The global campaign to secure protections for LGBTQIA+ people has made significant progress in recent years, yet laws governing LGBTQIA+ rights in the Pacific are complex across the region and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ individuals varies widely. On 1-3 March 2023, Australia hosted the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference – the largest LGBTQIA+ human rights conference ever to be held in the southern hemisphere. In this episode of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Change Makers Podcast, Hamish Fejo, a Visiting Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, speaks with presenters at the conference, Phylesha Brown-Acton and Louisa Wall. Phylesha Brown-Acton is a Fakafifine woman and hails from the village of Fineone Hakupu Atua, Niue Island. She is the Executive Director of F’INE Pasifika Aotearoa Trust, a Pacific Whanau Ora funded organisation that provides navigation support services to MVPFAFF+ & Pacific LGBTQIA+ people and their families in the Auckland region. Louisa Wall became Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific) Tuia Tangata in May 2022. She is a former politician and was influential in the Marriage Amendment Bill being passed into law in 2013 making New Zealand the 13th nation to allow same-sex marriage. As Ambassador for Gender Equality, Ms Wall is working with Pacific countries to establish net partnerships and programmes that support the full and effective participation by women and LGBTQIA+ communities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entering the second year of the Russia–Ukraine conflict the Lowy Institute hosted a a conversation with two compelling speakers about what 2023 will bring. Retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan has become a globally recognised commentator on the military campaign in Ukraine, while Ukrainian-born journalist Zoya Sheftalovich (POLITICO) has recently returned from Europe, where she covered President Zelenskyy’s visits to London and Brussels. The conversation was chaired by Sam Roggeveen, Director of the International Security Program. Major General (Ret’d) Mick Ryan is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He spent 35 years in the Australian Army. His operational service includes deployments to East Timor, Iraq and southern Afghanistan. His book, War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, was published in 2022. Zoya Sheftalovich is a contributing editor for POLITICO, currently based in Sydney. She is also a regular commentator on the Ukraine war for ABC News 24.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past decade, there has been more emphasis on gender in foreign policy and national security. What does this mean? Should foreign policy be a vehicle for the promotion of gender equality and how is that in Australia’s interest? How are women in foreign policy and national security leadership positions making an impact on the world stage? And are we witnessing a global backlash against women’s rights? To mark International Womens Day the Lowy Institute hosted this event featuring researchers Jennifer Hsu, Jessica Collins and Meg Keen for a conversation chaired by Lydia Khalil to discuss these issues and offer their perspectives as women working in the field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday 6 February, the Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion at the National Gallery of Victoria featuring Institute experts to discuss the key issues likely to dominate the international agenda in 2023. The panel was chaired by Daniel Flitton, Managing Editor of the Lowy Institute’s international magazine The Interpreter, and included Meg Keen, Director, Pacific Islands Program; Richard McGregor, Senior Fellow for East Asia; Sam Roggeveen, Director, International Security Program; and Lydia Khalil, Research Fellow, Transnational Challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Asia Power Index 2023 is the fifth edition of the digital analytical tool that ranks 26 countries according to the power they wield in the Indo-Pacific Region. In this video event, Project Lead Susannah Patton and Director of Research Hervé Lemahieu discuss the findings from the 2023 Asia Power Index with Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove. They discuss the rankings for the 2023 Index, the impact of Covid-19 on the influence of countries such as China, and the reasons why the United States continues to be the top-ranked country for power in Asia. ABOUT THE ASIA POWER INDEX The Asia Power Index was first published in 2018. It evaluates the balance of power in Asia through 133 indicators across eight thematic measures: Military Capability and Defence Networks, Economic Capability and Relationships, Diplomatic and Cultural Influence, as well as Resilience and Future Resources. More than half of our data points involve original Lowy Institute research, while the rest are aggregated from hundreds of publicly available national and international sources.  This year, the Index includes three new indicators based on primary research that track high-level diplomatic engagement between all Index countries, enabling new comparisons of diplomatic and defence influence across Asia. These new indicators quantify the number of bilateral and multilateral diplomatic dialogues at foreign minister level and above held by each Index country, along with their convening power — the number of visits by regional leaders or foreign ministers hosted by each country. In 2023, the top ten countries for overall power are: the United States, China, Japan, India, Russia, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. The only country to improve its comprehensive power ranking in 2023 is Cambodia, which has risen two places to become the 20th ranked power in the region. Find out more: https://power.lowyinstitute.