An End-of-Year Message from Hannah Grant, Head of the A2ii Secretariat

There are times when the story of life seems to be on fast forward. The year 2021 has seen scientists rally together to roll out vaccines in record time and power up the fight against the pandemic. Amid growing awareness of the looming climate crisis, we have seen an increased focus on innovation and digitalisation - opening new horizons in both reach and impact.

In this constant state of uncertainty and change, I am grateful to work with a team that has not merely kept up with, but also stayed ahead of the curve in shaping our support for supervisors in yet another year marked by a pandemic. At the A2ii, we looked at the relationship between insurance and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) throughout the year, where access to insurance is among the key supporting mechanisms of achieving inclusive growth, food security, climate action and improved health, to name a few. Our capacity building activities - the Inclusive Insurance Training Programme and the Actuarial Training for Insurance Supervisors – took place for the first time virtually on our newly launched training and networking platform for supervisors, Connect.A2ii. The Inclusive Insurance Innovation Lab (iii-lab) saw its second cohort successfully complete the programme, and four new countries qualify for the third iii-lab, dubbed the ‘Climate Lab’.

As we cross into 2022, let us not lose sight of the disparities and uneven economic recovery for the most vulnerable among us, of the risks they face when they fall ill, when floods and droughts destroy their crops, and when they bring new life to this world. Let this inspire us to continue our work to improve the lives of the vulnerable. Let us hold on to the hope of better days to come for all and remember that calamities also force positive changes that can improve many lives for the better.

With hope for healthier and more prosperous days ahead for all, I wish you a wonderful festive season and a happy 2022.

Hannah Grant