Yasmine Sherif is Director of the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Program, which is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. Yasmine Sherif is a lawyer specialized in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law, plus she has over 30 years of experience with the United Nations and international NGOs. ECW’s mission is to generate greater shared political, operational, and financial commitment to meet the educational needs of millions of children and young people affected by crises, with a focus on a more agile, connected, and faster response that spans the humanitarian – development continuum to lay the ground for sustainable education systems. A few years ago, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) released a shocking new Global Estimates Study, which revealed that there are now 222 million crisis-affected children and adolescents in need of urgent, educational support; a significant increase from the estimated 75 million children in 2016.

Rolf Schwarz has served as political adviser for the Middle East and Africa at NATO Headquarters and as professor at the NATO Defense College. He currently is senior adviser at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Mr. Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, University of Geneva He is the author of several articles and books, notably a book on state building and post-conflict peacebuilding, as well as articles on sustainable development and United Nations Sustainable Development (SDG) financing. In his most recent book - NATO and the Middle East: In Search of a Strategy – he traces the history of NATO over seven decades and looks at whether NATO has managed to promote regional stability and peace in the Middle East. NATO, has worked closely with the UN and other partners that would project and increase stability in the region.

Ken Heydon is a former Australian government trade official and senior member of the OECD Secretariat and a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. His latest book is “The Trade Weapon: How Weaponizing Trade Threatens Growth, Public Health and the Climate Transition”. His earlier works include “The Rise of Bilateralism” and “The Ashgate Research Companion to International Trade Policy.” Trade weaponization usually involves governments in exports and exports and are measures that are applied in a unilateral approach. Generally speaking, sanctions do not work. However, to be more successful, keep the sanctions (stick), but have a carrot accompany the stick. Singapore and Malaysia are cooperating in an exciting project that will see a hydropower project in Borneo, run by Sarawak Energy that exports power to Singapore by submarine cable. The US has had various sanctions against North Korea, Iran and Cuba, for example, that have not achieved their goals.

Harlan Russell Green, a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Turkey, is the 2023 Winner of the Peace Corps Writers’ Publisher’s Award for his latest book on “Building Community: Answering Kennedy’s Call.” Mr. Green is a Rotarian, retired Mortgage Banker, and Editor/Publisher of Popular Economics Weekly, a financial wire service he began in 2000. The US Peace Corps put him on an international trajectory that provided unique opportunities to work with the US Environmental Protection Agency, Caesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers of America, and several community development projects to create sustainable, livable areas. One of his award-winning films was the “The Great Clean Air Debate.” With the UFWA, he produced “Fighting for Our Lives” and “Why We Boycott.” He also worked on projects with Rotary International and Partnering for Peace, an organization of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are now Rotarians that strive to connect Rotary Clubs with Peace Corps Projects.

Felix Dodds is Director, Multilateral Affairs at Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service at Arizona State University. He is Adjunct Professor at the Water Institute University of North Carolina and Associate Fellow, Tellus Institute. His Latest book is “Heroes in Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage.” Mr. Dodds recently attended the United Nations COP28 conference in Dubai. The following UN agencies had key roles in focusing the spotlight on climate change and sustainability: in 1979, the First World Climate Conference was sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); in 1988 the WMO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and then the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Two successes of COP 28: formalized the Loss and Damage Fund with over $700 million committed and committed to move away from fossil fuels.

Dr. Michael Cairo, Professor of Political Science and Program Director of International Affairs at Transylvania University’s, most recent book is “American Presidents and Israeli Settlements since 1967.” Events such as Bush illegally invading Iraq in 2003, Trump giving Israel carte blanche and withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal, and Biden ignoring the problem until October 7 contributed to the volatile situation. The UN created Israel and Palestine in 1947-48 and has been involved in working to promote peace through the UN Security Council, UN Relief and Works Agency, World Food Program and other agencies. Several myths were destroyed: Israel was invulnerable and could contain Hamas, and the Abraham Accords would cause Arabs to abandon Palestinians. The world needs to make sure the war is limited, develop trust on both sides, cease horrific carnage and dismantle some settlements with the goal of a two-state solution. As UN Secretary-General Guterres said, “Nothing happens in a vacuum.”

Xiao Yin Zhao is Executive Director of the World Affairs Council (WAC) of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The Council is a 501 c 3 organization that is part of a network of 90 WACs, all of which are located in the US. In addition to international exchange programs, Xiao Yin has overseen dozens of programs and events that brought top diplomats, experts and authors to the Kentucky-Indiana region, providing the community an opportunity for in-depth discussions on current global issues. Its goal is to provide a wide range of programs that inspire curiosity and impart information. Some of the programs include the International Visitors Program, Sister Cities International (Louisville has 9 Sister Cities) and periodic guest speakers on international issues, such as territorial-regional conflicts, international trade, reverse economic investment, diseases, and climate change. Kentucky is a major player in the international marketplace with the export of vehicles, aerospace equipment, and agricultural products.

