<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms">Send us a text</a>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 in history. We have in our hands the opportunity to do well, to save our own environment, the planet, to take the right decisions to bring humanity onto a good path,” says Marilyne Andersen, Director General of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA).But will they take that path? Technology is racing ahead.“Human rights, like every other field, are very much under the influence now of what’s happening in technology and science. It’s one of the destabilising factors right now,” says Jürg Lauber, Swiss ambassador to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva.“I was absolutely sure that a robot can kill a human. We are living in a situation where we don’t even have these AI ethics,” says Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva.“If we just do things when they have already happened, then it’s too late and technology has already evolved to the next stage,” says Sylvie Briand, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO).International law is being abandoned.“War is a terrible thing, but at some stage in the past, human beings decided to write the Geneva Conventions to at least reduce a little bit the horror of war,” adds Sami Kanaan, former mayor of Geneva.In Geneva, a group is pushing for partnerships between science and politics, so we’re ready for the challenges ahead.“Let’s take advantage of knowing what is coming to act on it now and not be in reactive mode, not in catch‑up mode,” says Andersen.Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.Get in touch! <ul> <li>Email us at <a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'>insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch</a> </li> <li>Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en</li> </ul> Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the<a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'> international Geneva </a>please visit <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'>www.swissinfo.ch/</a> Host: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'>Imogen Foulkes </a>Production assitant: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'>Claire-Marie Germain</a> Distribution: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'>Sara Pasino</a> Marketing: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'>Xin Zhang</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On &lt;em&gt;Inside Geneva&lt;/em&gt; this week: world leaders are gathering in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, but do they have any answers?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I think we are at an amazing moment in history. We have in our hands the opportunity to do well, to save our own environment, the planet, to take the right decisions to bring humanity onto a good path,” says Marilyne Andersen, Director General of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But will they take that path? Technology is racing ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Human rights, like every other field, are very much under the influence now of what’s happening in technology and science. It’s one of the destabilising factors right now,” says Jürg Lauber, Swiss ambassador to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I was absolutely sure that a robot can kill a human. We are living in a situation where we don’t even have these AI ethics,” says Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“If we just do things when they have already happened, then it’s too late and technology has already evolved to the next stage,” says Sylvie Briand, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;International law is being abandoned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“War is a terrible thing, but at some stage in the past, human beings decided to write the Geneva Conventions to at least reduce a little bit the horror of war,” adds Sami Kanaan, former mayor of Geneva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Geneva, a group is pushing for partnerships between science and politics, so we’re ready for the challenges ahead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Let’s take advantage of knowing what is coming to act on it now and not be in reactive mode, not in catch‑up mode,” says Andersen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in touch!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Email us at &lt;a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'&gt;insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;For more stories on the&lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'&gt; international Geneva &lt;/a&gt;please visit &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'&gt;www.swissinfo.ch/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Host: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'&gt;Imogen Foulkes&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Production assitant: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'&gt;Claire-Marie Germain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Distribution: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'&gt;Sara Pasino&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Marketing: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'&gt;Xin Zhang&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a text 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 in history. We have in our hands the opportunity to do well, to save our own environment, the planet, to take the right decisions to bring humanity onto a good path,” says Marilyne Andersen, Director General of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). But will they take that path? Technology is racing ahea...

Can a science and diplomacy partnership save the world?

