![[Re]Group](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PUHU!,w_120,h_120,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2fb4256-d509-4e61-827b-2ee678efbba9_256x256.png)
![[Re]Group](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OvcZ!,e_trim:10:white/e_trim:10:transparent/h_182,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2653539-a634-4ef5-9aab-bc4a7546ebc9_1344x500.png)
UN mourns Ted Turner, a ‘tireless champion for our common humanity’
Ted Turner left a “lasting imprint” on the UN
![[Re]Group's avatar](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w0DV!,w_108,h_108,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0517e9f8-af1c-41a5-b83c-2630660e4517_256x256.png)
“The world is facing some tough obstacles, but I’ve never found much use in giving up. It’s much more effective to get to work, and the UN is where that happens.”
Ted Turner, Founder and Chairman, United Nations Foundation
The UN and the UN Foundation are mourning the loss and honoring the life of Ted Turner, who passed away on May 6, 2026. In 1997, Turner pledged $1 billion and created the UN Foundation to support the United Nations and UN causes, at the time the largest individual philanthropic gift in history.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reacted to Turner’s passing: “Ted Turner believed in the United Nations – and in its purpose – at a defining moment. And he invested in that mission.”
UN Foundation President and CEO Elizabeth Cousens noted: “Ted was a visionary with an impatience for change. Even in the face of headwinds, he believed that progress was always in reach and everyone had a role to play in bringing it about.”
He was a “tireless champion for our common humanity,” she said in a statement.
Turner worked with three Secretaries-General to the UN – Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon, and António Guterres. On the 20th anniversary of his historic gift to the UN, he wrote:
“I believe the UN is humanity’s greatest hope for a better planet for my grandchildren and for people everywhere.”
His support for the UN will long be remembered.