Dr. John Casey is a professor in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Casey has been an active practitioner, educator and researcher in the public nonprofit sector in Australia, Spain and the USA for over 20 years. His new book, “The Nonprofit World: Civil Society and the Rise of the Nonprofit Sector,” describes the difference between a nonprofit and an NGO, how most people on Earth are involved in a nonprofit combatting climate change, human trafficking, human rights, international culture and sports and others, and the tremendous growth of nonprofits over the past several decades. Two of his previous books were titled: “Police Leadership and Management” and “Policing the World.” Another important security/public safety entity is the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation which has a need for different military/police skills with each phase of a peacekeeping mission.

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”. In the book are graphs comparing Guatemala from 1970 to now, a map and a section on “How Can I Make a Difference,” and how local NGOs made a difference in Guatemala. Prior to that he wrote, “My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road,” which reflects on his fifty years of travel miscalculations and disasters and how and why his travels changed over the years. Currently, Guatemala is involved in political chaos with the government persecuting its political enemies which seems to be emulated in many areas such as the US, Hungary and other formerly thriving democracies He is also involved with Pen America working to combat arbitrary book banning and burning in Arizona and other states.

Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, is a senior lecturer in Chemistry at Columbia University, as well as being a member of the Scientific Advisory Group to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Nine nuclear weapon states possess nearly 13,000 nukes in the world. If there were a nuclear exchange, over 5 billion people would die from starvation or direct contamination within 2-years. The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a substantive agreement to help move toward total or partial nuclear reduction. The US spends over $150 million or more each day to maintain the nuclear stockpile. The US is pursuing upgrading the nuclear weapon stockpile at a staggering cost of over $2 trillion. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) adopted in 1968, is the foundation for nuclear arms control. The NAP Foundation has consultative status at the UN and is a Peace Messenger.

Dr. Antonello Provenzale, Director of the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources at the National Research Council of Italy, discusses his recent book “History of Climate Change: From the Earth's Origins to the Anthropocene.” Climate change is the number one challenge for the world. The rise in temperature of the last fifty years has been extremely fast, making it difficult for the environment to adapt to the new conditions. The expanding human population needs water, food, energy, and shelter to survive and flourish. Humans need to reduce emissions drastically, re-naturalize the environment, stop the degradation of the soil and the extermination of and in the oceans. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned we should not exceed 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit in order to not tip into a dangerous melting phase. If we do not deal with this challenge now, future natural disasters and costs will increase dramatically.

Dr. Gilles Guiheux, author, historian and sociologist at the Université Paris Cité, highlights his book “Contemporary China: 1949 to the Present .” He posits that China’s combining integration into the capitalist world economy with authoritarian political practice may be sustainable. Some political observers doubted this delicate juggling act could succeed. In 1949, the stake for Mao was to haul the country out of backwardness and project it into modernity; for Xi, the current challenge is to rally social forces with conflicting interests behind the Party, e.g., Uyghurs, Taiwan, individual rights, etc. The opposition between the world of cities and that of the countryside is still the main inequality that characterizes Chinese society. The Chinese experience is not entirely unique: industrialization, urbanization, bureaucratization, and globalization are phenomena that have accompanied the entry of all human societies into modernity. China owes its success to the convergence of its institutions with those of capitalist market economies.

John Cavanagh, former director of the Institute for Policy Studies, is the co-author of 12 books and numerous articles on a wide range of social and economic issues. His newest book is “The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed. He just returned from a factfinding trip to El Salvador whereupon he identifies how El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele reduced the gang violence and crime rates by employing strongarm tactics that ostensibly violate human rights and national laws. El Salvador is holding firm in banning mining to save its rivers from poisonous chemical contaminants. Turning to the Middle East, he suggested that Hamas release the hostages and Israel respond accordingly. Palestinian desperation and Saudi Arabia’s potential deal with the Israelis may have helped ignite the October 7 terrorist attack. On a positive note, the frosty relationship between China and the USA seems to be improving, what with the meetings between Presidents Biden and Xi.

Dr. Bernie Strenecky presently serves as the Scholar in Residence at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green KY, USA. He is a member of the diplomatic corps of the country of Barbados, an active member of the Prospect Goshen Rotary Club, a member of the board of the United Nations Association-Kentucky Division, and he was integral in developing the Play Ball Puerto Rico (PBPR) project. Bernie is the grandfather of Lawson Strenecky, the founder of the organization. Lawson developed the concept in response to the horrific damage wreaked by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Although PBPR helps refurbish baseball fields, it is not designed to develop great baseball players but in developing competent citizens with humanitarian skills through good sportsmanship. Various groups such as Rotary Clubs, United Nations Associations, and the private sector have partnered on this project in Puerto Rico but also in eastern and western Kentucky in areas hit by natural disasters.

