CIGI's Development Program focuses on "global development," which emphasizes the importance of systemic coherence and shared responsibility for overcoming global and international challenges to equitable growth and sustainable development.

The overall goal of CIGI's Global Development program is to identify international governance innovations and adjustments that support sustainable development and poverty reduction, and facilitate the shift to more effective, efficient and equitable delivery of global public goods.

CIGI's research will develop options for supporting the reorganization of the global development system, to respond to significant changes in the global context.

The research will aim to build new multilateral consensus between the emerging donors (state and non-state) and traditional donors on concrete benefit-sharing arrangements and innovative financing of infrastructure development and connectivity, technology sharing and food security. Consideration will also be given to rethinking global development policy and priorities beyond the Millennium Development Goals post-2015.