Connell Foley

Biography

Mr. Connell Foley is Director of Strategy, Advocacy and Learning at Concern Worldwide, an international NGO focused on eliminating extreme poverty and responding to humanitarian crises.

He is responsible for programme policy and strategy, programme quality, technical support, research, learning and innovation as well as global advocacy. He has spearheaded the drive for results and evidence and led the development of an action-research portfolio of programmes, including a number of impact evaluations on nutrition.  Concern’s international advocacy centres on hunger (especially nutrition and community resilience), conflict, climate change and humanitarian principles and practice. He is responsible in Concern for leading the development of the Global Hunger Index each year.

He supported Concern’s involvement in SUN since the inception of SUN and joined the Civil Society Network Steering Group in late 2016 where he has been active on CSN strategy, drawing particular attention to the role of civil society organisations in implementing on the ground. Connell co-chairs the SUN Movement Executive Committee since October 2021.

He has a first class honours Master Degree (research only) in Human Geography, worked in Cambodia for six years with the UN, an Irish governmental agency and an American NGO, the latter supporting local NGOs. He has provided short technical assistance visits to approximately 15 countries with Concern over the last 20 years.