Inside Geneva
About
Available on
Community
115 episodes
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? Host: Imogen Foulkes Production Assistant: Claire-Marie Germain https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/ Distribution: Sara Pasino https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/ Marketing: Xin Zhang https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/ GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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? Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
Israel has accused the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) of being involved in the October 7th attacks. “October 7th was a gamechanger. Because the involvement, direct involvement, of those 13 UNRWA employees in the October 7th attacks on Israel changed everything,” said Nina Ben-Ami, former Israeli Ambassador to Uruguay. Inside Geneva looks at what’s at stake. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini says: “Today the needs are absolutely staggering in the Gaza Strip." UNRWA has fired the employees under suspicion, but its major donors have cut funding, even before the formal UN investigation into Israel’s allegations is completed. UNRWA has 13,000 staff in Gaza, providing schools and clinics. “Even if the allegations are true, thats no justification for cutting off funding for the most important aid and relief agency in the Gaza Strip,” says Louis Charbonneau, UN Director at Human Rights Watch. Can other aid agencies step up if UNRWA has to stop? Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council: “All of the non-governmental organisations, all of the Red Cross, Red Crescent organisations, all of the UN agencies combined, were not even half of what UNRWA is for Gazan society.” Where does this leave the 1.5 million Gazans now crammed into Rafah? Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, explains that “Israel is thinking of going in with a bloody ground offensive. We would hold the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and all of these other countries providing the arms to this…we will hold them accountable for what is going to happen in Rafah.” “UNRWA remains the only lifeline in a region full of despair. A region which now deserves that we collectively look at promoting a proper genuine peaceful political solution,” concludes Lazzarini. Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast to learn more about the allegations and possible outcomes for UNRWA. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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: “Putins dream of getting the whole country, if thats what he wanted, doesnt seem that achievable, and yet Ukraine getting its entire country back doesnt 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, its 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! __ __
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 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 disasters.” And to local business leaders who had tried to prepare for such a disaster. “We were expecting a big earthquake in Istanbul, and we were calculating the number of people that were going to lose their lives, and the number of economic losses. The role of businesses there was to be prepared before, and help the economic recovery afterwards,” says Erhan Arslan, Turkonfed (Turkisn Enterprise and Business Confederation). Can humanitarian organisations and business work together to respond? The United Nations (UN) have an initiative that tries to do just that. Florian Rhiza Nery, Connecting Business Initiative says: “We often times see the challenges that come from the differences, between the business community, the private sector, and humanitarian organisations, not just the UN.” Can it work? Humanitarians and entrepreneurs don’t always think the same way… “When I hear about private public partnerships, I always say about in terms of the private ‘what’s in it for them?’ And the question of a private company being totally neutral or altruistic, I still have my doubts,” concludes Daniel Warner, political analyst. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 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 try to find food and water for their families." Israel is defending itself with vigour. “What Israel seeks by operating in Gaza is not to destroy people but to protect people, its people. In these circumstances there can hardly be a charge more false and more malevolent than the accusation against Israel of genocide,” says Tal Becker, a lawyer for Israel. Inside Geneva asks if this is really a case for the UN’s top court. Margaret Satterthwaite, UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers: “This is a case about asserting humanity, and in fact asserting law over war. The purpose of the UN is to prevent disputes from turning into armed conflict. […] And the ICJ is there to help resolve disputes and to prevent war.” Can that really work? Or will this high-profile case simply distract from other human rights violations? “People feel like if you dont call it genocide then its not serious and thats a mistake. Crimes against humanity are incredibly severe,” says Ken Roth of the Harvard Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy. The ICJ’s final verdict will take years. There is no right of appeal, and member states are obliged to comply. But the ICJ has no power to enforce. “Theres not a UN police force running around making sure that states comply with their international law obligations,” concludes Satterthwaite. Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast to learn more about the case. