SWI Podcasts

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Channel • 8 Shows

Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences

Updated Feb 24
Politics

Politics

Updated Biweekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 12/23/2025
Medicine

Medicine

Updated Weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 12/23/2025
Politics

Politics

Updated 06/24/2025
Science

Science

Updated Weekly

4D AGO

Inside Geneva: what justice means for women in Afghanistan

Send a text In August 2021, the Taliban took back control in Afghanistan. Women face unprecedented repression. They can’t go to school or work; public parks are banned to them; they are not allowed to speak or sing too loudly. Are we turning away? “This is the time for the international community and for other countries, especially the EU, to step in and to make sure they respond to the crisis in Afghanistan and stand with the women of Afghanistan and to do everything they can to protect their rights,” says Fereshta Abbasi, from Human Rights Watch. Diplomats in Geneva have backed a powerful UN fact-finding mission for Afghanistan. “As an ambassador, and as a woman, [I know that] women have fought for decades if not centuries for their rights, and I also personally do not want to see a back-peddling on those rights that we, and generations of brave women before us, have fought for for so long,” says Deike Potzel, EU Ambassador to the UN in Geneva. Women inside Afghanistan need to know there is support. “Women and girls in Afghanistan resist in ways that don’t form a single movement. It’s about 1,000 quiet and important uprisings and day-to-day revolutions: a resistance that is fierce and creative to show that they exist and that they will never accept that kind of domination,” says Sahar Fetrat, an Afghan campaigner for women’s rights. The fact-finding mission can gather evidence and hold Afghanistan’s government and individual Taliban leaders to account. But ordinary women across Europe can help too. “Here in Europe, in Geneva, we have the wonderful opportunity to actually make our voices heard and to be heard. So use that chance, get engaged. Open your eyes and then do something,” says Potzel. Join some inspiring women talking to Imogen Foulkes on Inside 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

4d ago

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30 min
4D AGO

Climate Solutions Series: a Swiss Community Living On 2,000 Watts

Send a text What does a good life look like when you cap your energy use at 2,000 watts? We take you inside Zurich’s Hunziker Areal, a car‑free, cooperative neighborhood turning a bold climate target into daily routines that actually feel good. From shared workshops and tool libraries to efficient buildings and smart mobility, we unpack how design and community can shrink footprints while expanding comfort, connection, and choice. If you would like to see the a video of the Hunziker Areal and read the collection on climate solutions, and more stories, please visit Swissinfo Science. Jounalists: Kristian Foss Brandt Video journalist: Vera Leysinger Host: Jo Fahy Audio editor: Michele Andina Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

4d ago

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25 min
FEB 24

Climate Solutions Series: What Antarctic Ice Reveals About CO2 And Climate Shifts?

Send a text We follow the 2,800-meter Antarctic ice core from Little Dome C to a -50°C lab in University of Bern, tracing how scientists extract ancient air to probe the Mid-Pleistocene transition and the limits of abrupt climate change. The story links field grit, laser sublimation, and CO2 records to the risks facing modern societies. If you would like to see the Antarctic ice in a video and read the collection on this topic, and more stories, please visit Swissinfo Science. Jounalist: Luigi Jorio and Michele Andina 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.

Feb 24

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27 min
11/11/2025

Women’s Health Meets Drug Design and Medical Research

Send a text We trace how sex and gender shape drug development, from male-heavy mouse studies to the split results in Lecanemab’s Alzheimer’s trial. Experts explain why regulators should keep approvals moving while demanding smarter design, better reporting, and post-approval answers. For more science stories, visit our website swisinfo.ch, and 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.

11/11/2025

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19 min
10/28/2025

Swiss Longevity clinics: modern-day snake oil or the key to healthy ageing?

Send a text The search for the elixir of life has been going on since time immemorial – and Switzerland has played a key role. Although scientists have yet to come up with a winning formula, the Alpine nation has a booming market for treatments, pills and gadgets that claim to slow ageing and help us live healthier, longer lives. Visit SWI swissinfo.ch for more on this topic and a video on this story. Please come to SWI swissinfo.ch for more of our science stories from Switzerland. Jounalist: 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.

10/28/2025

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23 min
FEB 17

What’s our problem with immigration?

