John R. Wilmoth is the Director of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division at the UN. The Population Division has a myriad of excellent reports, studies and conferences, many of which can be viewed at: www.un.org/development/desa/pd/ Health is a human right and a centerpiece of sustainable development, recognized in various United Nations commitments, including the outcome of the International Conference on Population and Development held in 1994 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015, commonly called the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite earlier gains, progress on many health indicators has stalled in recent years. These issues were discussed at the recent 58th session of the Commission on Population and Development that took place from 7 to 11 April 2025 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. One of several themes was to focus on health care for all, which is a universal right.

Dr. Robert Farley has taught security and diplomacy courses at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and Commerce at UK since 2005. His most recent book is,” Waging War with Gold: National Security and the Finance Domain Across the Ages. Establishing the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions were creative initiatives to provide stability and mechanisms to peacefully resolve conflicts. It would be extremely dangerous to move from the dollar to a cryptocurrency as the major currency. In the future, there are four potential scenarios, one in which the US remains a financial hegemon, a second in which we see a relatively orderly transition to another hegemon, a third that looks at the development of a bipolar finance domain and a fourth that witnesses the development of a multipolar financial commons. Regarding tariffs, the customer pays the tariff increases, not the country of origin or distributor, which raises overall costs.

Jerry Glenn, a futurist, serves as the executive director of the Millennium Project, and authors an annual publication, “State of the Future.” He was the executive director of the American Council for the United Nations University and was deputy director of Partnership for Productivity International. The State of the Future 20.0 Report is the most comprehensive and largest document covering 15 global challenges that affect the world. It is a tool for The UN Council of Presidents of the General Assembly which is an organization to help the 193-UN Member States determine its logical role in dealing with one of the thorniest: AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). Managing the transition to AGI is the most difficult management problem humanity has ever faced, A few other challenges to confront include Zero-Sum power geo-politics; the climate crisis; and global collective intelligence systems for water, energy, food, economics, education, gender, crime, ethics, and demographics.

Dr. Desmond Dinan is a professor of public policy in the Schar School of Policy and Government and holds the Jean Monnet Chair in European Public Policy at George Mason University. His most recent book is,” A Concise History of the European Union.” The EU concept grew out of WW2, but the EU was relaunched in the 1990s to deal with monetary issues, the end of the Cold War, globalization, and the unification of Germany. Putin’s illegal attack on Ukraine and the Trump administration’s belligerency toward the EU and NATO have helped refocus European interest in cooperation and multilateralism. Few Europeans realized how negative Trump2.0 would be for the continent, especially through undermining the Trans-Atlantic System, partnerships and shared values. In response to a variety of threats, the EU is starting to improve its defense procurement industry and organizing a military response, while ramping up its potential international peacekeeping activities.

Judge Thomas G. Moukawsher is a Connecticut complex litigation judge and former lawyer, legislator and lobbyist. He is the author of “The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce it.” President Trump has consistently tried to delegitimize the courts, which is weakening our democracy and deteriorating the Rule of Law. For decades, the international community has looked to the US to promote democracy and establish functional legal systems, especially with the ICC, ICJ, and human rights treaties. The Trump Administration may possibly use Gunboat Diplomacy and manifest destiny regarding the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada. War on Terror legislation allowed the President to take aggressive, and possibly illegal action. The NATO Treaty requires Greenland and Canada be defended if attacked; therefore, Democrats, Republicans and the Judiciary need a united front to protect the Rule of Law and rescue US international prestige which is plummeting worldwide.

Mark D. Walker, a Returned U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer from Guatemala, is an award-winning writer and President of Million Mile Walker. His new book is “The Guatemala Reader: Extraordinary Lives & Amazing Stories”. Today we are focusing on the important soft power vs. hard power concepts that are under intense discussion. Soft power, as opposed to hard power, is an example of how international overseas groups interact to make a difference in the lives of people abroad as well as benefiting their country’s image, business opportunities, diplomatic initiatives and partnerships. Some of the most prominent soft power organizations are the US Peace Corps, USAID, CARE, Rotary International, faith-based groups and other humanitarian service clubs. America’s credibility is devastated through the slash and burn of the USAID programs by Elon Musk and DOGE. Russia and China are delighted that the US has weakened itself and is unilaterally surrendering its international leadership.

Dr Phil Williams is Professor Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught from January 1990 to April 2022. In the first part of his career, at Aberdeen University, Southampton University, and Chatham House, he wrote books on Crisis Management, The Senate and US Troops in Europe, During the last 30 years his research has focused primarily on transnational organized crime, His most recent book is “The Mediterranean Connection: Criminal Networks and Illicit Economies in North Africa.” Aspects of criminal networks usually include the smugglers’ toolkit: concealment, deception, circumvention and facilitation North Africa itself can be understood as a space of flows – primarily south to north, but also north-south (hazardous waste) and horizonal flows, cannabis from Morocco moves Eastwards while counterfeit cigarettes move from Dubai to the Atlantic and through Algeria into Europe. Some international assistance is provided by Interpol and the United Nations agencies to counteract this.

Michael Albertus is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. Albertus is the author of five books. His newest book, Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn't, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies, tells the story of how land came to be power within human societies, how it shapes power, and how its allocation determines the major social ills that societies grapple with. The Great Reshuffle determines society's winners and losers in a variety of ways in the USA, such as establishing and reinforcing racial hierarchies, dealing with the housing crisis and potential solutions, including using federal land and pushing for eased zoning restrictions. Other examples include major disruptions to home insurance markets due to climate risk affecting availability and influencing relocation decisions. One notable situation is the Trump administration’s increased territorial competition and land grab for Greenland, Gaza, the Panama Canai and Canada.