Janet Salazar, Permanent Representative of the Foundation for the Support of the United Nations and CEO of Impact Leadership 21, highlights a myriad of programs and initiatives underway to help achieve the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, for example to eradicate poverty, eliminate hunger, empower women and girls, combat climate change and collaborate with a wide range of private sector companies, NGOs and the public sector to improve the planet.

Aaron S. Williams, an international development expert, former diplomat and 18th Director of the U.S. Peace Corps, recently authored his unique journey from the South Side of Chicago to working with the Peace Corps, USAID, Nelson Mandela and various UN agencies to lend a developmental hand to improve the lives of millions of people, and share his Peace Corps and USAID experiences in ” A Life Unimagined”: The Rewards of Mission-Driven Service in the Peace Corps and Beyond.”

Dr. Elizabeth Economy, author of “The World According to China,” showcases how China is striving to rejuvenate its vision of a great Chinese nation through a variety of programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative, which is an infrastructure plan that is developing airports, roads and other physical projects from China to Africa. Other issues broached included the possibility of China potentially filling a vacuum when Donald Trump, arguably mistakenly, withdrew from several UN agencies and agreements, such as the World Health Organization, the Paris Climate Accords and the Iranian Nuclear Deal; effectiveness of tariffs against Chinese products; and the need to have diplomatic dialogue between the US and China to avoid potential military conflict that many saber-rattling Hawks and some elements of the Military-Industrial-Complex are encouraging.

Raquel Lagunas, the 2020 Interim Director of the UN Development Program’s (UNDP) Gender Team, discusses a wide range of issues such as providing technical assistance to governments regarding the health of women, combatting climate change and protecting women in conflict countries that are in transition from war to peace, The purpose of the Gender Team is to help overcome biases and prejudices against women, stress gender equality, empower women and work towards achieving the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Gender Equality Certification Program emphasizes that women should have equal pay, access to higher level policy-making positions, stronger standards to improve the work environment, enact sexual harassment policies and expand training in all areas.

Eric Protzer, a research fellow at Harvard’s Growth Lab, recently co-authored an interesting and timely book titled “Reclaiming Populism: How Economic Fairness Can Win Back Disenchanted Voters.” He highlighted how economic unfairness and social mobility were far more influential than income inequality in creating the appearance of a “rigged system,” while explaining that many factors entered into this complicated discussion such as globalization, authoritarianism vs. democracy, anti-elitism, anti-populism, international trade agreements and media misinformation and disinformation.

Dr. Jonathan Gosling, Emeritus Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Exeter and an international expert on leadership formation, sustainable development, and many other critical issues, describes in his recent book: “Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos” how it is critical to prepare for the negative aspects of climate change and promote sustainable development, while utilizing the resources from previous United Nations Climate Conferences, the Paris Accords, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Aisling Taylor, an intern with United Nations Webcast at the UN Headquarters in New York, is a youth representative who studied at Oxford University and majored in Geography. She discusses major issues such as the climate crisis, refugee migration, gender equality, human trafficking, discrimination, and sustainable agriculture, as well as the other UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eliminate poverty, eradicate hunger and battle climate change, as a few examples. She posits that most people do not realize the myriad of substantive activities underway at the UN which help create a better world.

Dr. Helga Nowotny, Former President of the European Research Council and Professor Emerita of Science and Technology Studies, ETH Zurich, recently authored: “In AI We Trust: Power, Illusion and Control of Predictive Algorithms “ in which she suggests that we have embarked upon an open-ended co-evolutionary process of humans and digital machines at a time when humanity faces an unprecedented sustainability crisis, not to mention that some media platforms have immense control over messaging, both positive and negative.

Dr. Ashok Gangadean, a world-renowned philosopher, spiritual activist and founder and director of the Global Dialogue Institute highlights the significance of his 1776 Now program, and how the great religious leaders and philosophers, such as Mohammed, Jesus, Plato, Socrates, Buddha and Aristotle, if alive today, would use their teachings to assist in the battles against climate change, gender inequity, assault on democracies, systemic racism and other current problems.

