Target 17.11: Increase developing-country exports
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries' share of global exports by 2020
Owners voting their values help. Others must carry most of it.
Why shareholder democracy is helpful
The LDC share of global merchandise exports was 1.1 percent in 2022, against a 2011 baseline of 1.02 percent, far from the doubling target. Sourcing decisions by multinational buyers in apparel, agriculture and minerals influence LDC export volumes. UNCTAD reports LDC FDI inflows of 31 billion dollars in 2023, concentrated in a few countries. Trade preferences, infrastructure and productive capacity remain the main drivers, so owners of the multinational buyers help at the margin by pressing for LDC sourcing and investment commitments.
How this was scoredHelpful
Helpful. Owners voting their values help. Others must carry most of it.
We have not yet written down the two answers behind this rating. Recording them on every item, so a reader can check the reasoning and not only the conclusion, is work in progress.
Every rating is the higher of two answers, one for what companies do and one for what they spend to stop the outcome, because the same vote reaches both. See the full method.
Sources
No shareholder advocacy found yet
We looked and found nothing that met our standard, which is a source we opened and confirmed. Shareholder advocacy on multinational sourcing exists, but it concerns labour rights, living wages and supply chain due diligence, not the export volumes or export share of least developed countries. ICCR's least-developed-country results are on COP26 and Bangladeshi worker rights. No proposal, letter or voting policy asking companies to commit to LDC sourcing or investment for export growth met the standard.
How this rating was made
Every item on every one of our maps is read against one question: how far does this depend on the people who own companies voting their values? We answer it twice, once for what companies do and once for what they spend to stop the outcome, and take whichever answer is higher, since the same vote reaches both. The score carries its reasoning and its sources so that a reader can check it rather than take it.
- Pivotal. Owners voting their values can deliver most of the outcome.
- Necessary. Owners remove an obstacle nothing else removes, and others must also act.
- Helpful. Owners voting their values help, and others carry most of it.
- Independent. This moves without owners. Other levers carry it.
The advocacy record on this page holds only what a source we opened says happened. Where we searched and found nothing, the page says so rather than leaving a silence. Where a campaign names a filer the source does not name, it says that too. Ratings are ours; the list of subjects is UN Sustainable Development Goals's, and we link to their original.
How we score dependency, in full.