The U.N.’s original definition of the term has been corrupted, and the current U.N. iteration (in a set of 17 Development Goals) is an overreach. Either way it’s failing. What is to be done? This currently fashionable concept first arose in the 1980s. A U.N. report stressed that it should be about basic needs. Our current emphasis on “growth” and increased “wealth” is unsustainable. I believe we must return to the original 1987 U.N. definition, which focused on our basic needs, and make it a global priority going forward.