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George Foden

@georgefoden.bsky.social
64 followers 102 following 16 posts

All my qualifications and interests are leading me to a career that's very stressful and pays very little. Views my own. He/him. georgefoden.blogspot.com

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Reposted by George Foden
Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
UK cannot ‘air con its way’ out of this heatwave says Professor www.channel4.com/news/uk-cann...
channel4.com
UK cannot ‘air con its way’ out of this heatwave says Professor
Is the UK built for these high temperatures? We asked Lucelia Rodrigues, Professor of Sustainable and Resilient Cities at the University of Nottingham.
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Some estimates now suggest that up to 750,000 deaths can be attributed to the shutdown of USAID. Poor, disaster- and conflict-affected communities are the worst impacted. Here's how some of these cuts have impacted humanitarian contexts in Malawi: rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirec...
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Disastrous deductions?: Aid cuts and disaster governance in Malawi
Following the dismantling of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in early 2025, this article draws on ethnographic fieldwork with government officials in Lilongwe and NGO staff...
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Our latest open-access article exploring the experiences and challenges of mini grid rural communities trialling electric pressure cooking in Malawi! Based on extensive fieldwork in Bondo, and offering policy and practice recommendations for the sector. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Experiences and challenges of electric pressure cooking in rural mini grid communities of Malawi with insights from the Bondo Community
Access to clean cooking remains a very large challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa despite some growth in rural electrification. This study qualitatively ex…
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Reposted by George Foden
Prof. Lee Bosher @leebosher.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
An important campaign has been launched to address the possibility that the EM-DAT database might cease to exist. Please read and sign the open letter and support efforts to preserve this important database. You can add your name to the open letter here: openletter.earth/the-worlds-c...
Screenshot of EM-DAT open letter
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
As discussion of the so-called 'Humanitarian Reset' intensifies, we need to be asking what a new humanitarianism might look like: Smaller, more agile, with greater local leadership? Or retreating from the frontlines whilst crises escalate all over the world? georgefoden.blogspot.com/2026/02/pres...
georgefoden.blogspot.com
Presentation Matters: Humanitarian Responses to the ‘Defence Shift’ in the Global Funding Landscape
2025 saw the largest shift in the global aid landscape in decades . The USAID shutdown, along with drastic funding cuts from many other maj...
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
What might the long-term impact of the USAID shutdown (and wider global funding cuts) be on trust between INGOs, governments, and disaster-affected communities? Read on to see what Tanja Hendrik's and I's fieldwork suggests for the future of aid in Malawi rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Disastrous deductions?: Aid cuts and disaster governance in Malawi
Following the dismantling of USAID (United States Agency for International Development) in early 2025, this article draws on ethnographic fieldwork with government officials in Lilongwe and NGO staff....
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
"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...
unocha.org
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
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
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...
Bullet point list of funding cuts from donor states that reads:

The UK diverted its aid budget (from 0.5 to 0.3% of GNI) to increase defense spending. The UK International Development Minister resigned over the decision. Devex published articles (see also here) to see its impact.

The Netherlands cut €2.4 billion in development aid from 2027 and slashed funding for CSO by 1 billion from 2026 onwards.

Switzerland reduced its aid budget by CHF110 million for UN and Swiss NGOs, with an additional CHF321 million projected for 2026 - 2028. Such move could weaken international Geneva.

France's 2025 budget saw a 50% reduction in ODA compared to 2024. France also created a commission in March to evaluate ODA's transparency and accountability.

Belgium announced a 25% reduction in ODA over 5 years starting in 2024. The 2025 aid budget is 5% lower compared to 2024.

Germany is expected to reallocate funds and cut aid spending by half by 2025. Yet, Devex asks if Germany is the next ODA leader?

Finland plans to reduce its ODA budget by 25% over 2024 - 2027.

While Sweden 2025 ODA budget remain steady, the government announced a €300 million reduction annually between 2026-2028.

If elected, Canada's Conservative Leader said he will slash foreign aid to build Arctic base.

Saudi Arabia's budget remains dominated by military spending, a 5% increase compared to 2024. 

UAE 2025 federal budget does not mention its aid budget.
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
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...
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
"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-...
linkedin.com
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.
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
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...
theguardian.com
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
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
"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...
mg.co.za
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
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
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!
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
"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/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
"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...
theguardian.com
‘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
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
“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-...
devex.com
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...
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Reposted by George Foden
Loughborough IAS @lboroias.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
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?...
youtu.be
Dr Tanja D. Hendriks - Disasters, Duties and Dependencies: Malawian civil servants in disaster...
YouTube video by Loughborough University IAS
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George Foden @georgefoden.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
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-...
georgefoden.blogspot.com
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...
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