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms">Send us a text</a>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 in the Gaza Strip, and one in three babies that are born in Gaza are assisted by our staff on the ground. We’re doing surgical support, wound care, physiotherapy, maternity and paediatric care,” says Chris Lockyear, Secretary General of Medecins sans Frontieres.The US cut billions from foreign aid, then announced $2 billion for selected projects.“[We saw] Tom Fletcher next to Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old with no experience in the humanitarian sector, who said, ‘Well, the humanitarian organisations have to adapt or die,’” adds Dorian Burkhalter, Swissinfo journalist.The money has strings attached, humanitarian crises in Afghanistan or Yemen get nothing.“There was talk about the radical ideologies perpetrated by some of the UN agencies, which had undermined American interests and peace, bizarrely enough,” continues Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor for The New York Times.Part of that $2 billion goes to several Latin American countries, meanwhile the US says it’s now “running” Venezuela.“Central and South America, obviously Washington views as its domain. And we’re all here in Geneva muttering to ourselves ‘but you just violated international law’. Does it matter to anyone?” says Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes. Are we seeing a bonfire of international laws?“The fundamental commitments to some form of international law that have underpinned western security since the Second World War are being completely abandoned by an administration that doesn&apos;t acknowledge any accountability to anyone except itself,” says Cumming-Bruce. And what does it mean for the world’s most vulnerable?“All around the world, whether they’re in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine or Venezuela, there are real people who are living through the consequences of these decisions that are made in places like Washington DC and New York or in Geneva,” says Lockyear. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. Get in touch! <ul> <li>Email us at <a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'>insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch</a> </li> <li>Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en</li> </ul> Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the<a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'> international Geneva </a>please visit <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'>www.swissinfo.ch/</a> Host: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'>Imogen Foulkes </a>Production assitant: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'>Claire-Marie Germain</a> Distribution: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'>Sara Pasino</a> Marketing: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'>Xin Zhang</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;2026 has started with some momentous events. Israel has banned dozens of aid agencies. What are the consequences?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’re supporting one in five of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, and one in three babies that are born in Gaza are assisted by our staff on the ground. We’re doing surgical support, wound care, physiotherapy, maternity and paediatric care,” says Chris Lockyear, Secretary General of Medecins sans Frontieres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The US cut billions from foreign aid, then announced $2 billion for selected projects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“[We saw] Tom Fletcher next to Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old with no experience in the humanitarian sector, who said, ‘Well, the humanitarian organisations have to adapt or die,’” adds Dorian Burkhalter, Swissinfo journalist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The money has strings attached, humanitarian crises in Afghanistan or Yemen get nothing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There was talk about the radical ideologies perpetrated by some of the UN agencies, which had undermined American interests and peace, bizarrely enough,” continues Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor for The New York Times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Part of that $2 billion goes to several Latin American countries, meanwhile the US says it’s now “running” Venezuela.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Central and South America, obviously Washington views as its domain. And we’re all here in Geneva muttering to ourselves ‘but you just violated international law’. Does it matter to anyone?” says Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are we seeing a bonfire of international laws?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The fundamental commitments to some form of international law that have underpinned western security since the Second World War are being completely abandoned by an administration that doesn&amp;apos;t acknowledge any accountability to anyone except itself,” says Cumming-Bruce. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And what does it mean for the world’s most vulnerable?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“All around the world, whether they’re in Gaza, in Sudan, in Ukraine or Venezuela, there are real people who are living through the consequences of these decisions that are made in places like Washington DC and New York or in Geneva,” says Lockyear. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in touch!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Email us at &lt;a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'&gt;insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;For more stories on the&lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'&gt; international Geneva &lt;/a&gt;please visit &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'&gt;www.swissinfo.ch/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Host: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'&gt;Imogen Foulkes&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Production assitant: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'&gt;Claire-Marie Germain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Distribution: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'&gt;Sara Pasino&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Marketing: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'&gt;Xin Zhang&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a text 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 in the Gaza Strip, and one in three babies that are born in Gaza are assisted by our staff on the ground. We’re doing surgical support, wound care, physiotherapy, maternity and paediatric care,” says Chris Lockyear, Secretary General of Medecins sans Frontieres. The US cut billions from foreign aid, then announced $2 bi...

Inside Geneva Special: A bonfire of international law

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms">Send us a text</a>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 the humanitarian aid sector. We knew that, with Donald Trump returning to the White House, cuts were likely, but we did not expect them to be so brutal,” says Swissinfo journalist Dorian Burkhalter.“I wanted to talk about Gaza, which has been one of the main issues I’ve been writing about for the past two years. It has been, in the words of many humanitarians, the most horrific humanitarian crisis they have seen in their careers,” adds Reuters journalist Emma Farge. “My story of 2025 is climate change. The village of Blatten was completely wiped off the map by a combination of a weak glacier and an unstable mountainside,” says Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes.“Ukraine. Peace talks have taken place here in Geneva quite recently. All the talk of peace has eclipsed the humanitarian toll of the conflict: the large numbers of Ukrainians hunted down by drones,” says Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor for The New York Times:What do you think will be the key challenges for 2026? Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.Get in touch! <ul> <li>Email us at <a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'>insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch</a> </li> <li>Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en</li> </ul> Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the<a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'> international Geneva </a>please visit <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'>www.swissinfo.ch/</a> Host: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'>Imogen Foulkes </a>Production assitant: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'>Claire-Marie Germain</a> Distribution: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'>Sara Pasino</a> Marketing: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'>Xin Zhang</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This week on &lt;em&gt;Inside Geneva&lt;/em&gt;, we discuss the key stories of 2025 that we know will continue to make the news in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The top story of 2025 has been the cuts to the humanitarian aid sector. We knew that, with Donald Trump returning to the White House, cuts were likely, but we did not expect them to be so brutal,” says Swissinfo journalist Dorian Burkhalter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I wanted to talk about Gaza, which has been one of the main issues I’ve been writing about for the past two years. It has been, in the words of many humanitarians, the most horrific humanitarian crisis they have seen in their careers,” adds Reuters journalist Emma Farge. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“My story of 2025 is climate change. The village of Blatten was completely wiped off the map by a combination of a weak glacier and an unstable mountainside,” says Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Ukraine. Peace talks have taken place here in Geneva quite recently. All the talk of peace has eclipsed the humanitarian toll of the conflict: the large numbers of Ukrainians hunted down by drones,” says Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor for &lt;em&gt;The New York Times&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do you think will be the key challenges for 2026? Join host Imogen Foulkes on &lt;em&gt;Inside Geneva&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in touch!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Email us at &lt;a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'&gt;insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;For more stories on the&lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'&gt; international Geneva &lt;/a&gt;please visit &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'&gt;www.swissinfo.ch/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Host: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'&gt;Imogen Foulkes&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Production assitant: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'&gt;Claire-Marie Germain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Distribution: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'&gt;Sara Pasino&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Marketing: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'&gt;Xin Zhang&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a text 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 the humanitarian aid sector. We knew that, with Donald Trump returning to the White House, cuts were likely, but we did not expect them to be so brutal,” says Swissinfo journalist Dorian Burkhalter. “I wanted to talk about Gaza, which has been one of the main issues I’ve been writing about for the past two years. It has ...

