2021 troublesome year : 2022-Omicron Ahead

2020-2021was a reminder that our world is more connected than ever. 2021 was full of monumental events with global repercussions, including extreme weather events, the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Every time you looked at the news, you were reminded of just how significantly something happening on the other side of the world could affect you at home.

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It’s never been clearer that tackling big problems requires people working together across borders and sectors.

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Collaboration has been a constant theme with my work this year. The foundation continues to take up the bulk of my time, and I’m blown away by the amazing progress made by our team and our partners in 2021.

Most weeks, we have a virtual get-together with everyone. Each meeting focuses on a different topic. It’s inspiring to hear how groups are working together to find solutions.

2021 has been a year of big transitions for me, but it hasn’t changed why I love the work I do. As it comes to a close, I wanted to sit down and write about four things that are top of mind heading into 2022: putting efforts in creating awareness of COVID-19 pandemic, why decreased trust in Pakistani institutions might be the biggest obstacle standing in our way, what the climate conversation can teach us about making progress especially when few of our cities are declared polluted, and how the rapid digitization brought on by the pandemic will shape our future.

Reasons for optimism in 2022

I hope you and your loved ones also find a way to create new routines. There’s no question that the pandemic will create huge, lasting changes that will take years to fully understand, which can feel scary. One of my favorite authors once wrote,

“people are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown. But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes.”

The world has adapted to big disruptions before, and we’ll do it again. In the meantime, I wish you a very happy 2022 ahead.

Hassan Adil