Joe Lurie has spent most of his adult life interacting and engaging with other cultures and promoting cross-cultural understanding. As a young man, he served in the US Peace Corps in Kenya, which began his life of “intercultural encounters.” For 20 years, Lurie was executive director of the University of California’s International House whose mission is to “foster intercultural respect and understanding for the promotion of a more peaceful world.” Since retiring, Lurie has been a teacher, intercultural trainer, and consultant. His most recent book highlights what he learned about understanding – and misunderstanding – one another in the book: “Perception and Deception: A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures.” The First Goal of the Peace Corps is to provide technical assistance overseas; however, the Third Goal of the Peace Corps is to bring a volunteer’s unique international experience home to the US and share that information, plus build upon the experience to provide more intercultural understanding.

Steve Schlesinger is a Fellow at the Century Foundation in New York City. Mr. Schlesinger authored "Act of Creation: Founding of the United Nations," And he is an expert on the UN and international issues. He offers an update on the 78th Session of the UN. The UN has changed dramatically since its creation in 1945, especially in aid to refugees, economic development, climate change, cultural and educational development, and assisting ships, mail, aircraft and weather information in the international arena. The UN, albeit not perfect, is indispensable. The UN is critical to the success of many US foreign policies, e.g. Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, democratic elections and refugee assistance. In a political move that damages the US and the UN, the Republican-controlled US Congress has adopted—for the very first time-- a State Department bill to not fund the UN. The UN is not a one-world government, has no taxing power and no military.

Dr. Jean Krasno is on the faculty of the Department of Political Science at the City College of New York and is a lecturer at Columbia University. She teaches courses on the United Nations, peacekeeping, international law, and international organizations at City College and at Columbia University. Her most recent book is titled “United Nations: Policy and Practice.” The UN is a rapidly changing organization that responds to the major challenges confronting the world, such as peacebuilding, development, disarmament, electoral assistance, climate change, Ukraine war, nuclear proliferation and refugee assistance. Some of the prevalent myths that are not accurate is that the UN is dysfunctional, is anti-US and is wealthy. Uniting for Peace is a method the General Assembly can bypass a paralyzed Security Council such as on the Ukrainian crisis. Dr. Krasno has published the official papers of former SGs Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon at www.rienner.com

Judge Thomas G. Moukawsher is a Connecticut complex litigation judge and a former lawyer, legislator, and lobbyist. He is the author of “The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce it.” Some recommendations to improve the judicial system are to streamline trials, deliver prompt decisions, accept fewer motions and appeals, control evidence gathering process (discovery) and offer decisions that are presented in plain English, all the while promoting a humanistic and public trust approach. To restore credibility in the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), ethical/legal indiscretions should be investigated, adopt a tough Code of Ethics, and write decisions that are understandable. The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948 by the UN General Assembly with Eleanor Roosevelt’s assistance,, the International Criminal Court in the Hague and the UN International Court of Justice are all based on the Rule of Law, as is that of the US, which states no one is above the law. To help the public better understand the legal system in the US and internationally, the US media should stop mocking international institutions, such as the United Nations, and show the accomplishments, while simultaneously holding them accountable for any indiscretions or illegalities. Had the Supreme Court moved more quickly on the evidence presented immediately after the 2020 presidential election and declared the election results fair and accurate, it is possible that the January 6 insurrection to overthrow a fair and free election and the US Government may have been avoided.

Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa and co-author of “African Security in the Anthropocene,” depicts how humans have created more dangerous situations through the use of fossil fuels that are accelerating climate change, squabbling over natural resources, hunger and terrorism. Africa, which is the second largest continent with a 1.4 billion population, is primarily rural and does not have the technology and financial wherewithal to combat these problems. Recently, the African Climate Summit, recommended removal of subsidies for fossil fuels, which would make clean energy sources much more competitive. Although 80% of agriculture is by subsistence farmers, funding, global capital and partnerships are required to make the transition. There is hope for “cautious optimism” since some regions are using drought resistant crops and “conflict smart” agriculture. As always, women play a critical role in confronting these problems.

Aaron S. Williams has experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including posts as USAID mission director for South Africa, vice president of the International Youth Foundation, executive vice president of RTI International, and director of the US Peace Corps (2009–2012). His most recent book is “The Young Black Leader’s Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs: What the Giants Want You to Know.”

In this book, Aaron shared his personal vision that led to a meaningful career in the foreign service, why is it important for students to develop and articulate their visions, and how International Development is often long-term. In his previous book, “ A Life Unimagined”: The Rewards of Mission-Driven Service in the Peace Corps and Beyond”, he expounded on the importance of the Peace Corps and then as Mission Director for USAID/South Africa how President Mandela addressed the hatreds, social divisions, and political polarization seen around the world today.