Looking back at 2025, and looking forward to 2026

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms">Send us a text</a>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 damaged or destroyed.Marcel van Maastrigt, UNHCR, Odessa: ‘At two in the afternoon you might have an air alert, and at three in the afternoon people in shops and restaurants are putting up Christmas decorations, because they want to continue their life. I think it&apos;s understandable.’MSF (Doctors without Borders) works in hospitals on the front line.Robin Meldrum, MSF, Ukraine: ‘Today I had electricity in my flat a few hours in the afternoon when I was at work, not here at home. The electricity is going to be off until about 11:00 until 2:00 in the morning. I&apos;ll have 3 or 4 hours of electricity tomorrow but it&apos;s wearing, it&apos;s tiring.’Aid workers share the risks with their Ukrainian colleagues.Robin Meldrum: ‘During the night there was a massive attack by Shahed drones and guided aerial bombs. One of the guided aerial bombs landed just about 35 or 40 metres from the two guest houses where our staff were living.’They share the festive season too.Marcel van Maastrigt: ‘There is a real effort to make it look like everything is normal, and to have the decorations, have the music outside, have the food. Sometimes people go to parties. It&apos;s nice to walk through town and see that happening. It gives some hope that this might in the end be better.’There are 130 conflicts around the world today, affecting millions of people. This holiday season, thousands of aid workers are staying put, hoping to make things a little better.Get in touch! <ul> <li>Email us at <a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'>insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch</a> </li> <li>Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en</li> </ul> Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the<a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'> international Geneva </a>please visit <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'>www.swissinfo.ch/</a> Host: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'>Imogen Foulkes </a>Production assitant: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'>Claire-Marie Germain</a> Distribution: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'>Sara Pasino</a> Marketing: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'>Xin Zhang</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Inside Geneva joins aid workers staying in Ukraine this December. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) supports tens of thousands of people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marcel van Maastrigt, UNHCR, Odessa: ‘At two in the afternoon you might have an air alert, and at three in the afternoon people in shops and restaurants are putting up Christmas decorations, because they want to continue their life. I think it&amp;apos;s understandable.’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MSF (Doctors without Borders) works in hospitals on the front line.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robin Meldrum, MSF, Ukraine: ‘Today I had electricity in my flat a few hours in the afternoon when I was at work, not here at home. The electricity is going to be off until about 11:00 until 2:00 in the morning. I&amp;apos;ll have 3 or 4 hours of electricity tomorrow but it&amp;apos;s wearing, it&amp;apos;s tiring.’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Aid workers share the risks with their Ukrainian colleagues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Robin Meldrum: ‘During the night there was a massive attack by Shahed drones and guided aerial bombs. One of the guided aerial bombs landed just about 35 or 40 metres from the two guest houses where our staff were living.’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They share the festive season too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marcel van Maastrigt: ‘There is a real effort to make it look like everything is normal, and to have the decorations, have the music outside, have the food. Sometimes people go to parties. It&amp;apos;s nice to walk through town and see that happening. It gives some hope that this might in the end be better.’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are 130 conflicts around the world today, affecting millions of people. This holiday season, thousands of aid workers are staying put, hoping to make things a little better.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in touch!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Email us at &lt;a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'&gt;insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;For more stories on the&lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'&gt; international Geneva &lt;/a&gt;please visit &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'&gt;www.swissinfo.ch/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Host: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'&gt;Imogen Foulkes&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Production assitant: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'&gt;Claire-Marie Germain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Distribution: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'&gt;Sara Pasino&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Marketing: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'&gt;Xin Zhang&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a text 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 damaged or destroyed. Marcel van Maastrigt, UNHCR, Odessa: ‘At two in the afternoon you might have an air alert, and at three in the afternoon people in shops and restaurants are putting up Christmas decorations, because they want to continue their life. I think it's understandable.’ MSF (Doctors without Borders) works ...

