What’s the point of foreign aid?

What’s the point of foreign aid?

From Inside Geneva by SWI swissinfo.ch

June 9, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

The episode debates the purpose and effectiveness of foreign aid in the context of increasing global needs and donor country reluctance to spend.

Send us Fan Mail On our Inside Geneva podcast this week, we host a debate on a key question: what’s the point of foreign aid? “What’s the point of mobilising taxpayers’ money and sending it to faraway countries to assist vulnerable people? And how do you sell that to your own taxpayers?” says Gilles Carbonnier, former Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). There are more conflicts and greater needs, yet donor countries want to spend less. “What’s the point of m...

People in this episode

Guest: Gilles Carbonnier

Topics covered

  • foreign aid
  • taxpayer money
  • vulnerable populations
  • donor countries
  • global conflicts

Keywords

  • foreign aid
  • taxpayer money
  • vulnerable people
  • donor countries
  • global needs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: International Committee of the Red Cross

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