Making a wish is such a basic human instinct.
Like when your birthday rolls around and candles are lit on a cake. Blow them out and make a wish. But of course you can't tell anyone your wish or it won't come true.
But not every wish is kept secret. Over the years, many people have shared their wishes. With characteristic braggadocio and insight, Muhammed Ali reportedly said: "I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world."
Hard to argue with that.
As the new year dawns, we asked movers and shakers and thinkers and tinkerers to tell us a wish that could improve life on earth. Here are the wishes.
(And dear readers, we'd like to ask you: What wish do you have for the year ahead that could make life on earth healthier and happier? Send your wish to goatsandsoda@npr.org with the word "WISH" in the subject line. We may include your wish in a future post.)
My wish: Honor the legacy of Jimmy Carter
Dr. Ifeanyi M. Nsofor, project director, VaxSocial HPV Vaccination Initiative, Nigeria
President Jimmy Carter was a champion for the eradication of neglected tropical diseases, which disproportionately impact the poor globally. These "diseases of poverty" include river blindness, trachoma and schistosomiasis, among others. My hope for 2024 is that the global health community honors President Carter's legacy by intensifying efforts to eradicate these diseases. The solutions are straightforward: fund mass drug distribution, ensure access to clean water and improve sanitation. This effort should also include allocating resources to care for individuals living with chronic complications from these diseases of poverty, such as elephantiasis (massive leg swelling, roughness and hardness of the skin resembling an elephant's leg due to fluid drainage blocked by tiny worms), blindness and hydrocele (massive swelling of the scrotum when tiny worms block fluid drainage within the scrotum).
My wish: World, awaken to the medical emergency in Haiti
Dr. Ousmane Abdoulaye, Port-au-Prince in Haiti, medical coordinator, Haiti Mission, ALIMA — The Alliance for International Medical Action
The security situation in Port-au-Prince is alarming. There is uncertainty every day. Often, we are unsure if we will make it to work and provide care to the people who need it. Despite tireless efforts alongside local health services, we are critically short on equipment, staff and functional health-care facilities. Even when people overcome obstacles like insecurity, lack of transportation and road closures to reach us, they may still be unable to receive care. Immediate funding is essential to provide the healthcare Haitians desperately need amid extreme violence.
If I had three concrete wishes to ask in 2025, they would be: 1. All pregnant women will have access to safe and adequate health-care facilities for childbirth. 2. Displacement camps will be eliminated, providing everyone with stable and dignified housing. 3. Closed health centers will reopen, ensuring universal access to care. Our team delivered the first baby since the reopening of the Chancerelles hospital in December. It had been closed due to violence and insecurity, then reopened after 9 months of closure — a message of hope for the year ahead!
My wish: Nothing too grand. Just a small wish that things for us go back as they were three years ago — when women could go to parks or markets but most of all go to school.
Maryam S., Afghanistan, former Master's student of Pashto literature. She asked to be identified by her first name only out of fear that her criticism of Taliban policies would put her and her family in danger.
These are the nights of early 2025, and I have started writing a journal. Every night, I write how a single day impacted or changed my life. And each day, in my journal, I have made a prayer for the women in Afghanistan.
I'm trapped, unable to leave my home [because of Taliban restrictions on the freedom of women to go out in public]. It has been months since I saw even a single tree outside my yard. Sometimes I look out from the roof and cry.
Why are we banned for the crime of being a woman? I don't know the answer.
I wish that the rulers of Afghanistan wake up one day and realize how important it is for the girls and women of our country to have the right to build aspirations and set goals for themselves, which they can't do in the current environment of restrictions.
For myself, I hope I will be able to walk through the door of my university again. But if the situation continues like this, then my wish, and it is a difficult one to write, is that I will be able to leave Afghanistan.
I am afraid to raise my expectations. I don't think the oppressors will change their ways but perhaps our people will finally stand up against them. Because patience has its limits.
My wish: Make monumental strides in using advanced technology to detect emerging pathogens
Dr. Abraar Karan, physician and researcher, Division of Infectious Diseases & Geographic Medicine, Stanford University
Earlier this year, researchers were able to detect H5N1 (aka bird flu) in wastewater in Texas using hybrid-capture sequencing (that allows scientists to latch onto parts of DNA they're interested in) and monitor whether the virus had mutations that would render it capable of starting an epidemic in humans.
