World Questions

Peace was declared a decade ago, when 13,000 Colombian guerillas gave up their arms. Today, there are more people linked to illegal militias than ever before. A new President has come to power promising an end to compromise and an ‘iron fist’ to fight the militants and narco-traffickers. But will his strong-arm tactics bring the longed-for security or herald a new era of violence? And as he makes spending cuts to pay off the national debt, what will be the impact on the poor? Jonny Dymond chairs a panel of leading politicians as they debate questions raised from people across Colombia.
MAURICIO CARDENAS is the leader of Avanza Colombia and former Finance Minister of Colombia. He is now Professor of Global Leadership at Columbia University (USA).
MARIA FERNANDA CABAL is a former Senator, and the leader of The Republican Party.
SUSANA MUHAMAD GONZALEZ was Minister of Environment in the outgoing Historical Pact government. She is now Special Envoy of the Fossil Fuel Treaty initiative and convenor of the community action group Siembra Futoro.
Producer – Charlie Taylor
(Photo: View of the handband of a FARC dissident guerrilla holding a rifle, in Casa Roja, Colombia. Credit:
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Pakistan has been recognised around the world for its role as mediator at peace talks between the US and Iran – but at home the situation is far from peaceful. The imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan, marches on the country’s capital, the role of the military and freedom of the press are just some of the issues up for debate in this lively discussion.
Jonny Dymond is joined by a panel of politicians and journalists taking questions from people across this vast nation.
The panel:
Rana Ihsaan Afzal Khan – Commerce and Industries co-ordinator to Prime Minister Shehbaz
Zulfi Bukhari – Member of the opposition PTI party and Special Assistant to former prime minister Imran Khan
Absa Komal – Journalist and TV presenter.
Producer: Helen Towner
Engineers: Denis O’Hare, Ian Mitchell and Tim Heffer
(Image: People walk through a market selling Pakistan's national flags. Credit: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images)

Distrust over online content is at an all time high in Nigeria. As elections approach, how can Nigerians separate the truth from the lies? And as economic statistics say one thing but the cost of living seems to tell a different story, Jonny Dymond and a panel and audience at the University of Lagos debate trust in Nigeria.
The panel includes: Aisha Yesufu, human rights activist and co-founder, Bring Back Our Girls movement; Tonye Cole, co-founder of Sahara Group and former candidate for governor of Rivers State; Tolu Ogunlesi, writer, former special assistant to the president on Digital and New Media; Nabilah Usman, presenter of Now Breakfast and general manager, Radio Now 95.3 FM and Cheta Nwanze, political risk analyst and lead partner of SBM Intelligence
Producer: Helen Towner and Charlie Taylor
(Image: People at newspaper stands in Nigerian market. Credit: Tolu Owoeye/Getty Images)

The country’s housing crisis, the influence of Russian disinformation, the future of Czech radio and TV, and how to improve life for people outside the big cities, are just some of the issues up for debate. Jonny Dymond is joined by leading politicians and commentators and questioners from across the country, including Jaroslav Bžoch, Member of the European Parliament for the governing ANO party; Michaela Šebelová, Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the opposition STAN party; Olga Richterová, Member of the Chamber of Deputies for the opposition Pirates party and Michal Semin, a journalist and conservative activist.
(Photo: Protest in support of Czech public broadcasters in Prague. One protester at the front waves a red, white and blue Czech flag. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
Presenter: Jonny Dymond
Sound engineer: Rosie Nieder, Ian Mitchell, Gabriel O'Regan
Producer: Helen Towner

A special edition of World Questions, putting young Moroccan women at the centre of a national debate about rights, faith, and family law reform. Jonny Dymond chairs a diverse panel of women’s advocates in Marrakesh as they debate issues such as child marriage, inheritance, tradition and respect for women. As a new generation pushes for change, reform is being debated openly in Morocco and this programme hears from a panel and audience of young women at a pivotal moment in civil society.
The panel :
• Frizzy – Rapper and singer of the anthem for women’s equality campaign, ‘The Time Has Come’
• Dr Meryem Redouane – Head of the Women’s Section of the International Islamic Federation of Student Organisations (IIFSO)
• Kaoutar Rias – Student at the National School of Architecture, Tetouan and member of the National Council of Student Renewal (OREMA)
• Yousra Salhi - Feminist digital content creator and women’s rights activist
Producer: Charlie Taylor
(Photo: Young Moroccan women against a backdrop of the Moroccan flag. Credit: Getty)