The article deals with the problems of eliminating interregional differences, through the development at the state level of scientifically and economically sound programs and strategies of regional development based on a variety of factors affecting socio-economic development. Often, these factors enhance the differentiation of regions, which negatively affects their social and economic situation, and in this connection, the problem of smoothing such differentiation is relevant. The federal target programs currently being implemented do not always cover the whole range of specific regional problems and do not contribute to their most effective solution, since access to federal resources differs from one region to another. On the basis of the analysis of the state program of the Russian Federation “Development of the North Caucasus Federal District for the period up to 2025”, the main shortcomings of the program regulation of regional development are identified. In this regard, it was concluded that regional development programs developed as basic strategic documents should be based on the principle of “sustainable development”, the essence of which is that the real values of the size of material growth of a particular region are determined not so much by physical reasons, but by environmental, biological factors, as well as cultural, social and psychological factors.