SWI Podcasts

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Channel • 8 Shows

Politics

Politics

Every two weeks
Science

Science

Updated weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 23/12/2025
Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences

Updated 3 days ago
Politics

Politics

Updated 2 days ago
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 23/12/2025
Medicine

Medicine

Updated weekly

18/02/2025

Aid, cuts and consequences

Send a text On Inside Geneva, we take a deep dive into the United States’ cuts in foreign aid. “In Colombia, they’ve just had to lay off 200 staff who were doing the demining in the south of the country. So, all of a sudden, these families have no work. And the alternative in the area, you know what it is: coca plants. So how is that in the US interest?” asks Tamar Gabelnick, director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. “The freezing is not democratic. Congress has voted for some of these programmes and it's Mr. Trump, Mr. Musk, etc. who are cutting them out without the approval of Congress. So, legally, I don't see how they can do this,” says analyst Daniel Warner. Why is Washington cutting something that is a lifesaver for vulnerable people worldwide, but costs just 0.2% of the US gross national product? “President Trump and Musk will say that these cuts to USAID are about shrinking a bloated bureaucracy and getting rid of waste and fraud. But I'd say that this whole thing has more to do with ideology and politics,” continues Dawn Clancy, a journalist based in New York. What happens when ideology cuts humanitarian aid? “It's not just American isolationism. It's not just America first. There seems to be a quite deliberate undermining of fundamental freedoms,” says Imogen Foulkes, host of the Inside Geneva podcast. “We don't have four years. The international legal framework and universal human rights are at a critical juncture and are being eroded, threatened and instrumentalised in unprecedented ways. Now is the time to step up,” says Phil Lynch, Executive Director of the International Service for Human Rights. Search for Inside Geneva wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

18/02/2025

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42 min
16/11/2021

Do we need to decolonize aid?

Send a text Decolonization has become a buzzword of late, especially in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the toppling of statues of figures tied to a nation's colonial past. Humanitarian work is also being more closely scrutinized. What does it tell us about our colonial history? Imogen Foulkes is joined in this episode by policy experts and aid workers. "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 of the Politics of Global Development faculty at Leeds University. "Headquarters trusted me to come out and within 72 hours produce a document that will decide the expenditure of several million dollars. But never asked any of the people who have been day in, day out in that hospital," adds Tammam Aloudat of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute Geneva. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

16/11/2021

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36 min
27/06/2023

Let’s Talk: What next after the Credit Suisse debacle?

The emergency takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS has redrawn the Swiss banking map and raised doubts about the reliability of the financial centre. The Let’s Talk webcast debate examines the implications for Switzerland. more on the Credit Suisse Stories please go to SWI swissinfo.chFintech stories on SWI swissinfo.ch

27/06/2023

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32 min
22/06/2023

Let's Talk: Neutralität – hat der Schweizer Weg ausgedient? Neutrality – is the Swiss way obsolete?

Ist das Modell der Schweiz noch haltbar? Wir haben darüber diskutiert.More on Neutrality in Switzerland.

22/06/2023

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31 min
27/06/2023

Let’s Talk: Armut in der reichen Schweiz

Schweizerinnen und Schweizer kämpfen mit hohen Preisen. Was bedeutet die Teuerung für Armutsbetroffene? Darüber sprachen wir mit unseren Gästen in Let's talk. Poverty in Switzerland

27/06/2023

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31 min
13/07/2023

Let's Talk: "Keine 10-Millionen-Schweiz": Wird die SVP-Initiative ein Erfolg?

