The founder of CNN and Turner Broadcasting as well as the former owner of the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks, Ted Turner is one of America's wealthiest individuals. At age 75, he is worth over $2 billion and is one of the largest landowners in the country.
Turner believes his best investment came in 1998 when he pledged $1 billion to the United Nations Foundation (UNF). The idea was to help the United Nations tackle challenges that transcend political borders, by connecting it to experts from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the business community. As Turner nears the fulfillment of his pledge, the UNF's achievements include: the immunization of over one billion children, the distribution of over four million antimalarial beds and a series of climate change initiatives that guide current UN-led negotiations.
The UNF has drawn high-profile advocates from around the world -- ranging from former presidents and business leaders to media professionals and A-list celebrities, who gather at the annual Global Leadership Dinner in New York, where The Diplomatic Courier caught up with Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Post 2015 Development Planning; Radha Muthiah, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Robert Orr, UN Assistant Secretary General for Policy Coordination & Strategic Planning.
To learn more about the UNF and how you can get involved, click here.
INTERVIEWS
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Interview conducted by DC-based video journalist Monica Gray. Video was originally published by the Diplomatic Courier magazine and has been republished with permission. Copyright 2006-2013 The Diplomatic Courier™. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.