Prioritizing Agenda 2030: How do Global South leaders navigate trade-offs and assess relevance?

Global agendas like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are intentionally comprehensive, aiming to mobilize money and action for an ambitious slate of economic, environmental, governance, and social issues. To better understand how Global South leaders navigate competing development priorities, we analyze nearly 10,000 responses by these leaders to surveys conducted by AidData in 2017, 2020, and 2024. 

Public, private, and civil society leaders from 148 countries and territories shared their views on the development challenges they most sought to tackle before, during, and after a global pandemic. In the 2024 survey, respondents also assessed the trade-offs of development projects that incorporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) safeguards. This brief explores areas of convergence and divergence in priorities between leaders, citizens, and funders over a pivotal period for global development.