PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION

PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION

Five years and $575 million later, the United Nations Foundation had proved an unparalleled success in partnering diverse global organizations with United Nations agencies, funds and Programmes to help tackle pressing universal issues such as fighting deadly preventable diseases, promoting women’s health and protecting the environment, the Foundation’s President told reporters this afternoon.

Timothy Wirth said the Foundation and its sister agency the Better World Fund -- born of an unprecedented $1 billion pledge by philanthropist and entrepreneur Ted Turner to support the United Nations -- had awarded more than 350 grants and created some 80 outside partnerships since its inception in 1997.  Mr. Wirth announced that the life of the Foundation, which had originally been scheduled to “sunset” in 2007, would be extended by an additional five years. 

The Foundation and its Board of Directors, headed by Mr. Turner, would now oversee the disbursement of some $500 million -- $50 million per year through 2012 -- in four recognized priority areas:  women and population, the environment, children’s health, and peace, security and human rights.  The Board of Directors had gathered in New York today ahead of a luncheon hosted by the office of the President of the General Assembly, and Secretary-General Kofi Annan at Headquarters.

Asked about his enduring interest in the United Nations, Mr. Turner answered, “Don’t laugh, but I’ve loved the United Nations since I was a boy, and I know it may be hard to love something like this, but how could you not look up to an organization devoted to making the world a better place”.  Mr. Turner said working on behalf of the United Nations had been the greatest honour he’d ever had.

The idea to give the United Nations a gift had come to him five years ago when the United States was in serious default on its assessed contributions to the Organization.  “It looked like Third World countries were paying for the rich”, he said, “and I thought what could I do to give the United Nations a little boost, and figured how about a ‘cool billion’”.  That decision had turned out to be one of the best he’d ever made, he added. 

When he was asked what the mass media could do to help his cause, Mr. Turner said all he wanted was for media organizations to tell the truth -- “the story of the United Nations”.  He added that America’s coverage of the United Nations was “abominable”.  That situation had changed since President Bush’s visit during the opening days of the General Assembly.  “But even when I ran CNN, we did our best to promote the United Nations”, he said.  “We wouldn’t be here without this organization”, he continued.  “We couldn’t have gotten through the Cold War without it, and I’m absolutely certain we would not have made it through the Cuban Missile crisis.”

Mr. Wirth added that the United Nations was not very good at telling its own story.  “Let’s face it”, he continued, “there are wonderful stories that need to get out, and we’re doing the best we can”.  He stressed that the Foundation had become more than a grant-making institution, it was now a very

powerful public affairs institution promoting programmes designed to raise awareness of the important role of the United Nations –- particularly within the United States.  Not only had the foundation been deeply involved in solving America’s financial difficulties with the Organization, it would continue its efforts to mobilize support across the United States for the United Nations. 

“That is a very important mission for us”, he said, “to continue to remind this very large country of some 280 million people that the United Nations and its complicated but indispensable missions were in need of continuing strong support”.  The Foundation had also developed a significant fund-raising capability, now generating from outside agencies nearly $1 for each dollar of Mr. Turner’s original gift used.  Overall, the Foundation had become a very important interface worldwide for organizations searching for partnership within the United Nations system on the important issues of the day, Mr. Wirth said.

Asked whether the current United States administration was “overplaying its hand” at the United Nations, Mr. Turner said he was so pleased to see the United States paying its arrears and participating again –- particularly by rejoining the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)–- that that was something he hadn’t considered.  He did not believe that anyone should be concerned about the United States exerting too much influence, particularly since every Member State had a vote in the Assembly.  He added, however, that perhaps there should be some changes in the Security Council’s permanent membership, which was currently made up of “all the winners of World War II”, and “that War is a long way behind us”, he said.  He also expressed concern that all the Permanent Members were nuclear weapon States.  

Asked whether the current political environment would change the way the Foundation operated, Mr. Wirth said he believed the relationship between the United States and the United Nations was better than it had been in many years.  Since the United States’ financial issues had been addressed and the current Administration had become more active within the Organization, there was a deeper trust on both sides.  The foundation had helped strengthen this relationship, and heading into “the troubled months ahead”, that new relationship would be extremely important to both the United States and the United Nations, he added.

Mr. Wirth went on to say that the Foundation had become a sort of “testing ground” for partnerships and would maintain its priority focus, as well as promote innovative and aggressive partnerships and financial arrangements, particularly in the areas of cultural heritage, women’s issues and children’s health.  He highlighted efforts underway with the World Heath Organization (WHO) toward polio eradication, and noted that the Foundation would partner with the Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control on a broad initiative to combat measles.  Finally, in the area of peace, security and human rights, he said going forward, the Foundation had several projects underway, including one focused on the transfer of information in post-conflict situations.     

Mr. Turner said the current global economic climate, sluggish at best, had severely affected his financial situation.  But he hoped he could make another fortune so he could add to the Foundation later.  “At least we’re pretty much set for the next ten years”, he said, “if things don’t get worse”. 

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