Earlier this month, Pape Gaye, IntraHealth International CEO and president, spoke at the International Conference on Population Dynamics, Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Pretoria, South Africa, which was jointly organized by the South African government and Partners for Population and Development (PPD). Gaye participated in the panel discussion, “Adolescents, Youths, Women, Displaced and Ageing Population: Prospects for Sustainable Development.” During the conference, PPD members also created and adopted the Pretoria Declaration, which reaffirms adoptees’ commitments to strengthen adaptation and mitigation measures to deal with the adverse consequences of climate change and to advance sustainable development. PPD is an alliance of developing countries and an associate partner on IntraHealth’s global project, CapacityPlus. The alliance represents 25 countries, which together cover 57% of the world’s population. Six of the world’s most-populated nations—Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan—are key players in this alliance.

Last week, Gaye also moderated an online discussion hosted by Women Deliver on the future of maternal and reproductive health and international development frameworks such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the International Conference on Population and Development Plan of Action. These discussions are aimed at starting the conversation of “What happens next?” given the approaching deadlines for these frameworks. Gaye’s session focused on the role of United Nations agencies in developing and measuring progress toward the MDGs. The session also addressed civil society’s role in reshaping the MDG structure.

Barbara Stilwell, IntraHealth’s director of technical leadership, also participated in a two-day summit at the University of North Carolina’s (UNC’s) Business Across Borders: Doing Business in Africa earlier in the month in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Panelists and lecturers at this year’s summit focused on opportunities and challenges of conducting business in Africa—public health, disease prevention, and access to essential services being critical determinants. Stilwell spoke about health workforce trends and their impact on the future of health care in Africa. Conceived and launched in 2007 by Leadership Fellows at the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Business Across Borders is a series of programs for UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA students and the regional business community to examine critical aspects of doing business in different countries and markets. Throughout the year, the institute’s Leadership Fellows organize panels, workshops, and an annual summit, to explore economic development, entrepreneurship, and global competitiveness in markets worldwide.