Our vision

Welcome to this site, intended for everyone who is interested in the future of development. 

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals provide us with a north star to guide our choices towards a better, fairer future for all. 

Responding to persistent inequality, decarbonising our economies, managing the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on our labour markets and societies, building resilience and managing risks: these are existential challenges for which our current systems and modus operandi are not sufficient. The COVID-19 pandemic brought that message home more starkly. 

In a world of nearly 10 billion people, we can all play a role. We need to move from incremental to transformative action.  We need to frame our thinking about development not as “either-or” choices or zero-sum games, but more expansively and creatively, inviting imaginative solutions and new possibilities for action. 

Neither UNDP nor the UN can do this in isolation. We are part of a broader community that seeks to deepen the conversation and tap the wisdom and experience of those at the cutting edge of change.  

This site aims to be part of those conversations: an evolving ‘space’ to share reflections and provocations on the future of development.  To provide food for thought on the choices we are all making – governments, business, individuals and societies - that can transform development in the 21st century, in the interests of our and future generations.