Cisco, Google, And The U.N. Take On Poverty

Google has partnered with many companies and organizations, but a new development is far larger, and should have much more of a real-world impact, than anything we expected to see: the search giant is now working with Cisco and the United Nations to decrease global poverty.

This is not something to which either corporation will devote billions of dollars. On the other hand – and investors are likely to be glad there is another hand – the point of this project is to examine attainable objectives as we approach a target date of 2015.

“The MDG Monitor shows how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” states the homepage of a newly launched website. Cisco entered the equation by supplying technical and financial support; Google came in by offering up Google Earth.

Visitors can use Google Earth to learn about various countries’ MDGs. They may also navigate the site through traditional lists or an interactive map, but a large “Launch Google Earth!” logo on the homepage makes the first option more appealing than the last two.

Of course, it remains to be seen how much the site will accomplish. Still, it’s an admirable effort on the part of some powerful groups to fight disease, child mortality, and all the other results of global poverty.