Ryan Neelam

Director, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program
Areas of expertise

Australian foreign policy and public opinion, climate change and sustainability, multilateral diplomacy, China and Hong Kong.

Ryan Neelam
Biography
Publications
News and media

Ryan Neelam is Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute and is Project Lead on the annual flagship publication, the Lowy Institute Poll.

Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, Ryan spent 14 years as an Australian diplomat. He was most recently Australia’s Deputy Consul-General in Hong Kong and acted as the head of the consulate during an extended period of political upheaval in the territory and the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Ryan was previously posted to the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York, where he represented Australia on global economic, climate change and human rights issues, was a key Australian negotiator of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and served on Australia’s UN Security Council team during its 2013–14 term.

In Australia, Ryan served as the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade’s Deputy State Director for NSW, and in Canberra he has contributed to Australia’s UN, climate and development policies.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Economics and Social Sciences (Honours) from the University of Sydney.

Trump 2.0
Data Snapshot
Trump 2.0
What Donald Trump’s return would mean for Australia and the world
Australians are wary of the US, but we increasingly fear China
Commentary
Australians are wary of the US, but we increasingly fear China
Originally published on The Australian
Lowy Institute Poll: The world according to Australians
Lowy Institute Poll: The world according to Australians
Looking over two decades of polling numbers, a nuanced view emerges about the changing international context.
Lowy Institute Poll 2024
Interactives
Lowy Institute Poll 2024
20th edition of the Lowy Institute Poll - the longest-running and broadest survey of how Australians see the world.
Australia's 'diplomatic deficit' harms our global presence
Commentary
Australia's 'diplomatic deficit' harms our global presence
Originally posted in The Canberra Times
America, take heed — China is winning the diplomacy race
Commentary
America, take heed — China is winning the diplomacy race
Originally published in the Financial Times
Global Diplomacy Index 2024 - Key Findings
Reports
Global Diplomacy Index 2024 - Key Findings
The fifth iteration of our interactive map of the world’s most significant diplomatic networks includes 66 countries or territories in Asia, the G20 and the OECD, visualising how…
2024 Global Diplomacy Index
Interactives
2024 Global Diplomacy Index
The fifth iteration of our interactive map of the world’s most significant diplomatic networks includes 66 countries or territories in Asia, the G20 and the OECD, visualising how…
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