George Foden
georgefoden.bsky.social
George Foden
@georgefoden.bsky.social
All my qualifications and interests are leading me to a career that's very stressful and pays very little. Views my own. He/him. https://georgefoden.blogspot.com/
"The challenge is not that our critics don’t believe in what we do. It is if we stop believing in why we do it. So, we retain idealism and hope, even now.

Especially now."

A statement on the Humanitarian Reset from @unocha.org

www.unocha.org/news/un-reli...
UN Relief Chief pushes for humanitarian system "even more rooted in the communities we serve"
Statement by Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher  The Humanitarian Reset – Phase Two
www.unocha.org
July 9, 2025 at 10:24 AM
As the USAID shut down continues to dominate headlines in the humanitarian and development space, other donor countries are also retreating from their aid spending responsibilities.

The threat to the current global aid system is existential

sites.google.com/view/ourstop...
March 21, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Read the latest exciting news from Kanji here!

SAF have been busy supporting students with equipment distributions, and have started some important work in the villages, helping to set up women's groups and engaging in food distribution with families in-need.

thekanjiproject.org.uk/news-from-ka...
March 17, 2025 at 3:35 PM
"Hope is not a strategy."

A useful and sobering discussion of some potential steps we can take in response to the latest USAID chaos.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/death-...
The Death of Denial: Hard Truths About the USAID Terminations and Its Global Consequences
The news of February 27, 2025, is a watershed moment. The Trump administration, completing its assault on U.
www.linkedin.com
February 27, 2025 at 11:35 AM
An incredibly misguided symptom of the increasing isolationism we are seeing across the world.

A larger defence budget won't make Britain safer. We can build our walls higher and make ourselves appear tougher but this won't solve the causes of global instability www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending
PM confirms rise in military spending to at least 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned
www.theguardian.com
February 25, 2025 at 1:29 PM
"A snapshot of key economic indicators paints a grim picture: fertilizer prices have risen by 250%, maize prices have increased by 50%, sugar prices are up by 30% and bread prices by 40%."

Malawi's economic crisis will undoubtedly shape the upcoming September election

mg.co.za/thought-lead...
Malawi electorate’s only option is to recycle a president
The untimely death of vice-president Saulos Chilima has resulted in many considering ousting Lazarus Chakwera and voting for former president Peter Mutharika
mg.co.za
February 25, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The first of our outputs from Tanja's visit to @lboroias.bsky.social is a blog post considering the role that data plays, for better and worse, in disaster risk reduction and response.

Thanks to @disastersradix.bsky.social for hosting us!
February 20, 2025 at 2:12 PM
"The results suggest that current political misinformation is not linked primarily to populism, but specifically to the populist radical right..."

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
February 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
"Malawi is one country that has invested heavily in efforts to eradicate poverty, disease and other socioeconomic ills, but, being a repetitive victim of disasters and economic woes, it is clear that Malawi still needs a hand." - Moses Kunkuyu.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
‘Devastating’: Malawi left in dire straits by Trump’s decision to freeze aid
African nation relies on US and other foreign donors to help fund healthcare projects and schools
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2025 at 10:41 AM
“The potential gutting of institutional knowledge, credibility, and core competencies at the Department as a result of these reckless and short-sighted decisions cannot be understated."

Trump's attacks on USAID will do irreparable harm to those most in-need globally.

www.devex.com/news/senior-...
Senior USAID officials put on leave amid fallout from executive order
In an email seen exclusively by Devex, the agency's acting administrator said the move was a result of "actions within USAID that appear[ed] to be designed to circumvent" Trump's recent executive orde...
www.devex.com
January 28, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by George Foden
An excellent way to kick off 2025, with a great seminar from IAS Visiting Fellow Dr Tanja D. Hendriks, about Malawian civil servants in disaster relief interventions - The recording of which is now on our YouTube Channel here - youtu.be/N-CSRwdzd-0?...
Dr Tanja D. Hendriks - Disasters, Duties and Dependencies: Malawian civil servants in disaster...
YouTube video by Loughborough University IAS
youtu.be
January 15, 2025 at 4:03 PM
With the immediate impact of Trump's policies already being felt around the world, it falls to other countries to re-evaluate their roles in foreign policy and development activities.

Radical change is needed, which is why the new FCDO has a lot more to do.
georgefoden.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-...
The Future of a 'Progressive Realist' FCDO in the Age of Polycrisis
The Locarno Speech , delivered by Foreign Secretary David Lammy on 9 th January, lays out a bold new plan for British foreign policy in 202...
georgefoden.blogspot.com
January 21, 2025 at 2:43 PM