News outlets report on the adoption of new global goals at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit, which ended Sunday in New York.

Agence France-Presse: World leaders adopt U.N. goals to end poverty in 15 years
“World leaders on Friday pledged to end extreme poverty within 15 years, adopting an ambitious set of U.N. goals to be backed up by trillions of dollars in development spending…” (Landry, 9/25).

Associated Press: U.N. summit approves 15-year blueprint to eradicate poverty
“…Pope Francis gave his backing to the new development agenda in an address to the U.N. General Assembly before the summit to adopt the 17-point plan opened, calling it ‘an important sign of hope’ at a very troubled time in the Middle East and Africa…” (Lederer, 9/25).

The Guardian: Global goals received with rapture in New York — now comes the hard part
“…After speeches from Pope Francis and the Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, and songs from Shakira and Angelique Kidjo, the ambitious agenda — which aims to tackle poverty, climate change, and inequality for all people in all countries — was signed off by 193 countries at the start of a three-day U.N. summit on sustainable development…” (Ford, 9/25).

New York Times: U.N. Adopts Ambitious Global Goals After Years of Negotiations
“…Though the goals are not legally binding on any country, they gain moral force from having been adopted by consensus after three years of lengthy negotiations. The sticking points along the way included objections from Qatar, the Vatican, and others over access to sexual and reproductive health services, and pushback from the United States and others over reducing inequality…” (Sengupta, 9/25).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Leaders call for ‘less conversation, more action’ after adopting U.N. global goals
“…Described by the United Nations secretary-general as ‘a to-do list for people and planet,’ the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are to be implemented over the next 15 years with a big global push to win public and political support…” (Wulfhorst, 9/25).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. adopts new Global Goals, charting sustainable development for people and planet by 2030
“…In his opening address to the Assembly, which also marks the organization’s 70th anniversary, the U.N. chief hailed the new framework as an agenda for shared prosperity, peace, and partnership. ‘It conveys the urgency of climate action. It is rooted in gender equality and respect for the rights of all’…” (9/25).

Wall Street Journal: World Leaders Tackle Development Goals
“…Some of the goals are easier to achieve than others, experts say, such as eradicating extreme poverty and improving sanitation. Since the year 2000, when similar goals were set by the U.N., the number of people living in extreme poverty has been reduced by half and fewer deaths are attributed today to diseases like malaria. The more challenging changes include costly ones such as climate-change regulations and securing women’s rights, for instance in cases of child marriage, where local laws and cultures clash with U.N. guidelines…” (Fassihi, 9/27).