New York Times: How to Prioritize U.N. Goals
Abhijit Banerjee, international professor of economics at MIT, and Varad Pande, sustainability science fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School

“…What is needed now is a clear, concise set of objectives [for the Sustainable Development Goals]. Without them, the entire project is in very real danger of failing. If nations can simply ignore the imperatives on the grounds that they are too many, too grandiose and too far out of touch with countries’ limited resources and ability to effect change, the development goals will just be another pious hope in the long list of United Nations-sponsored fantasies. … The United Nations General Assembly has its work cut out. It must balance ambition with practicality. It must devise a tight agenda for the world to collectively strive toward…” (9/10).