of survey respondents indicate that development professionals will be more successful having a basic understanding of how to work with a wide range of funders and partners, including bilateral aid agencies, multilateral agencies, foundations and the private sector, as opposed to having deep knowledge of working with one specific type of funder or partner
of survey respondents believe English language skills will be much more or somewhat more important in the future than they are today, followed by Chinese (54%) and Arabic (53%)
“With diminishing donor funds and a vision to move countries beyond aid, development specialists will need to have a working proficiency in private sector engagement to help governments engage the private sector.”
–––––– Survey respondent
Public-Private Partnership
Corporate Social Responsibility
Research Institutions
Impact Investments
Blended Finance
Development Impact Bonds
We know that the ability to speak multiple languages is significant for development professionals, but our survey respondents predict that English skills will be most important in the future, followed by the emerging global languages Chinese and Arabic.
65%
The development finance landscape is shifting, which holds major implications for the future development professional. Survey respondents anticipate that donor diversification and innovative partnership trends will continue. They believe cross-sector partnerships are critical to the future of development work, which requires professionals to understand different funding agencies, modalities, channels, procurement practices and stakeholder interests.
84%
Private sector funding and engagement in international development will impact the skills needed to thrive and excel as a development professional. Survey respondents indicate the highest levels of familiarity with public-private partnership, among all new development funding sources. Other more nascent and innovative financing mechanisms, such as blended finance and development impact bonds, are not yet well-understood by the majority of development professionals.
New Development Funding Sources
Most Familiar
Least Familiar