Send a text On Inside Geneva this week, we unpick the divisive topic of migration and asylum. Why are some countries closing their doors? “In Europe we are seeing one country after another erect barbed wire around their country and around a continent,” says Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. When does restricting immigration turn into human rights violation? “We believe it’s within the rights of any government to set immigration policies that they believe make sense for their country and electorate. But setting lawful immigration policies does not mean that you have the right to mistreat migrants,” says Philippe Bolopion, executive director at Human Rights Watch. Is immigration really a threat to our jobs or services? “Overall, most studies are clear that migrant workers are not in competition with national workers in the labour market. [...] In Western countries, the medical sector depends on migrant workers,” says Vincent Chetail from the Global Migration Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Why are some of us so angry about immigration? “We are reaching a peak in violent anti‑migrant rhetoric, which has nothing to do with reality,” continues Chetail. Many countries are cutting foreign aid and limiting immigration. A recipe for disaster? “If you want to live in a stable world without uncontrolled migration, pandemics and insecurity, then you invest in hope for people who have been displaced,” says Egeland. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva for the full interview. 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

Feb 17

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32 min
FEB 3

Bonus Episode - The Trends Shaping the Pharmaceutical Industry in 2026

Send a text Join host, Jo Fahy, and pharmaceuticals and healthcare reporter, Jessica Davis Pluss, to weigh up the forces shaping pharma in 2026. From AI’s real gains in clinics and labs, to the case for inclusive data, we also discuss the politics of who funds innovation, and why rare diseases and antibiotics deserve our focus. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

Feb 3

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17 min
JAN 27 · BONUS

Bonus Episode - Inside Switzerland’s Quiet Rise as a Longevity Hub

Send a text How did longevity go from a social media trend to a focus of serious science? In this special bonus episode our host, Jo Fahy, is joined in the studio by pharmaceuticals and healthcare reporter, Jessica Davis Pluss. We trace how Switzerland was uniquely positioned to become a global hub for healthier ageing. We also compare lifespan and health span, examine why access to clinics is so tightly guarded, and discuss why the pharmaceutical industry is moving cautiously in this growing field. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

Jan 27 · Bonus

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27 min
11/25/2025

Warum Auswandern wie eine Trennung ist

Zwischen Euphorie und Einsamkeit: Auswandern ist eine Achterbahn der Gefühle. Warum sich der Schritt ins Ausland oft wie eine Trennung anfühlt, und was dabei helfen kann, ist Thema der ersten Folge des neuen Swissinfo-Podcast «Ade merci, Schweiz». Zu Gast sind der Therapeut Rodrigo Carrillo und der Auslandschweizer Adani Abutto. Mit ihnen sprechen wir darüber, wie das Gefühl von Einsamkeit entsteht ‒ und wie Sprache Identität prägt: Wer sich ausdrücken kann, kann sich zeigen – Humor, Nuancen und Tempo inklusive. Sie erhalten konkrete Strategien, um soziale Brücken zu bauen: Rituale über Zeitzonen hinweg, lokale Communities, oder Musik, die Heimat fühlbar macht. Wir beleuchten Schwierigkeiten ohne Drama - und sprechen über alle Aspekte. Sie finden die Folgen dieses Podcast auch in unserer kostenlosen App SWIplus sowie auf allen gängigen Podcast-Plattformen.

11/25/2025

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40 min
05/13/2025

Toxic masculinity and the rollback of gender equality

Send a text It’s been 30 years since the Beijing Declaration on Women, a landmark agreement to empower women and girls. “The Beijing declaration was such an incredible moment to say that enough is enough. Women are half of humanity and we have to be better,” says Lata Narayanaswamy, associate professor at the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. But now, some governments are rolling back women’s rights. Humanitarian programmes that help women and girls are being cut. “During his first presidential term, Trump vetoed a new resolution proposed under the UN Women, Peace and Security agenda because it enshrined the right of women to their reproductive rights,” says Leandra Bias from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Bern. What’s happening? Support for vulnerable women is being cut, and toxic masculinity is growing. The UN is worried. “I am concerned about the resurgence in some quarters of toxic ideas about masculinity and efforts to glorify gender stereotypes, especially among young men,” said UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk. This week Inside Geneva asks what toxic masculinity actually means. Is it even new? “What worries me about the language of toxic masculinity is that it’s like, ‘Oh my God, we didn’t know this was coming.’ But it’s actually just a continuity of how violence and patriarchy combine,” says Narayanaswamy. Is there a connection between toxic masculinity and the repression of women? Are both now identifiers for authoritarian regimes? “‘We are the tough guys, we are actually the proper nations, while look at Europe, they have been completely emasculated and therefore they are not a model to aspire to.’ Therefore, democracy is also not a model to aspire to,” says Bias. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva to listen to the full episode. 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

05/13/2025

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32 min

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