Starting out the week's events, the Earth Institute hosted a discussion of East African leaders concerning "The Challenges of the Drylands".

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero addressed students with regards to economic development in the twenty-first century.

Globalization in relation to the European Union was the focus of Jose Manuel Barroso's discussion. Barroso remarked, "I believe that Globalization can be a great thing for us in Europe and in the United States as well. In some cases, people are reacting defensively. They are thinking of losing some privileges; the West is declining, Europe is declining. We call that "declinologie," or the theory and doctrine of decline. It's only natural that others emerge, and this is not necessarily bad."

This year's World Leaders Forum conluded with a visit by Abdullah Gül, President of Turkey. Gul praised his nation's progress in establishing a free press and a vibrant economy. In the question and answer session, students posed the scenario of a Kurdish Aid ship heading toward Turkey, similar to the recent Aid dispute with Israel. "We are all equal before the law in Turkey, as Turkish citizens. There were many justified complaints because of the lack of proper democratic standards [in the past].  But, [whether Kurdish or not], we're part of the same country. Israelis and Palestinians are not the same people, and allow me to say, that Palestine is occupied territory. Israel has occupied Gaza, Gaza and the Palestinian territories do not belong to Israel," Gül explained.