will do every day for the rest of my life," said Stuart Hughes, a landmine survivor. We have a convention against genocide, but is it enough? Ken Roth, human rights expert, says: "People feel like, if you don’t call it genocide, then it’s not serious. And that’s a mistake." "We have a genocide convention, and we don’t have a crimes against humanity convention, at least not yet," said Paola Gaeta, professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute. And the Convention against Enforced Disappearances – a protection for families as well as the disappeared. Cordula Droege, from the ICRC, says: "Victims of enforced disappearances are not only those who are disappeared but also those who suffer directly from it, such as the relatives." "He was taken by armed men, and taken to a car, a red car without a plate number, and he disappeared," said Aileen Bacalso. Olivier de Frouville, UN expert on enforced disappearances, adds: "That’s why we describe also for the relatives, who are victims of enforced disappearances, we describe it as torture, because this is real torture." Inside Geneva hears from the people who campaigned to make our world safer, and asks, are we honouring their laws and their sacrifices? Get in touch!
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| Is the world brave enough to agree on a pandemic treaty? | 14 May 2024 | 00:35:59 | |
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, 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 Suerie Moon of Geneva Graduate Institute’s Global Health Centre. Surely we can do better? Countries are gathering in Geneva to try to hammer out a pandemic treaty. Do they have the vision? And the courage? “There’s been so much lip service paid to equity, but when it actually comes to nailing down what that means, and how to avoid a repeat, it seems like governments are struggling,” says Kerry Cullinan, deputy editor of Health Policy Watch. What about the vaccine manufacturers? Are they ready to share? Are we going to be better equipped for the next pandemic? “I think it would be an insult to the seven million people plus who died during the pandemic for there not to be a historic agreement,” says Cullinan. Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast to learn more about this treaty. Get in touch!
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| New wars, new weapons and the Geneva Conventions | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:26:45 | |
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 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 decision-making to machines,” says Sai Bourothu, specialist in automated decision research with the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. How can we be sure an autonomous weapon will do what we humans originally intended? Who’s in control? Jean-Marc Rickli from the Geneva Centre for Security Policy adds: “AI and machine learning basically lead to a situation where the machine is able to learn. And so now, if you talk to specialists, to scientists, they will tell you that it's a black box, we don't understand, it's very difficult to backtrack.” Our listeners asked if an autonomous weapon could show empathy? Could it differentiate between a fighter and a child? Last year, an experiment asked patients to rate chatbot doctors versus human doctors. “Medical chatbots ranked much better in the quality. But they also asked them to rank empathy. And on the empathy dimension they also ranked better. If that is the case, then you opened up a Pandora’s box that will be completely transformative for disinformation,” explains Rickli. Are we going to lose our humanity because we think machines are not only more reliable, but also kinder? “I think it's going to be an incredibly immense task to code something such as empathy. I think almost as close to the question of whether machines can love,” says Bourothu. Join host Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva podcast to learn more about this topic. Get in touch!
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| The Rwandan genocide 30 years on: witnessing atrocities - and trying to stop them | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:39:10 | |
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 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 (Doctors Without Borders). Charles Petrie, former United Nations (UN) humanitarian coordinator, recalls: “She thought there was a good chance that the Interahamwe [militia] would find the kids, the children, and she said, ‘pray that they don’t hack them to death, pray that they shoot them’”. Why was it not prevented? “The paralysis of the UN system, the paralysis of all the major players to respond to what was pretty clearly a massive genocidal operation,” says Gareth Evans, former Australian foreign minister. Senior diplomats worked to make the UN stronger in the face of atrocities. “Instead of talking about the right to intervene, we talked about the responsibility to protect. There are some kinds of behaviour which are just inconceivably beyond the pale, whatever country we live in, and just do demand this response,” says Evans. Has “responsibility to protect”, or R2P, worked? “I don’t think there’s been significant progress. I would say actually that we went from perhaps a hope, an illusion that something would be done to actually not expecting anything at all now,” says Stokes. Join host Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva podcast. Get in touch!
