Will even one of the U.N.'s 17 'sustainable development goals' be met by 2030?

United Nations By any standards, it was an eye-popping to-do list.

No poverty. Zero hunger. Quality education for all. Gender equality. Clean water and sanitation. Reduced inequalities. Peace, justice and strong Institutions.

In September 2015, these were just some of the 17 goals that global leaders set for themselves to accomplish in the next fifteen years. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals , broken down into 169 targets, were meant to transform the world by 2030.

A decade later, that deadline is closing in, but the world is nowhere near achieving much of what it promised. According to the U.N.'s latest assessment report"

These numbers raise big questions. Were these goals just too unrealistic and ambitious in the first place? Can the world expect to tick some of those boxes before the deadline? And if none of the goals are met, is the enterprise a failure?