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific Fusion Centre is a new Pacific regional body aiming to critically analyse the pressing security issues facing the Pacific Islands and better inform decision-making to reduce threats and vulnerabilities. Can the Pacific Fusion Centre make a difference in a crowded regional space where there are calls to review and rethink regional architecture? In this inaugural episode of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Change Makers Podcast, Dr Meg Keen, Director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, speaks with James Movick, the Director of the Pacific Fusion Centre and a senior diplomat with more than 40 years of experience in the Pacific, including heading up the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. We also gain the insights of Anna Naupa, the Associate Director of the Centre who has a great depth of experience in intergovernmental agencies around the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a special in-person conversation with Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove, Bill Gates spoke about global health, pandemic preparedness, food security and climate change. Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Breakthrough Energy. He co-founded Microsoft in 1975, growing the company into a global leader in business and personal software. In 2008, Gates shifted focus to the Gates Foundation’s work on increasing opportunities for the world’s most disadvantaged people. Through the Foundation, he has spent more than 20 years working on global health and development issues including pandemic prevention; disease eradication; maternal, newborn and child health; agricultural development; and water, sanitation and hygiene. In 2010, he co-founded the Giving Pledge to encourage the wealthiest families and individuals to publicly commit more than half their wealth to philanthropic causes and charitable organisations during their lifetime or in their will. Monday 23 January 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Hervé Lemahieu discusses the continuing threat of nuclear weapons, global efforts at arms control and Australia's interactions with the global non-proliferation regime around its proposed acquisition of nuclear submarine technology under the AUKUS agreement. He speaks with Australia's Ambassador for Arms Control and Counter-proliferation Ian Biggs, Program Officer for Nuclear Materials Security Jessica Bufford and Dr Geoffrey Shaw, Director-General of the Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office (ASNO). Ian Biggs was appointed Ambassador for Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation in January 2022 and leads Australia's international advocacy on global arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament. He has previously served as Australia's Ambassador to Iran (2016-19), Turkey (2011-14) and Saudi Arabia (2005-08) and has previously served in postings in Iraq, India, Austria and Syria. Ambassador Biggs has also served as Secretary of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, Chair of the Australia Group, Special Assistant to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Group's Dual Use Regime. He holds a Master of Arts (International Relations) from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Sydney. Jessica Bufford serves as a program officer in the Nuclear Material Security team at the Nuclear Threat Initiative - a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization focused on reducing nuclear and biological threats imperiling humanity. Prior to joining NTI, she worked in the Division of Nuclear Security at the IAEA. She has also worked on materials management and minimization at the US Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, and worked previously at NTI as a Herbert J. Scoville Fellow. She received a master’s degree in nonproliferation and terrorism studies, with a certificate in conflict resolution, from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Austin College. Dr Geoffrey Shaw was appointed to the position of Director General, Australian Safeguards and Non-proliferation Office (ASNO) in 2022. He is responsible for Australia’s implementation and compliance with regard to the Nuclear Non‑proliferation Treaty, Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Prior to this appointment, Dr Shaw has most recently served as Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Australia’s Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking and the Representative of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the United Nations. Previously, Dr Shaw served as the Special Assistant for Policy to the Director General of the IAEA and Australia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Director's Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks with Dr Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. They discuss the role of individuals in history, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the future of Australia's relationship with China. Dr Henry Kissinger was National Security Adviser to both the Nixon and Ford administrations, and from 1973 to 1977, he served as the 56th US Secretary of State. He is the only person to serve concurrently in both roles. Born in Germany, Dr Kissinger emigrated to the United States in 1938 and became a citizen in 1943. He received MA and PhD degrees from Harvard University in 1952 and 1954. His most recent book is Leadership: Six studies in World Strategy published in 2022 by Penguin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Lowy Institute Conversations, Susannah Patton talks to Amrita Malhi, senior development policy adviser and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Flinders History and the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University, about the political outlook for Malaysia following the November general election. The election saw victory for Anwar Ibrahim’s multi-racial coalition, which has now formed a national unity government. What drove this result, and will Malaysia see greater political stability than it has endured since the 2018 election? What kind of international role is Prime Minister Anwar likely to pursue?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.