As children, we all remember being told: "'I hope you've learned your lesson", which had a kind of negative connotation. In my line of work, however, which assesses development activities from the point of view of doing the right things in the right way with the right resources for lasting benefits for people – we learn lessons every day to make better decisions for improving quality of lives. How does this work? Drawing lessons is analogous to connecting dots.

Each dot represents a valuable learning experience and connecting these creates a valuable lesson.

In the world of development, each dot may represent a solution for a persistent problem. For example, reducing non-revenue water to overcome the shortage of potable water or using technology to move electricity from high surplus areas to deficit ones to overcome energy shortages.

In today's world of development, guided by the interconnected SDGs and ravaged by the pandemic and climate change, connecting the right dots is imperative for making smart decisions and finding lasting solutions. - blog.adb.org/blogs