Trillions of dollars are needed to meet the world’s climate and development goals. Joan Larrea, CEO of Convergence, a global blended finance network, speaks with the Lowy Institute’s Roland Rajah about how blended finance, which uses government and philanthropic money to increase private investment, could be the answer. Joan shares her insights on what blended finance can realistically achieve, what’s needed to increase its impact, and how it can help in low income and small island developing countries.  

Trillions of dollars are needed to meet the world’s climate and development goals. Joan Larrea, CEO of Convergence, a global blended finance network, speaks with the Lowy Institute’s Roland Rajah about how blended finance, which uses government and philanthropic money to increase private investment, could be the answer. Joan shares her insights on what blended finance can realistically achieve, what’s needed to increase its impact, and how it can help in low income and small island developing countries.

Welcome to Development Futures – a podcast brought to you by the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute. In this podcast, our researchers and some of the world’s leading experts discuss fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing development issues in the world today.

Welcome to Development Futures – a podcast brought to you by the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute. In this podcast, our researchers and some of the world’s leading experts discuss fresh policy insights and ideas on the most pressing development issues in the world today.

Development Futures

The Lowy Institute is a leading international think tank that looks at the world from Australia’s perspective.

This channel aggregates audio from across all of our event and podcast channels.

The Lowy Institute is a leading international think tank that looks at the world from Australia’s perspective.
This channel aggregates audio from across all of our event and podcast channels.

Lowy Institute

Development Futures: Can private investment save the planet?

The United Nations is facing two simultaneous disruptions: the planned UN80 reforms, timed to refine the organisation’s structure and mandate during its 80th anniversary, and budget cuts led by the Trump administration. Lowy Institute Research Fellow Grace Stanhope speaks with UN financing expert and author Dr Ronny Patz, and Ryan Neelam, the Lowy Institute’s Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, about the financial viability and geopolitical dynamics of the UN.

The United Nations is facing two simultaneous disruptions: the planned UN80 reforms, timed to refine the organisation&rsquo;s structure and mandate during its 80th anniversary, and budget cuts led by the Trump administration. Lowy Institute Research Fellow Grace Stanhope speaks with UN financing expert and author Dr Ronny Patz, and Ryan Neelam, the Lowy Institute&rsquo;s Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, about the financial viability and geopolitical dynamics of the UN.

Development Futures: United Nations’ reform and relevance

The Institute’s Dr Melanie Pill speaks with Professor Thomas Hale, author of Long Problems: Climate change and the challenge of governing across time, about the difficulty of addressing issues, like climate change, that have such distant consequences. They discuss the barriers to addressing and governing long problems, how to build stronger institutions, and how international negotiations and agreements can be better structured to address climate change.

The Institute&rsquo;s Dr Melanie Pill speaks with Professor Thomas Hale, author of Long Problems: Climate change and the challenge of governing across time, about the difficulty of addressing issues, like climate change, that have such distant consequences.&nbsp;They discuss the barriers to addressing and governing long problems, how to build stronger&nbsp;institutions, and how international negotiations and agreements can be&nbsp;better structured to address&nbsp;climate change.

Development Futures: Climate change and the great procrastination

As global donors retreat from development finance, Southeast Asia stands to lose billions of dollars in critical support. In this episode, we launch the Lowy Institute’s 2025 Southeast Asia Aid Map and unpack what the wave of US, UK and European aid cuts mean for the region. Roland Rajah, Director of the Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre, is joined by the Map’s lead authors Alexandre Dayant and Grace Stanhope, and Southeast Asia Program Director Susannah Patton, to discuss the risks, regional responses, and how Australia can step up.

As global donors retreat from development finance, Southeast Asia stands to lose billions of dollars in critical support. In this episode, we launch the Lowy Institute&rsquo;s 2025 Southeast Asia Aid Map and unpack what the wave of US, UK and European aid cuts mean for the region. Roland Rajah, Director of the Institute&rsquo;s Indo-Pacific Development Centre, is joined by the&nbsp;Map&rsquo;s lead authors Alexandre Dayant and Grace Stanhope, and Southeast Asia Program Director Susannah Patton, to discuss the risks, regional responses, and how Australia can step up.

Development Futures: Can private investment save the planet?

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