<pre>UN, GOOGLE AND CISCO UNVEIL ONLINE TOOL IN BATTLE AGAINST GLOBAL POVERTY<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>New York, Nov 1 2007 4:00PM<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>The United Nations has teamed up with technology leaders Google and Cisco
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>to launch a new online site to track global progress toward achieving the <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - the set of ambitious targets the
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>world has set itself for slashing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>other social ills by 2015.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>MDG Monitor is a web application that tracks real-time progress toward the <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Goals in a number of categories in nearly every country in the world.
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>In addition to featuring information on the MDGs, the new online resource <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>will serve as an educational and advocacy platform with the most current
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>data in areas such as public health, education and women's empowerment.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Launching the project today at UN Headquarters in New York,
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the MDG Monitor the "newest beacon in <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>the fight against extreme poverty and inequality."
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>"Now, for the first time, all information on the MDGs is available in one <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>place, for all who seek it, with a few simple clicks of the mouse," he
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>stated. "The MDG Monitor will not only help measure progress towards the <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Goals, it will also identify gaps and pinpoint areas where additional
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>efforts are required."<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>The Secretary-General noted that while the world is facing a "development
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>emergency," it also has at its disposal the means to cut poverty in half <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>in the span of a generation. But ultimately, achieving the MDGs is a
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>matter of political will.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>"There is no silver bullet, but the resources, knowledge and tools for
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>achieving the Goals do exist," he stressed. "Having the tools to closely <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>monitor data on the MDGs is one of the most important requirements for
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>this endeavour to succeed."<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>accurate data is vital to the campaign to achieve the MDGs.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>The MDG Monitor fills an important gap, since information on progress <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>toward the Goals was not, until now, readily and easily available in one <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>place, he noted.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Highlighting the role played by Google and Cisco in this process, he said <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>"we really need all hands on deck as we redouble our efforts, and partners <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>like you are essential."<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>Among its features, MDG Monitor allows web surfers to use Google Earth to <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>go anywhere on the planet and explore the places where work is being done <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>to realize the MDGs, with access to country assessments and data collected <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>by the UN worldwide.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>The online tool enables more than 300 million Google Earth users to better <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>understand the Goals and what it will take to achieve them through the MDG <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
> </span>Monitor website (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.mdgmonitor.org/">www.mdgmonitor.org</a>).<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>"Google's collaboration with the UNDP represents a belief that the MDGs
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>stand for basic and critical human progress," stated Michael T. Jones, <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Chief Technologist for Google Earth and Maps.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">
></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>"We have multiple legs on our stool and that is one of the pillars that we <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>take pride in," said Cisco Senior Vice President Carlos Dominguez.
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Noting that the MDGs are "lofty goals and ones that are not easily <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>attainable, and really requires a whole community and a global effort to
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>attain," he stressed the crucial need for tools to monitor and analyze <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>what works and which areas need additional support.
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>Agreed by world leaders from 189 countries in New York in 2000, the MDGs <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>call for quantified, time-bound progress in eradicating extreme poverty
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>equality and the empowerment of women; reducing child mortality; improving
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring <br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for
<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>development.<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">> </span>2007-11-01 00:00:00.000<br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span><br><span class="moz-txt-citetags">></span>
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