Peace talks but the war grinds on

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms">Send us a text</a>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 that there’s something else out there, other sets of rules that can help right wrongs and bring about some form of justice as well,” says Kasmira Jefford, editor at Geneva Solutions. The Geneva conventions, bans on torture and landmines: global rules that should protect us. And international courts to ensure accountability.“I think there&apos;s a different expectation, a different hope for international law today. We now have many rules that are far more ambitious than they used to be,” says Nico Krisch, professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.But do they work?“All the justices saying X about Gaza, about Netanyahu. All the decisions of the International Criminal Court. Show me the results. Show me when Putin comes to Alaska. Show me when Netanyahu comes to the White House. How many violations can there be before the treaty or the norm becomes invalid? I think we’re seeing a level of violation that is extraordinary,” says analyst Daniel Warner.Do governments even want the laws to work?“I think if somebody proposed today to create an International Criminal Court, they’d be laughed at. This isn’t the diplomatic climate for such ventures,” continues Krisch.“The way certain leaders are acting today is not sustainable. They might get away with cherry-picking parts of treaties they like best for a while, but at some point there will be a reaction. It could be climate change, it could be massive natural disasters forcing us to work together,” adds Jefford.“We have these laws because we made some awful mistakes and committed terrible crimes. What I really hope is that we don’t have to reinvent everything because we made the same mistakes again,” says host Imogen Foulkes.Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.Get in touch! <ul> <li>Email us at <a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'>insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch</a> </li> <li>Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en</li> </ul> Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the<a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'> international Geneva </a>please visit <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'>www.swissinfo.ch/</a> Host: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'>Imogen Foulkes </a>Production assitant: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'>Claire-Marie Germain</a> Distribution: <a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'>Sara Pasino</a> Marketing: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'>Xin Zhang</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/915097/open_sms"&gt;Send us a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Inside Geneva this week: what does international law mean to you?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“When your government is not there to uphold your rights, it’s that safety net – to think that there’s something else out there, other sets of rules that can help right wrongs and bring about some form of justice as well,” says Kasmira Jefford, editor at Geneva Solutions. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Geneva conventions, bans on torture and landmines: global rules that should protect us. And international courts to ensure accountability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I think there&amp;apos;s a different expectation, a different hope for international law today. We now have many rules that are far more ambitious than they used to be,” says Nico Krisch, professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But do they work?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“All the justices saying X about Gaza, about Netanyahu. All the decisions of the International Criminal Court. Show me the results. Show me when Putin comes to Alaska. Show me when Netanyahu comes to the White House. How many violations can there be before the treaty or the norm becomes invalid? I think we’re seeing a level of violation that is extraordinary,” says analyst Daniel Warner.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Do governments even want the laws to work?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I think if somebody proposed today to create an International Criminal Court, they’d be laughed at. This isn’t the diplomatic climate for such ventures,” continues Krisch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“The way certain leaders are acting today is not sustainable. They might get away with cherry-picking parts of treaties they like best for a while, but at some point there will be a reaction. It could be climate change, it could be massive natural disasters forcing us to work together,” adds Jefford.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We have these laws because we made some awful mistakes and committed terrible crimes. What I really hope is that we don’t have to reinvent everything because we made the same mistakes again,” says host Imogen Foulkes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Get in touch!&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Email us at &lt;a href='mailto:insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch'&gt;insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;For more stories on the&lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/topic/international-geneva/'&gt; international Geneva &lt;/a&gt;please visit &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/'&gt;www.swissinfo.ch/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Host: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/imogen-foulkes/'&gt;Imogen Foulkes&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Production assitant: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarie4ba1ab16a/'&gt;Claire-Marie Germain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Distribution: &lt;a href='https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/author/sara-pasino/'&gt;Sara Pasino&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Marketing: &lt;a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/xin-zhang-70327481/'&gt;Xin Zhang&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Send us a text 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 that there’s something else out there, other sets of rules that can help right wrongs and bring about some form of justice as well,” says Kasmira Jefford, editor at Geneva Solutions.  The Geneva conventions, bans on torture and landmines: global rules that should protect us. And international courts to ensure account...

Inside Geneva: Are we throwing away international law?

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.

Inside Geneva

Details

Recent Episodes