Polarization and divisive language could be a major impediment to reaching the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the world needs to prioritize youth education to reach targets by 2030.

That’s from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who also previously served as envoy for the Middle East Quartet, which includes the UN. He sat down with Dan Thomas, who heads up communications for the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, at the recent UN Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal.

Having spent a decade in power from 1997, Mr. Blair began by explaining the early development of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a precursor and blueprint for today’s SDG’s