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 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 hostages. “If we could release them all we would do it as soon as possible. If we could visit them we would visit them. And at the same time it takes place in an environment which is Gaza,” says Carboni. Other aid agencies have described their shock at the destruction in Gaza. James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF said: “The level of bombardments, and the deprivation of food and water and medicines, that’s made that situation as desperate as I’ve ever seen.” This has fuelled anger on the ground. “I could objectively see that many attacks were indiscriminate, and safe zones had nothing to do with legal or moral safety. Those things created anger,” continues Elder. How can aid agencies persuade the warring parties that the only side they take is humanity? “I care about the families of the people who are taken hostages. I care about the civilians in Israel who regularly have to go in the basement, and I also care about the Palestinians. One does not exclude the other. Were not doing accounting,” concludes Carboni. Listen to the latest episode of our Inside Geneva podcast and join host Imogen Foulkes to find out more about the situation in Gaza. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 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 the strain of all the extreme events it’s having to deal with.’ Aid agencies have struggled to cope. Imogen Foulkes, host, Inside Geneva: ‘You feel like they’re being squeezed and squeezed and squeezed between the warring parties, and the Security Council which will just never agree.’ And now, war, again, in the middle east. Dorian Burkhalter, Swissinfo: ‘The UN has never lost that many humanitarian workers, and just seeing their helplessness you can really tell that they’ve lost their protection, and they’re totally desperate.’ Emma Farge: ‘It’s been personal for everyone, and it;s been difficult for journalists to navigate this information war and to really navigate it with your composure.’ What will 2024 bring? Nick Cumming-Bruce: ‘We still have potentially months of conflict, and we then have the whole issue of post conflict. Well, 2024 is really going to be where we see where the rubber hits the road on that one.’ GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 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. So how’s that working out? Throughout 2023 SWI swissinfo.ch has been talking to the men and women who have led the United Nations human rights work over the years. In this edition of Inside Geneva, we have some highlights of those exclusive interviews. Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 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 atrocities committed by Austrians during the Second World War, it was very formative for me to actually really say OK what has to happen in this world so that we come to this never again attitude," he told host Imogen Foulkes. Today, there are 55 conflicts worldwide – not the best atmosphere to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the universal declaration. But Volker Türk has a compelling analogy of why it is still important. "We actually have traffic regulations, and they exist because otherwise people would get killed. Thats the same on the human rights front, and thats why the Universal Declaration of human rights is so important. Yes there are people who are violating traffic regulations, as there are people who violate human rights law, sometimes egregiously, as we see now. It doesnt mean that this takes away the fundamental centrality of the norms." He also believes that if warring parties could really see the suffering they cause each other, peace might be easier to achieve. "I was at the border to Gaza in Rafah, on north Sinai. I met Palestinian children, who had injuries that I have rarely seen in my life. Spine injuries, some of them couldnt even talk, because they were in such deep trauma and shock. I also met families of hostages, Israeli hostages and I saw their pain, and I can see that there is immense suffering out there and that suffering is created from humans to humans." Is there anything to celebrate on this 75th anniversary? Perhaps not, but we can learn. "We cannot afford just to stay in the present. We need to learn from our crisis today to make it better in the future, and I hope that if theres one single message that comes across: that the centrality of human rights has to be much more pronounced than ever before." Join host Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva to listen to the full episode. Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 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 to have a place in the 21st,” says Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, former United Nations Human Rights Commissioner. The UN is supposed to be able to prevent, and end conflict. How is it doing? Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group: “I think the UN high command on the one hand, and the Israelis on the other hand, have just decided that in rhetorical terms their relationship cannot be saved. And they are laying into each other in very firm language.” What about individual governments, including Switzerland’s? “Now is simply not the time to be further suffocating the human rights community in Israel and Palestine. The presence of armed conflict makes human rights defenders work more, not less, important. This is the exact wrong moment to stop supporting civil society,” says Erin Kilbride, a researcherat Human Rights Watch. Are politics getting in the way of humanity? “There are two problems here: the first is the difference between humanitarian and political. And in a situation of war, which we’re in now, it’s very difficult to make that distinction,” adds Daniel Warner, a political analyst. Join host Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva podcast to listen to the full interviews. Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 Bachelet, who served as UN Human Rights Commissioner from 2018 to 2022. She was a young woman during Chile’s military dictatorship, and experienced human rights violations first hand. “You needed to be as strong as possible, and not to fail and not to... how could I say confess things that could harm other people.” When democracy returned to Chile, Bachelet served as her country’s president twice. Valuable experience, she believes, for later, persuading world leaders to respect human rights. “I could put myself in the shoes of that person who was making those decisions, and tried to think which could be the arguments that would convince them to respect human rights. That its not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing.” She came under huge pressure for a much delayed but hard-hitting report on human rights in China. “I used to tell them look if you ask me not to publish this then tomorrow, another big country will call me and say don’t publish this. And then another big country will come so then the only thing I can do is to go back home. Because I have to do my job. So there was lots of pressure, lots of criticism.” Now, she feels the world has failed civilians in Gaza. “You have people there that need a humanitarian corridor, so they can get food, medicines, water, electricity and I feel that the international community has been slow to respond. Slow and weak.” And what about the Universal Declaration at 75? “The Universal Declaration is still valid. Because it gives sort of a minimal, I would say, standard of how we can live together.” Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 Sassòli, Professor of International Law at the University of Geneva, says: “the massacre Hamas committed among those festival visitors are clear violations of international humanitarian law. [...] The entire northern Gaza Strip is not a military objective. So, an attack is a specific act of violence against one target, and the entire northern Gaza Strip is not possibly a target.” What are the challenges for aid workers? “We need to ensure safety of civilians and safety of health workers, humanitarian workers on the ground. Our colleagues from the Palestine Red Crescent were telling us, yes we have no food, yes we have no water, yes we have none of these. But we don’t even know if we’ll be alive tomorrow,” says Benoit Carpentier from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Can anything prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza? “We’ve heard about 20 or 30 trucks only being allowed in, which obviously for a population of 2 million people is a drop in the ocean,” says Carpentier. Do we expect too much of humanitarian law? “We shouldn’t misunderstand humanitarian law, for instance humanitarian law does not prohibit Hamas to attack Israel, and does not prohibit Israel to attack Hamas fighters, military objectives and so on in the Gaza Strip, and other cities. And humanitarian law was never meant as saying wars are wonderful. No, wars are terrible, but they are much less terrible if the parties make an effort to comply with humanitarian law,” concludes Sassòli. Join host Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva podcast. Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 Geneva asks how we can support human rights inside Russia. "Since the full scale invasion of Ukraine had been launched in February of last year, the regime has brought back the entire arsenal of Soviet style repressive techniques, used to eradicate all dissent within the country, and scare people into silence," says Evgenia Kara-Murza, Russian human rights defender. Supporting dissent in Russia is important for all of us. Host Imogen Foulkes also talkes to Mariana Katzarova, UN special rapporteur for Russia. She said: "I do care what kind of Russia will be there next to our borders of Europe and of Eastern Europe. Whether it will be a black hole where people will be disappearing, being tortured. being arbitrarily detained." "I have a message for the international community: please see us as your partners. We want a different Russia, a Russia based on the rule of law and respect for human rights. That is our goal," concludes Evgenia Kara-Murza. But how far away is that goal? How long will it take to reach it? Louis Charbonneau, United Nations director at Human Rights Watch says: "It takes a lot of effort to suppress the truth, to destroy and muzzle every possible critic, and to circulate absurd propaganda the way the Russian government does. It takes a lot of energy. Time is against the oppressors like Vladimir Putin, like Xi Jinping, and others. They will not last, but that doesnt mean that were not in store for a rough ride." Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 al Hussein, who served as UN Human Rights Commissioner from 2014 to 2018. He became the first Asian, Muslim and Arab to hold the position. But did he plan a career in human rights from an early age? "No, I was far too immature and delinquent to be thinking lofty ideas and profound thoughts," he said. But two years in the former Yugoslavia during the conflict there focused his mind. "The senselessness of it all, there’s nothing that can justify killing, or destruction like that. Nothing at all," he thinks. When he took the job as UN human rights commissioner, he became famous for his tough approach. "I knew from my experience in the former Yugoslavia, that if the UN secretariat believed, I think mistakenly, that it’s in the friends business, it produces catastrophic results. The UN is not there to become friendly with the member states." He spoke out wherever he saw injustice or abuse, from Myanmar, to Libya, or ISIS, and even world leaders. "Someone asked me, possibly you, asked me about Donald Trump, and I said ‘yes, I think he’s dangerous. And that became the headline out of the press conference," he said. Today, his commitment to universal human rights remains firm. "What we’re aiming at is to create a better human being. That’s what we’re trying to do with the human rights agenda, to improve ourselves and our conduct. To speak out and use non-violent means to protest conditions which are fundamentally unjust and unfair, and who can argue with that?" Listen to the full episode to find out more about Zeid Ra’ad al Husseins life and career. Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 starts with an assessment of how humanitarians coped with the war in Syria. Jan Egeland, former head of the United Nations humanitarian taskforce for Syria says: "Syria was a real setback where these besiegements, the bombing of hospitals, the bombing of schools, the bombing of bread lines, it was horrific." Inside Geneva also looks at the lively debate about whether humanitarian aid needs to be decolonised. "If we were to think of aid as a form of reparation, as a form of social justice for historical and continuing harm," says Lata Narayanaswamy, from the University of Leeds. And it delves into the complex discussions over ‘killer robots’. Mary Wareham, from the Human Rights Watch adds: "Do you hold the commander responsible who activated the weapons system? Theres what we call an accountability gap when it comes to killer robots." And we ask whether human rights investigations can really bring accountability. Chris Sidoti, from the UN Independent Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar, told Imogen Foulkes: "I still know that the Myanmar butchers who are responsible for what happened may never individually be brought to justice. But I certainly live in hope that one day they will." Help us celebrate our 100th podcast – and let us know what topics you’d like to hear more about. Please sign up for our newsletter for Swiss Democracy. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 Pillay, she served as UN Human Rights Commissioner from 2008 to 2014, she started life in racially segregated South Africa. "We grew up under apartheid and we’re realised there’s something very unfair here. Our teachers were afraid to talk about…you know they would teach us democracy in Greece, but not why don’t we have democracy in South Africa." She became the first woman of colour to have her own legal practice in South Africa. "It was so lonely, and so scary. I had very little choice, because I went looking for jobs after I’d qualified, at law firms, they were mainly white law firms, and they would say ‘we can’t – you’re a black person, so we can’t have our white secretaries taking instructions from you.’’ She served on the international tribunal for the Rwandan genocide – but hesitated when Ban Ki Moon asked her to become UN Human Rights Commissioner. "You have to respond to a call that’s made to you, a trust that people place in you. So if you ask me what moved me from where I wanted to go to this, it was the secretary general saying ‘we need you now’.’ Today, she believes the universal declaration on human rights is as relevant as ever – as long as we use it. "No state has distanced itself from that treaty. So I see hope in that and I feel these are the tools that civil society has. You have the law, now push for implementation." Join Imogen Foulkes on the Inside Geneva podcast to find out more. For more insights and discussions from Switzerlands international city, subscribe to Inside Geneva wherever you get your podcasts. Please try out our French Podcast: the Dangerous Millions https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/dangereux-millions--mexican-connection/48575482 GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 at my family, and I say ‘imagine now there is a frontline between us and my son, my brother, my mother, my father, are captured and I cant see them for a year, two, three, four.’’ Inside Geneva hears how the ICRC reunites those divided by conflict, and visits the Red Cross Central Tracing Agency. Anastasia Kushleyko, Central Tracing Agency: ‘I’m calling from the ICRC, I’m calling from Geneva: As of last week he was a POW, he was safe and well. Its always always people are so grateful and mothers, you know especially mothers.’ Second, the UN marks World Humanitarian Day on August 30. 20 years after the Baghdad bombing which killed 22 UN staff, Inside Geneva talks to an aid worker deeply affected by that day. Laura Dolci, UN Human Rights: ‘So I had taken him to the airport, together with our child, and the yes it took me in fact many years to be able to use the same elevator in the airport where I last kissed him.’ Laura Dolci, UN Human Rights: ‘The aid worker, the humanitarian worker, the peacekeeper; ultimately its a human being that decides to put its own being also to the service of humanity.’ Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva Please try out our French Podcast: the Dangerous Millions https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/dangereux-millions--mexican-connection/48575482 GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 Louise Arbour, who served as UN Human Rights Commissioner from 2004 to 2008. She arrived in Geneva with a formidable track record. As a prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia, she had indicted Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes. In Rwanda, she secured convictions of rape as crimes against humanity. "The work I did both with the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda were if anything a vindication for me of the significance of law, of the rule of law, as an organising principle in modern society," explains Arbour. Leading the UN’s human rights work was a new challenge. "These were very challenging times. 