As the bird flu outbreak continued to grow in 2024, detecting transmission became challenging partly because of resistance from workers and employers to allow testing of both animals and humans on farms. While directly testing animals and humans was the traditional approach, environmental surveillance has shown real promise and has been used already for the COVID-19, mpox and now bird flu outbreaks. Effective environmental surveillance — including of wastewater and air — that is automated and integrated within workplaces, airports and other points of social congregation would help us detect and counter novel pathogens. Capturing large amounts of environmental data also requires systems that can analyze and translate this data into actionable public health responses. I foresee artificial intelligence systems playing a major role here.
We will eventually live in a world where a new virus, whether of natural or nefarious origins, would be picked up through routine environmental surveillance systems the moment it emerges. I am hopeful that this year we will be much closer to this future!
My wish: Let us recognize that violence has never been the true solution to conflict
KR Raja, Madurai, India, lawyer advocating for criminal justice reform and the founder of the Indian charity Global Network for Equality, which supports children orphaned by crime
As we step into a new year, I reflect deeply on my role as a lawyer in the criminal justice system and the pressing need for a shift in our global consciousness. The profound consequences of violence on both individuals and society remain a constant source of sorrow. Technological advancements that should elevate humanity are often overshadowed by the tragic reality of war, crime and brutality. The loss of innocent lives, particularly in conflict and crime, is never justifiable. The suffering of families, especially children who are deprived of their parents' love and care, is immeasurable. The scars of such trauma extend beyond the immediate tragedy, often inflicting wounds that last generations.
The enduring wisdom of nonviolence, as advocated by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., shows us that only through understanding, empathy and dialogue can we move toward lasting peace.
This year, let us strive to lead with compassion, nurture understanding and uphold the values of nonviolence. Together, we can build a world where the light of human dignity shines bright, guiding us toward a better tomorrow.
My wish: I dream of a future where there are safe and healthy conditions for workers, where they are free of discrimination and can earn a fair wage.
Ashila Dandeniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka, founder and director of the Stand Up Movement, a women-led organization that advocates for workers' rights.
My father, a government worker in the postal system, fought for labor rights all his life. In 1989, when I was 9 years old, he was one of thousands of people who mysteriously disappeared after political protests. Many were suspected to have been killed at the time — we never heard from him again. When I was 19, my older brother and I knew we had to give up dreams of college and find work to feed my younger brother and sister and our mother.
I went to Jordan as a migrant worker and spent nine horrific months working in a home as a maid. It was slavery. I worked all day long; the physical and mental exhaustion was overwhelming. I fled to Sri Lanka and took on my first factory job as a quality control supervisor. After sexual and verbal harassment from my senior, I quit and took on another factory job at a smaller unit for less pay. Conditions weren't any better.
Favoritism and not performance reviews got you promoted. It was a toxic culture. In January of 2002, I asked for better pay and working conditions — and was unceremoniously fired. I faced that New Year without a job or a hope, filled with fear for the future.
It is my wish that consumers wake up to dismal labor conditions in their own communities and in a wider world, and that they care enough to actively engage for change. They can take simple steps — for instance, look for the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Fair Trade mark on garments and products, which ensures basic worker rights are respected during the manufacturing process. If you can afford it, avoid fast fashion — the cheaper those goods are, the more exploitative.
I hope for a New Year where fair wage is not a dream and where a vulnerable worker doesn't have to live in fear of being unfairly treated.
My wish: Make progress in developing treatments to reduce deaths and complications from dengue
André Siqueira, head of the Dengue Global Programme at Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative and public health researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation's National Infectious Diseases Institute in Brazil
Dengue is an acute viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It has the potential to evolve severely and pose significant challenges to both health systems and affected populations. In 2024, a record-breaking year, more than 14 million dengue cases and over 10,000 deaths were reported globally. Transmission of the disease reached new countries and regions. Contributing factors to this alarming rise include increased human mobility, rapid urbanization, population growth without adequate sanitation, insecticide resistance and, notably, climate change.
Recent advancements in vaccine development (including one registered last year and another with results expected this year) and new control strategies, such as Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, offer hope. However, the increasing global spread of dengue due to human activities and rising temperatures suggests that the burden will continue to grow.
