The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of targets that guide development priorities for the next 15 years. The agenda has both been applauded and dismissed as too ambitious. Ambition is good. Perhaps, failure is even to be expected. But as global targets for all humanity, they should continually push member states to aim higher and strive to do more.

The key action items of the agenda are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 goals and 169 sub-goals that replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) that were adopted in 2000 by the General Assembly to focus international humanitarian and development assistance efforts.

The original eight goals included the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promotion of gender equality; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development.