Rural communities in developing countries understand that high population growth rates, poor health, and environmental degradation are connected, said Population Action International's Roger-Mark De Souza. An integrated approach to development – one that combines population, health, and environment (PHE) programs – is a "cost-effective intervention that we can do very easily, that responds to community needs, that will have a huge impact that's felt within a short period of time," said De Souza, who was joined by three other experts to discuss how to improve current efforts to expand the PHE approach.

Whether the result of nature, war, or human error, disasters prompt large-scale responses by governments and NGOs. Millions of dollars are poured into affected regions, and yet death rates continue to rise and whole populations lack adequate shelter, sanitation, or access to health services. The panelists discussed their experience dealing with these challenges and examined the U.S. response to disasters worldwide.

Michael Mbizvo, director of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research at the WHO, discusses ways to ensure universal access to family planning services for sub-Saharan Africa.To talk about this difficult question and present research and programmatic evidence for sub-Saharan Africa, Mbizvo was joined by panelists; Fred Makumbi, Oladosu Ojengbede, and Frank Taulo.

A group of American and Middle Eastern businesswomen discussed their common challenges and rewards in running their own companies and the resources available for women entrepreneurs.