Currently, no treatments exist to prevent severe progression or manage complications. Clinical care focuses on identifying warning signs and administering oral or intravenous fluids, requiring well-prepared health systems and trained professionals. In vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly or those with comorbidities, fluid management can be particularly challenging, increasing the risk of mortality.
The lack of funding and the belief that a viable treatment is unattainable have hindered progress. To address this, a Dengue Alliance has been formed by organizations from countries where the disease spreads, aiming to develop effective treatments. It is crucial that more organizations and funders recognize the gravity of the dengue crisis and collaborate to deliver accessible solutions to combat this growing threat.
My wish: For trekkers and travelers to help clean up the waste they leave behind — and to help protect our natural treasures
Raj Kumar Shrestha, trekking guide, Kathmandu, Nepal, and founder of Let's Clean Up Nepal, an environmental conservation organization
Since 2012, I have been guiding treks across Nepal's diverse landscapes.
Years ago, there were no Coca-Cola or beer bottles in the Everest region. Today, these items are commonplace.
Mountain pollution is worsening every year because many of the country's 3,000 trekking and tour agencies leave their waste behind. Iconic trekking regions like Everest and Manaslu are now plagued with piles of rubbish.
Unfortunately, the government and many trekking agencies seem indifferent to this growing crisis.
Businesses that profit from tourism must take responsibility for waste management. If every trekking agency ensured they left nothing behind except footprints, there would be no need for large-scale mountain cleanup initiatives.
And the government, which collects significant fees from tourists, must invest in sustainable waste management projects.
I believe it's crucial for travelers to take responsibility as well. Whatever waste they generate during treks should be carried back to designated disposal areas or handed over to their trekking agencies.
We all have a shared responsibility to protect our mountains and glaciers.
My wish: Use digital innovation to enable health workers to deliver their care, especially in places where resources are constrained
Dr. Junaid Nabi, public health researcher specializing in health-care reform and innovation, and a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council
I believe this year will continue the trends of using digital innovation to transform global health and development. We already see progress in vaccine distribution and equity, tackling malnutrition and stunting, alleviating the impact of climate change and addressing antibiotic resistance in the Global South.
However, as with all aspects of global health and development, we must focus on the people at the center of this work. We cannot lose sight of the importance of human contributions — the community health workers, nurses, midwives and physicians who are indispensable in delivering health care, especially in lower resource communities.
A synergistic approach can empower these professionals: for example, using digital technologies to automate tasks for vaccination programs (from checking eligibility to sending reminders for vaccine schedules and follow-up doses), providing support for decision-making (including patient triage — by quickly evaluating and prioritizing patients based on clinical severity) and improving resource allocation. We must harness these technologies to ensure equitable health-care delivery while addressing workforce shortages.
This balanced approach will ensure that technological advancements fulfill their primary goal: enhancing patient outcomes while supporting, rather than substituting for, the health-care workforce. As we enter this transformative year, we must remember that global health and development remains a uniquely human endeavor.
My wish: May the year bring peace to the world
Dr. Atsbha Merhawit, Ayder Hospital, specialty in endocrinology and diabetes, Mekelle, Ethiopia
May the sound of a bullet not be heard on earth. In any year, the most important thing I wish for anyone is peace, a land free of war. Where people can live their lives without fear.
My wish: Follow the rules of war regarding the welfare of children
Joe English, New York, N.Y., emergency communication specialist for UNICEF
My wish — honestly, it is that parties to conflict adhere to the rules of war around children that they've agreed to — that their best interests are taken into account at all time. That's it. We're not asking for new laws. We're not asking for new mechanisms, conventions or declarations. We're just asking for parties to conflict to stick to the rules of law and to protect children.
It means taking incredibly seriously the core principles of International Humanitarian Law - humanity, distinction, proportionality and necessity. It means sometimes making choices that may militarily not be the most optimum ones to ensure that you're protecting children – regardless of "what side" that child is on. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child lays this out: children have these rights, and they have to be respected, you know.
We need to see parties held accountable for their actions. We need to see world leaders, people with power, to use their voices and speak up about this, we need international bodies – the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, to do their job in the manner they need to, to really refocus minds, to say that this is not acceptable.
Here's hoping for a better 2025.
Staff correspondent Gabrielle Emanuel and freelance journalists Ari Daniel, Ruchi Kumar, Jill Langlois and Kamala Thiagarajan contributed to this story.
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