Migrationsforscherin Denise Efionayi von der Universität Neuenburg zieht in Bezug auf die Initiative der SVP bei "Let's Talk" eine Parallele zur Ecopop-Initiative von 2014 und sagt: "Ja, das könnte vielleicht verleiten." Die am 1. Juli 2023 lancierte Volksinitiative mit dem Titel "Keine 10-Millionen-Schweiz" der SVP heisst alternativ auch "Nachhaltigkeits-Initiative". Es ist nicht das erste Mal, dass die SVP mit Migration und Bevölkerungswachstum das Stimmvolk zu aktivieren versucht. Bereits 2014 waren gleich zwei ähnliche Initiativen auf dem Tisch, die Ecopop- und die Masseneinwanderungsinitiative. Es könne sein, dass die Kombination mit ökologischen Argumenten durchkomme, sagt Efionayi, auch wenn die Ecopop-Initiative 2014 mit 74% Nein-Anteil klar abgelehnt wurde. Denise Efionayi ist auch Co-Leiterin des Thinktanks Schweizerischen Forum für Migrations- und Bevölkerungsstudien SFM. Sie diskutierte in "Let's Talk", dem Debattenformat von swissinfo.ch, mit Sandro Cattacin über die Fragen: "Welche Zuwanderung braucht die Schweiz – und wie viel verträgt es?" More stories about Swiss Politics and Democracy on SWI swissinfo.ch

13/07/2023

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47 min
04/03/2025

Lost Cells, Ep.2: Seeds of Hope

Send us Fan Mail Over the next five episodes, we're proud to present 'Lost Cells', a short investigative podcast series. The production is an original SWI swissinfo.ch trilingual podcast made in collaboration with Piz Gloria Productions, Futur Proche, and Studio Ochenta. This gripping investigative podcast series uncovers the human stories behind the promises and failures of private stem cell banking in Switzerland. In episode two Tatiana and her husband Ratko choose cord blood banking in Switzerland for their daughter’s cells. They seek out a top US university conducting research in stem cell transplants and are offered a rare opportunity to be part of this leading-edge program. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

04/03/2025

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22 min
12/06/2025

let's talk: Schweiz - EU: "Der Bundesrat kann sich nicht verstecken"

Schweiz - EU: Das Verhandlungsergebnis liegt vor. Viele bewerten es als gelungen, aber Begeisterung zeigt kaum jemand. Wir fragten in «Let's Talk»: Ist die Schweiz europamüde?

12/06/2025

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35 min
02/09/2025

Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: Stéphane Jaquemet

Send a text On World Humanitarian Day, Inside Geneva spoke to a man who has dedicated his life to humanitarian work. He grew up in a quiet Swiss village – so what inspired him to take this path? “When I was young, I quickly realised that many people didn’t have the same opportunities, they didn’t have equal chances. And to me, that felt fundamentally wrong,” says humanitarian worker Stéphane Jaquemet. His first posting was to Gaza in the 1980s. “Gaza was already in a bad state at the time. I think there were nightly curfews and raids by the Israeli army. They would break into homes and mainly arrest young people,” he says. Then came the 1990s and the conflict in Yugoslavia. “A conflict in the middle of Europe: I don’t think we were ready for that, or for witnessing the same kinds of violations. It was a truly horrific conflict; we saw real ethnic cleansing.” Aid workers today face big challenges and serious personal risks. Yet Jaquemet remains committed. “I would encourage young people to remain interested in humanitarian work, ” he says. Would he do it all again? “Yes, I would. I’m still motivated.” Join host Imogen Foulkes on our Inside Geneva podcast. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

02/09/2025

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30 min
02/12/2025

Rethinking Aging: Science, Society, And The Stories We Tell

Send us Fan Mail Want a longer life that still feels like yours? We sit down with psychologist Christina Röcke of the University of Zurich’s Healthy Longevity Center to unpack what actually fuels healthy aging—and what’s just marketing noise. From blue-zone myths to AI-driven biohacking, we trace why the longevity boom exploded and where the evidence really points: consistent movement, quality relationships, realistic stress strategies, and communities that make healthy choices simple. Join Swissinfo for a debate on this topic or read more of our science stories, by visiting our website swisinfo.ch. You can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss Host: Jo Fahy Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

02/12/2025

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21 min

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