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.

Australia and Japan must recast their energy relationship
Commentary
Australia and Japan must recast their energy relationship
Originally published in Nikkei Asia
Down or out: The future of fossil fuels at COP28
Down or out: The future of fossil fuels at COP28
Record attendance by oil, coal and gas lobbyists shows how seriously the industry is taking this conference – and the gap remaining to any deal.
The Voice: Towards a fuller expression of nationhood
The Voice: Towards a fuller expression of nationhood
Long after the referendum, the result will echo in Australia’s national conscience.
The Fix: War, waste and The Wiggles
The Fix: War, waste and The Wiggles
Our contributors offer short recommendations for reading, watching and listening that you might otherwise miss.
Climate change: Counting the costs and opportunities
Climate change: Counting the costs and opportunities
Australia needs to think beyond the price of transition and move quickly to become a renewable energy superpower.
Suspicious minds: Will closer Australia‑Indonesia engagement yield greater trust?
Suspicious minds: Will closer Australia‑Indonesia engagement yield greater trust?
Despite the flourishing bromance between Albanese and Jokowi, the Lowy Institute Poll shows an ongoing need to deepen public understanding and familiarity on both sides.
Lowy Institute Poll 2023
Polling
Lowy Institute Poll 2023
In this its nineteenth year, the Lowy Institute Poll charts how Australians see the world, including relations with major powers, the threats facing the nation, and the risk of…
Ending the climate wars: the public’s mandate
Ending the climate wars: the public’s mandate
Australians understand the need to act. As global scientists issue the clearest warning yet, can Labor deliver?
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