We asked attendees in advance whether they felt the world was getting better or worse. Of the 170 or so who answered, 65 said it was getting better. About 45 said worse. The rest were undecided. President Bill Clinton, after spending over an hour analyzing the sorry state of things in front of our group, concluded by saying that he remained optimistic after all that the world was improving. By the way, he was surprisingly cantankerous when it came to domestic politics. (Sorry, his comments were entirely off the record.)

One of my favorite statements came from Alex Kalache, a Brazilian who heads the Program on Aging and Health for the World Health Organization in Geneva: “World leaders are failing to address the root of all major global problems: the increasing inequality between rich and poor both between and within countries. Over the last 20 years international aid by developed nations has, with a few exceptions, decreased rather than increased…Agricultural subsidies by developed countries [for their own farmers] amount to $350 million a year…dwarfing the aid to poor countries…the lack of international agreement and action on how to tackle other critical issues such as protecting the environment and ensuring access to basic education and affordable health care, leading to frustration and despair. This can only breed resentment, which in turn leads to violence and terror.”

Our primary representative of the world’s poor was President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who shined a ray of hope. Rwanda has made a stunning turnaround since the brutal massacres of 1994 which killed about one million of the country’s 8 million people. Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front ended the massacres by wresting power militarily. Kagame is a member of the Tutsi tribe, whose members were the primary victims of the massacres. But of his cabinet today, more than half are members of the Hutu tribe, whose members did most of the killing. Rwandans under Kagame’s leadership appear intent on moving their country forward despite all the obstacles (like the 13% AIDS infection rate).

While governmental corruption is the bane of Africa, Rwanda is consistently rated one of the least corrupt countries on the continent. Right after our conference, Kagame flew back to begin a three-week campaign for re-election. It will be the first truly democratic election in the country’s history (though he will enjoy the many advantages of incumbency and will probably win). Economic development is a top priority. Kagame is putting great effort into developing tourism, coffee, and tea, the main sources of income. Many attendees, including Clinton, urged businesses to partner with Rwanda as a reward for its progress and in order to encourage other countries to follow a path away from corruption and toward democracy.

Kagame and Clinton appeared separately during the day and then together in an informal appearance in the hotel bar that evening. The moment had pathos because Clinton was President when the Rwandan massacres took place, though he has apologized to the nation’s people for U.S. inaction and has visited several times, becoming friends with Kagame.

Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky spoke on the opening panel about the importance of President Bush’s commitment of large amounts to AIDS remediation and global development. Other panelists, notably former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and General Wesley Clark, had a decidedly less positive impression of the Bush administration’s approach to global relations.

A session entitled “Is the UN Still Relevant?” garnered a standing-room-only crowd. Many non-American attendees were fascinated because the topic is seldom broached in many countries, even as the UN’s reputation sinks lower and lower in the U.S.

Intense discussion also ensued in sessions on the future of corporate governance (www.fortune.com/fortune/brainstorm/0,15704,472061,00.html); on the impact of media consolidation (www.fortune.com/fortune/bottomline/0,15704,472203,00.html); on how we ought to handle mankind’s common property like air, water, and the Internet; on the future of the Middle East; and on weapons of mass destruction (panelists were not, in general, optimistic that they can be controlled).

Dean Kamen brought 10 of his Segway human transporters (I had use of one for the entire three days) and showed off his prototype Stirling engine/water purification system. He hopes it will eventually get sufficient support to be affordably produced in quantity. Kamen estimated that a $3 billion investment would allow his system to provide clean water to much of Africa.

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Bill Gross, who founded the Overture advertising service just sold to Yahoo, displayed a solar energy device which he expects shortly to go into production. The system, which will cost approximately $1 per watt per hour, or $1,000 for a one-kilowatt generator, uses mirrors to focus heat on a boiling chamber. Gross says he wouldn’t have put his attention on this had he not attended Brainstorm 2001 and come away convinced that the best business ideas will be those that also help alleviate global poverty. Nonetheless, the initial applications of his device will be in developed countries.

If there was a theme that hung over all the proceedings it was acting on what we know. It isn’t that hard to figure out what’s going wrong with many of the world’s systems. What’s hard is finding the will and the focus to take action. This is true collectively, and it’s also true of us as individuals. Harvard President Larry Summers pointed to research that shows that young people who smoke have an even more dire view of the risks of cancer than is justified by science. Yet they smoke nonetheless. This is the kind of problem Brainstormers brainstormed about. Not exactly easy stuff. That’s why we’ll likely be doing Brainstorms for years to come. In the meantime, watch for more from this year’s conference, including video of some of our sessions, on Fortune.com.

“Fast Forward” is David Kirkpatrick’s weekly column for Fortune.