Verb agreement for something that was discussed in the past, while the issue still exists in the present

Question

How do you write something that was discussed in the past, while the issue still exists in the present?

1. The discussion resulted in the committee members highlighting crucial areas that need to be addressed if one is to achieve the desired outcome......
2. The discussion resulted in the committee members highlighting crucial areas that needed to be addressed if one were to achieve the desired outcome......

Answer 1

Both are possible, and the difference is one of focus rather than objective fact. The first implies that the issue still exists in the present; the second does not imply that, but neither does it imply that the issue no longer exists.

Answer 2

If you want to express that the problem still exists, you should refer to it in the present tense. Note that it is quite possible to use words to describe the DISCUSSION in the past tense, but the PROBLEM in the present tense. For example, "Yesterday we discussed [past] a problem that is troubling [present] our nation."