2004, you know, this was in the backyard of 9/11. It was, a new, dangerous, unknown world was starting to unfold with a lot of uncertainties, including on the human rights front." New strategies were needed. "When you arrive in the role of high commissioner for human rights, I think that’s part of the dilemma; how do you use your voice? Because I think to be the megaphone for the denunciation of injustices at some point becomes counterproductive, because it just illuminates how impotent the system is. It’s like you scream in the wilderness," she said. That’s why this dedicated lawyer still tells us to follow the laws, treaties, and conventions we have. "If you came from another planet and you just looked at the human rights framework; the universal declaration of human rights, all the treaties, the conventions, the work of the treaty bodies, you’d think you’d arrived in heaven. So why is it not the case?" Join Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva podcast to find out more. Please try out our French Podcast: the Dangerous Millions https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/dangereux-millions--mexican-connection/48575482 GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 even do that? Across the UN there are different views. Tomas Lamanauskas, deputy secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says that "the technology in itself has a huge potential to help us resolve a lot of challenges of today, from climate change, to helping education to, helping in the health sector. It’s just that the question is that as with every technology, this technology has risks." "There are real problems with its ability to accelerate disinformation, and enhance bias. We also have to look at those longer term consequences, in areas like lethal weapons and things where there really are real important, almost existential risks to some of these technologies," adds Peggy Hicks from the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR). But what about the tech industry? Lila Ibrahim, chief operation officer at Google DeepMind says that "from the very start of DeepMind, since 2010, weve been working on AI and thinking about how do we build this responsibly? Its not something we just tag on at the end of all the research weve been doing." Is goodwill from the tech giants enough? "The malicious use of AI systems for terrorists, criminal, or state purposes could cause horrific levels of death and destruction, widespread trauma, and deep psychological damage on an unimaginable scale," concludes Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva Join host Imogen Foulkes for a new episode of the Inside Geneva podcast and gear up for a journey into the world of AI to discover how we can responsibly leverage its power for a better tomorrow. Please try out our French Podcast: the Dangerous Millions https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/dangereux-millions--mexican-connection/48575482 GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 Robinson, the second person to serve as UN Human Rights Commissioner. Even as a schoolgirl in Ireland, she was already passionate about human rights. ‘I was a bit of a bookworm, and I found a book with a photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt holding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That iconic photo.’ She became a campaigning lawyer, and then Ireland’s first female president, but still wanted to do more. ‘There was this office of High Commissioner which I was aware of. In fact, Id seen some of its work in Rwanda, which had been very difficult work. All my knowledgeable friends said ‘you know Mary I wouldnt take that job’.’ Her time as Human Rights Commissioner was challenging. ‘I remember feeling to myself, Im going to get on top of this somehow. This job is impossible, everything is very very difficult, its extremely hard work but somehow I’m going to get on top of it. And it got better.’ ‘Some governments were critical…’ ‘Over and over again, I kept saying to myself ‘I represent the first three words of the charter of the United Nations: we the peoples. Thats what I represent. Not the states.’ Today, her commitment is undimmed.. ‘Human rights is the answer. We need to understand that everyone has these core human rights, that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. That this is who we are.’ GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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, and girls from secondary school? Karima Bennoune, professor of International Law: ‘Anyone who believed in something called Taliban 2.0, had never actually spoken to an Afghan woman human rights defender. Because the Afghan women human rights defenders, they knew what was going to happen. They did their best without a loud microphone to tell governments, to tell international organisations, what was going to happen.’ Is the UN becoming complicit in what some call gender apartheid? Fiona Frazer, UN human rights, Kabul: Despite the fact that it does seem, every month, or three months or so on a new decree comes out that pushes women further back into their homes, we have to keep being here. Thats what women and girls tell us: they want us to be here. They feel the need to have the UN be here, to be present, and to keep going back. It’s now almost two years since the Taliban seized power again. What do Afghan women think? Fereshta Abbasi, Human Rights Watch: If there is a resistance in Afghanistan, it’s definitely coming from the women of Afghanistan. That 12-year-old girl whos still attending an underground school in Helmand is the resistance of Afghanistan. The Taliban will never be able to erase their minds and erase the knowledge that they have already gained. Join Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva Please try out our French Podcast: the Dangerous Millions https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/dangereux-millions--mexican-connection/48575482 GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 War II, millions hoped the declaration would prevent atrocities. "This Universal Declaration of human rights may well become the international Magna Carta of all men everywhere," said Eleanor Roosevelt. But there was no UN human rights chief until the cold war ended in the 1990s. José Ayala Lasso, first UN human rights commissioner says: "Yes, it is an impossible mission to try to guarantee the effectiveness of all human rights: social economic and political cultural, even the right to development of the whole people of the world." UN member states still differ on what the universal declaration even means. José Ayala Lasso continues: "If you see human rights through the lens of communism, probably you see them in a different manner when you see them through the eyes of democratic governments. I do not think that we should be permissive in order to accept violations. But we should try to understand the reasons of the other: why the regime, the totalitarian regimes act in a way. Why?" But some principles are non-negotiable. "The basic principle is the human being. Human beings are to be respected, they are equal in dignity and in rights as the declaration says in the first article. We should believe, we should not lose our faith in the capacity of human beings to act correctly," concludes José Ayala Lasso. Join Imogen Foulkes for an in-depth interview with the first ever UN human rights chief. Please try out our French Podcast: the Dangerous Millions https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/dangereux-millions--mexican-connection/48575482 GET IN TOUCH! __ __
Inside Geneva is at the World Health Assembly this week, finding out what lessons are being learned from Covid-19 now that the WHO says the global health emergency is over – even if the pandemic isn’t. Suerie Moon, co-director, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute said: "Every single country is vulnerable to pandemics. Every single country can have its economy, its society fundamentally undermined by a pandemic. We know this." Member states are supposed to be working on a pandemic treaty – so we cope with the next one better. Fair access to medicines is a key issue. Barbara Stocking, chair of panel for a global public health convention added: "On medicines and so on, I think this is the most difficult issue to be handling. I hope most countries are signed up to the view that there should be equity. I don’t think the developing countries will sign up to any treaty, when they don’t see that there are plans to get much nearer to equity." Can medicine producers be persuaded to be generous? Thomas Cueni, Director General, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA) said: "You cannot coerce know how sharing, because either you’re willing to share your wisdom with me or you’re not. IP waivers, which means ignoring patents, would actually be a huge barrier." Transparency and rapid information sharing are on the agenda too: Imogen Foulkes, Inside Geneva host asked: "We still don’t know exactly how and where and from what Covid-19 came. Will we find that out do you think? Is investigation still going on?" Maria van Kerkhove, World Health Organisation concluded: "We’re certainly going to do everything we can to figure out how this pandemic began. And it does depend on collaboration, scientific collaboration, collaboration from member states, sharing of information, sharing data, and we need more collaboration from China, we’ve been very vocal about that.’ Listen and subscribe to the podcast to find out more. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 the conflict in Sudan, and what the UN and humanitarian agencies here in Geneva – the ones whose very purpose is to either prevent such conflicts happening, or at the very least help ease the suffering – can actually do. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have been operating in Sudan for decades and Vittorio Oppizzi, the project coordinator in Sudan, says that this conflict "adds on a situation that was already critical." Another member of MSF, Melat Haile, says that "its the poor, the innocent, the medical people who will suffer from this." She explains that in 2022 alone, they conducted more than half a million medical consultations, "and now the need is going to be much more." Then what can be done about this situation? Paula Gaviria, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, thinks that "the first responsibility we have as a nation is to stop violence, suffering and targeting the civil population." Listen to this episode to find out more about the conflict in Sudan and why Mohamed Osman, from Human Rights Watch, said they had already warned about this dangerous situation escalating. SWI swissinfo.ch is a Multilingual Public service media based in Bern, Switzerland. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 I say ‘imagine now there is a frontline between us, and my son, my brother, my mother, my father are captured and I cant see them for a year, or two, three, four". Can the move help bring peace to Yemen? Daniel Warner, analyst: "Confidence building is the most important thing in all negotiations, and in any kind of situation, such as prisoner exchange, but in any development of finding peace". And we look at Switzerland’s tricky position over Ukraine, neutrality, and the arms trade. Keith Krause, Geneva Graduate Institute: "German officials have expressed their dismay that Switzerland would not allow re-export of munitions that Germany had bought several years ago, so Switzerland finds itself in a very delicate position". Daniel Warner, analyst: "A Russian diplomat said that Switzerland is no longer considered a neutral country. When you think of the summits: Reagan Gorbachev, Biden Putin, its difficult to imagine in the future Geneva or Switzerland will be a centre for negotiations". SWI swissinfo.ch is a Multilingual Public service media based in Bern, Switzerland. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been indicted for war crimes. This week, Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks whether international law can really bring justice. “The real crime of crimes in this story is the decision to go to war. Every other crime – the deportation of children, the crimes against humanity, the war crimes – is a consequence of the decision to go to war,” says Philippe Sands, lawyer and author of (2016). Will we ever see Russia’s leader in court? “People are very impatient to say: ‘Why hasn’t Putin been put in jail? How can this war continue?’ It will take time, hopefully something will happen, but we all have our doubts,” says analyst Daniel Warner. What does the focus on Ukraine mean for accountability in countries such as Ethiopia or Myanmar, where war crimes are alleged too? “The response to Russia’s aggression against the people of Ukraine stands out: in investigation of human rights violations, the delivery of justice and accountability. It could serve as a model, and it could help the world imagine a new international order,” says Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
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 earthquake? Marco Sassoli from Geneva University speaking to Inside Geneva says: "The UN being a club it represents its members, and therefore it considers that it cannot do anything on the territory of a member state without the consent of the member state." But are there ways to get aid in immediately? Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council says he is "a fundamentalist on the need to go straight to the victims, the people in need cross border cross line, cross mountain, cross desert, the shortest route." But with armed groups on the ground, how do aid workers persuade them to let them in? Thaer Allaw, from the Center for Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation explains this difficulty: "We think that we have a good cause, and we think that those humanitarian principles are universal. And then when you hit the reality they are not." GET IN TOUCH! __ __
This week Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes talks to authors who have written about humanitarian topics. What is it like to track down human rights violators? “Each day in court, seeing Hissène Habré I would pump my fist: ‘my God, we got him.’ But you never knew, and I have to say when they started reading the verdict it was such joy, but it was also a relief. I mean I felt like after 16 years, this weight had been lifted off me. I could finally recover my life,” says Reed Brody, author of (2022). What are the dilemmas facing journalists covering humanitarian crises? Why should one particular crisis have more attention? “The more coverage of Ukraine, or the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey; the more coverage a crisis gets the more likely audiences are to be aware of it, to care about it, and to donate to it,” says Martin Scott, author of (2022). What is the dark reality of fortress Europe’s migration policy? “Suddenly you’re in direct communication with a person who is telling you they’ve been locked up indefinitely, they’re being tortured, they’re seeing people raped or seeing people die as a result of European Union migration policy. And that’s the moment when you go: ‘wait a second, something has gone desperately wrong,’” says Sally Hayden, author of (2022). GET IN TOUCH! __ __
The UN Human Rights Council is set to discuss Ukraine, Ethiopia, Iran, and more. Inside Geneva podcast host Imogen Foulkes asks: what about China? “If there’s no pressure coming from the international community, if there’s no scrutiny over China, if there’s nothing happening, China is basically going to take it as a sign that they’ve got the green light to continue their abuses,” says Zumretay Arkin, spokesperson at the World Uyghur Congress. Last year a UN report suggested China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. UN member states voted – narrowly – not to debate that report. “Of course, there’s a geopolitical understanding of what’s happening, but we have to get back to the essence of human rights, and we have to get back to the essence also of the treaties that this system was created to uphold,” says Raphaël Viana David, China and Latin America advocate at the International Service for Human Rights. This week on the Inside Geneva podcast: human rights activists say what they think should happen now. “The fact that we came so tantalisingly close to having a resolution on China adopted at the council has actually shattered a really important taboo about the ability to take on China and any state, no matter how powerful,” says Hilary Power, UN Geneva director at Human Rights Watch. Please listen to our other episodes on War in Ukrain. GET IN TOUCH! __ __
