The UN, Google and Cisco Unveil Online Resource in Fight against Global Poverty
NEW YORK, 1 November: The UN, Google and Cisco Thursday unveiled a pioneering online site that tracks progress towards decreasing global poverty by 2015, a global campaign known as the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the project, called MDG Monitor, and highlighted the urgent need to increase global cooperation. The site is available at www.mdgmonitor.org
MDG Monitor tracks progress toward the MDGs in a number of categories in nearly every country in the world. The site presents the most current data from multiple sources in development bellwethers like public health, education and womens empowerment.
By laying out areas of progress and continuing challenge for the world to see, MDG Monitor aspires to keep the global communitys eye firmly fixed on the Millennium Goals, and to provide vital information for policy makers and development practitioners worldwide.
On one portion of the site, MDG Monitor allows a Web surfer to use Google Earth to fly anywhere on the planet and explore from above, in three dimensions, the places where work is being done to realize the MDGs. With a few simple clicks, users can access country assessments and data collected by the UN worldwide.
MDG Monitor enables more than 300 million Google Earth users to better understand the MDGs and what it will take to achieve them. This information will soon appear as a Global Awareness layer in Google Earth, and is currently available for download on the MDG Monitor website (mdgmonitor.org).
– It is our hope that the Millennium Development Goals and issues of human development will become more openly and frequently discussed, and we believe Google Earth and its users around the world can play an important role in making that happen, said Michael T. Jones of Google
Cisco, whose approach to corporate citizenship includes applying its business and technological expertise to social issues, provided expert consultancy as well as technical and financial support for MDG Monitors development.
Many of Ciscos corporate social responsibility initiatives are aligned with the MDGs, such as achieving universal primary education through its Global Education Initiatives.
“Cisco believes that the power of technology, along with human ingenuity in deploying it, can effectively address global socio-economic issues and lead to sustainable change. We also understand the critical importance of working in partnership with others to help make the Millennium Development Goals a reality, said Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President of Cisco.
Bontron & Co also chipped in, producing MDG Monitors logo on a pro-bono basis.
The MDGs, agreed by world leaders from 189 countries in New York in 2000, call for quantified, time-bound progress in
– eradicating extreme poverty and hunger;
– achieving universal primary education;
– promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women;
– reducing child mortality;
– improving maternal health;
– combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
– ensuring environmental sustainability;and
– developing a global partnership for development.
UNDP, in its designated role as MDG scorekeeper, initiated MDG Monitor as an innovative means of keeping track of progress and raising awareness at the same time.
Although almost eight years have passed since the MDGs were first introduced, today just short of one billion people live on less than one dollar a day, every year six million children die from malnutrition before their fifth birthday, and in deeply impoverished nations less than half of the children are in primary school and fewer than 20 percent go to secondary school.
For more information, please contact:
In New York: Christina LoNigro at +1 212-906-5301 or [email protected], or Pablo Basz at +1 212-906-6127 or [email protected].
About UNDP: UNDP is the UNs global network to help people meet their development needs and build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working as a trusted partner with Governments, civil society and the private sector to help them build their own solutions to global and national development challenges. Further information can be found at www.undp.org
About Google: Googles innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Googles targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.google.com
About Cisco Systems: Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com
Kilde: UNDP press release