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| Eyewitness in a Gaza hospital and defending human rights defenders | 02 Apr 2024 | 00:33:58 | |
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 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 say nowhere is safe in Gaza Chris Black, World Health Organisation: ‘A woman with her young child saying to me, are we safe here? And I wanted to say to her ‘You’re in the grounds a hospital, this is a protected space, you should be safe here’. But I couldn’t say to her ‘you’re safe here.’’ And we hear from human rights defenders who have come to Geneva, hoping for support. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, human rights defender, Belarus: ‘I really believe that the democratic, powerful world will its teeth and will show to dictators that they will not prevail. We are not asking you to fight instead of us, we are asking you to help us fight the dictators.’ Are democracies letting human rights defenders in autocratic states down?
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| Does it matter to the UN who’s in the White House? | 15 Oct 2024 | 00:38:48 | |
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 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. Because it’s a matter of support – political, financial and moral support for international questions and for international Geneva. I think Europe is there, yes, but I don’t think Europe will be able to match the US,” says Swedish journalist Gunilla von Hall. Does it even matter who wins? Or is the waning support for multilateralism part of a bigger problem? “Is multilateralism a system that allows all countries to deal with each other in a civil and non-violent way where common interest prevails? Or is it the appearance of a system that allows the continued hegemony of the old powers after the Second World War?” says Tammam Aloudat head of the international medical aid charity Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) Netherlands. “There are two words that are key here. One is the notion of polarisation, not only in the United States, but internationally. We see it in Geneva, we see it everywhere. The second is the word transactional. Everything seems to be transactional: ‘what’s in this for me?’ instead of someone coming in and saying: ‘for the common good'," adds analyst Daniel Warner. Would the multilateral system even be better off without the US? “I don't think we can afford to sit in an arena where our hope for multilateralism, which still is in the UN and its institutions, [means we are] sitting still, taking the constant bullying of the United States,” says Aloudat. Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast to discover how important the US still is these days. Get in touch!
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| Is AI a risk to democracy? | 19 Mar 2024 | 00:40:43 | |
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 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 technologies, the capacity for harm can be massive,” says Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social & Human Sciences & AI Ethics at UNESCO. Analyst Daniel Warner continues: “I’m worried about who’s going to win. But I’m also worried about whether my vote will count, and I’m worried about all kinds of disinformation that we see out there now. More than I’ve ever seen before.” Are deep fakes the biggest dangers? Or just not knowing what to believe? “I think the problem is not going to be the content created, the problem is going to be the liar’s dividend. The thing that everything can be denied, and that anything can be questioned, and that people will not trust anything,” said Alberto Fernandez Gibaja, Head of Digitalisation and Democracy at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). Laws to regulate AI are lagging behind the technology. So how can voters protect themselves? Get in touch!
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| What’s the future of UNRWA? The Struggle for Balance in Gaza's Aid Operations | 05 Mar 2024 | 00:37:27 | |
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, 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, but that Israel has offered no supporting evidence for its claims that many UNRWA staff support Hamas. Many people around the world hadn’t really heard of UNRWA before this scandal - so what is it exactly, why was it founded, and does it really need to continue? Imogen Foulkes takes a deep dive, talking to UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, Israeli diplomat Nina Ben-Ami, Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch. Inside Geneva looks at what’s at stake. Get in touch!
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| Reflecting on Ukraine's Struggle and Perseverance Two Years into the Russian Invasion | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:41:25 | |
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 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 that poisons, imprisons, and kills its political opponents. Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes says: “Putin's dream of getting the whole country, if that's what he wanted, doesn't seem that achievable, and yet Ukraine getting its entire country back doesn't seem achievable either.” What chance is there of a peace agreement? Does the United Nations have any role to play? “With this particular cast of characters, it's not going to happen. With Putin on the one side and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and his entourage. They’re committed to victory whatever that is,” says Jussi Hanhimäki, professor of international history at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Is the West’s support for Ukraine waning? What could that mean for international stability? “Russia is basically independent as far as acting in this war, whereas Ukraine is dependent. And I think of the question of Western fatigue and the radar now is on the Middle East,” concludes analyst Daniel Warner. Join host Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva podcast for the answers. Get in touch!
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