Creating lasting change: key priorities shaping the development sector in 2025 and beyond

The development sector is witnessing significant change, driven by many factors reshaping its priorities and key focus areas. With growing challenges and evolving needs, it is also gearing up to drive positive and transformative social change at different levels by incorporating the best principles of business and philanthropy.

This year offers us an opportunity to look forward with optimism and prepare for the challenges and opportunities while ensuring we can contribute to creating lasting and sustainable change. The following key priorities are likely to receive more attention in 2025 and beyond:

Balancing short-term results with long-term, sustainable Impact

A key trend is the growing emphasis on short-term results. There is no denying that keeping an eye on results helps the sector become more responsible but it is also important to understand that achieving sustainable and long-term outcomes in the development sector often requires years of engagement.

None of the problems that civil society tries to solve are easy unidirectional issues.

A short-term vision focussing on quick results may also make one seriously short-sighted. While the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives is commendable and has made vital resources available to the sector, it is important to understand that outcomes that are sustainable, replicable, and scalable, at times, are results of years of work. It is not always an innovative solution that is required many times, it is about tenacity. Had a sculptor thought about chiselling innovatively every time rather than being patiently at it, we would not have probably got The Thinker (the statue) ever.

The challenges at the grass-roots level are diverse and influenced by socio-cultural and economic factors. Addressing them requires patience, persistence, and innovative solutions, tailored for specific local contexts. While it is true that focusing on short-term results can generate momentum and progress, an approach that effectively combines both short-term progress and long-term outcomes will stand the test of time and generate value for the sector and society. It will lasting positive impact on the lives of the people associated with it.

The increasing adoption of technology

Technology is increasingly seen as a major driver of change in the development sector. Our growing reliance on it further underlines its criticality in our daily lives. It is heartening to see the sector opening up to technology adoption. It is believed that the availability of large swathes of data and insights will equip the sector with better decision-making skills, particularly in areas such as program planning, design, and implementation. We at Breakthrough have created a tech-based gender attitude change program. Although it will always be debatable whether a tech-based app can change gender attitudes, the potential reach is exciting.

Technology can potentially eliminate the barriers at the ground level to drive lasting change. While the sector continues to embrace technology adoption, organisations and leaders must ensure that human connection remains at the centre of their programs and interventions. In 2025, social enterprises and non-profits must accelerate the adoption of technology to enhance engagement with grass-roots communities, while ensuring that human connection remains central to their efforts.

Promoting co-learning with Venture Capitals in the development sector

The entry of Venture Capitals (VCs) into the development sector has brought significant financial resources and strategic direction, paving the way for more innovative approaches and solutions. Social enterprise organisations and non-profits can offer insights and expertise from their grassroots-level interventions.

These insights and knowledge can be shared in collaborative platforms to promote co-learning to drive impactful solutions for people and communities. One of the key opportunities for social enterprises and non-profits is to work with VCs to address the critical challenge of scalability.

Co-learning with critical stakeholders in the VC ecosystem will help the sector gain insights into efficient utilisation of resources and their management, while VCs can learn from the grass-roots level experience and expertise of the development sector to bring about sustainable change with community engagement.

Impact of climate change on vulnerable populations

The growing impact of climate change on vulnerable sections of society such as women and girls demands urgent attention from all stakeholders. The development sector will inevitably face the realities of climate change, which extend beyond carbon credits and emissions, directly impacting people’s lives.

Climate change has severely impacted the livelihood options of people living on the margins of society with women and girls from tribal communities being disproportionately affected. For them, challenges and struggles continue as they navigate an already difficult existence. To mitigate and address these challenges, the development sector must prioritise equity, inclusivity, and resilience, thus developing sustainable solutions to safeguard and protect vulnerable populations from climate-induced crises.

The development sector now stands at a pivotal moment in history, where it has to navigate opportunities and challenges. As the sector strives to design a world rooted in equality, it is crucial to prioritise sustainable and inclusive solutions and programs to uplift and benefit the vulnerable sections of society, especially women and girls across the globe.

(Nayana Chowdhury is CEO, Breakthrough Trust)

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)