Carol Bellamy, former Director of the U.S. Peace Corps and past Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), highlights a panoply of important issues ranging from child prostitution and trafficking, preventing violent extremism, the crucial role of women in development, as well as defining the importance of how the US Peace Corps and UNICEF are working to promote economic and social development and maternal and children’s programs and how the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals will assist in creating a better world.

Tom Osborne, International Correspondent and former ABC Bureau Chief to the United Nations, discusses his latest book “The Politics of War: My Ten-Year Journey with Peter Jennings,” as well as a variety of other topics such as Desert Storm, the Gulf War, the Balkan conflict in the 1990s, role of the UN in promoting peace and security, and the debasement of professional, journalistic ethical standards by many of the far-right media outlets in the US and worldwide.

John Seager, President and CEO of Population Connection, explains the importance of focusing on family planning, population growth, the Earth’s finite resources and the climate crisis, which has been predominantly caused by humans. Population discussions must identify the critical role that women and entire families play, how population growth or contraction could affect economic systems and the linkage between population growth, economic activities and climate change.

Dr. Celine-Marie Pascale, a renowned Sociologist, leading scholar in the field of language and society, and author of “Living on the Edge: When Hard Times Become a Way of Life,” draws upon her interviews with people from Appalachia, American Indians and inner-city dwellers on a number of issues such as the viability of The American Dream, poverty, systemic racism, income inequality, military-industrial complex and corporate Socialism.

Dr. Alex de Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, discusses his recent Book “New Pandemics-Old Politics: Two Hundred Years of War on Diseases and Its Alternatives,” as well as other major issues such as the climate crisis, famine and conflicts in Africa, gender equity and the role of United Nations agencies and its Sustainable Development Goals to confront these problems.

Dr. Raphie Kaplinsky, an Honorary Professor at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex and Author of “Sustainable Futures: An Agenda for Action,” proposes to achieve a sustainable world we must re-orient financial systems away from a casino mentality, reduce power of plutocrats, need a Green New Deal, move government from national level to local level and assist developing countries to develop economically, while minimizing the negative influence of fossil fuel industries and the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex.

Dr. Frank W Maletz, MD and founder of the HEALTHspital Family Foundation, highlights the unique differences between a hospital and HEALTHspital, especially by enumerating his 8- transformational pillars to eliminate health care waste and abuse, improve chronic care methodology and patient-doctor collaboration, revamp disease prevention and develop a holistic approach to comprehensive health care, to mention just a few.

Chuck Collins, author of “Is Inequality in America Irreversible?” discusses how inequalities in the US have made America more vulnerable in many areas, such as confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, evading taxes, and how the US is becoming a more inequitable country with wealth flowing to the top .1 of 1%. Mr. Collins is also the director of the program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies in D.C.

Randy Patrick, City Manager of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada, shares his observations regarding the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small, micro-city, especially when confronting the challenges of climate change, reverse economic investment, educational and health care systems and job creation. Futuristic foresight is critical in identifying and confronting potential challenges.

Forrist Lytehaause, Chief Enabling Officer or CEO of Planetary CARE, is an architect, scholar, researcher, synergist and strategist, who has worked in the areas of blockchain, multi-stakeholder collaborations and cooperatives, and an exponential organization platform development model toward accelerating “Building Global Resilience through Regenerative Agriculture.´ He stresses how proper soil stewardship is critical to confronting the climate crisis and providing future food supplies.

John Hewko, CEO and General Secretary of Rotary International, and Carol Spahn, Acting Director of the US Peace Corps, discuss a unique partnership that was fostered by the Partnering for Peace group. The emphasis is to bring Peace Corps Volunteers in over 60-countries, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and 1.2 million Rotarians to collaborate on humanitarian and development projects, as well as focus on Rotary and Peace Corps Peace Week from September 20-26.