"Adaptation of technology, along with economic growth and education, is one of the essential components of modernism." Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan

Expanding education to benefit the largest number of people remains a critical challenge. Participants voted a "global educational framework that fosters inclusivity" – a priority for several well-established reasons. For example, educated societies tend to be more productive, rich and happy. As Jiro Nemoto, Honorary Chairman, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, Japan put it, "Human development must be the foundation for economic development." Educated societies also tend to be healthier; combating ignorance – in the form of testing and information on prevention – is an essential weapon in the fight against diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

However, participants also recognized that in today's society, education is important to tackle some of the world’s more pressing issues, like extremism. For example, many understand that generally exchanging knowledge prevents ignorance and alienation. Nations with significant immigrant populations or large ethnic, religious or linguistic sub-communities need proactive education programmes to encourage tolerance and diversity and prevent growing extremism that can lead to terrorism. Besides, economies that aim for a fully functioning modern democracy will need to foster critical thinking, knowledge of the market economy, gender acceptance and racial diversity. More focused education programmes will make such attributes more likely, especially if combined with the intelligent use of technology.

"Adaptation of technology, along with economic growth and education, is one of the essential components of modernism", said Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan. But new technology also poses critical challenges for businesses and governments alike. Will these new technologies advance accountability, destroy privacy, or both? How will old brands weather the storm of new media?

In the fields of marketing and news media, the Internet has been nothing short of a sea change. Consumers of news, an essential pillar of a functioning democracy, increasingly rely on blogs or online versions of print newspapers. Many in the media expressed concern that such trends would mean the erosion of responsible journalism, but publishers such as Arthur Sulzberger Jr, Chairman and Publisher, The New York Times, USA, expressed guarded optimism "that the need and desire for quality, trustworthy journalism would keep the old media brands afloat." But change is undeniable. "The consumer has been empowered," said Frederick Kempe, Assistant Managing Editor and Columnist, Wall Street Journal, USA, "the Internet is a democratizing force."

Privacy issues such as ID theft and government intrusion loom large, and striking the right balance between regulation and freedom will be a critical challenge in the next decade. But with new problems also comes new opportunities. Technology, like education, is vital to the war on terror, as it can facilitate the collection and sharing of information among nations and international security organizations.

Breaking down the barriers between governments, NGOs and businesses holds the potential to foster cooperation and growth within and between nations. "My objective has been to persuade both the member states and my colleagues in the Secretariat that the United Nations needs to engage not only with governments, but with people," said Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations, New York.

How private-public engagements occur remains an essential question. Generally, business is better than government at changing the behaviour of individuals."Where there is opportunity for more profit," said Bill Owens, Governor of Colorado, USA, "companies are increasingly moving towards what is good for the public." The role of government in balancing business interests with those of the nation is a tendentious issue as was demonstrated by the CNOOC Limited bid to acquire Unocal Corporation, and the American political climate which sunk the deal.

Christopher Murray, Director, Global Health Initiative, Harvard University; Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway; William H. Gates III, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Microsoft Corporation; Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom; Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria; Fareed Zakaria, Editor, Newsweek International; Giulio Tremonti, Vice-President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Economy and Finance of Italy, during the session "Not Gone, but Almost Forgotten" (webcast)