The Daily Tell

United Nations Foundation chairman and founder Ted Turner announced Wednesday that the NGO will give $1 million to support the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund’s relief efforts for earthquake victims in Haiti.

The UN Cerf Fund has already devoted $10 million to support humanitarian deployments to the disaster-stricken country, Turner noted. Its immediate focus will be on delivering emergency life-saving aid and supplies, as well as rebuilding the country’s communications infrastructure.

"We are grateful for the close coordination of the U.S. government and other partners to ensure that timely, effective assistance gets to those that need it most," said Turner.

More than 9,000 UN peacekeeping troops were already present in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Early reports indicated that UN peacekeepers and other international workers may have suffered considerable casualties following the collapse of the UN headquarters building in Haiti.

Turner offered special condolences for Hedi Annabi, head of the UN’s stabilization meeting in Haiti, who has been missing since the time of the earthquake. The UN’s stabilization mission in Hati has been ongoing since the mid-1990s.

"We offer condolences to the families of those Haitians, UN peacekeepers and other international staff who have suffered tremendous losses," Turner said.

The January 12 earthquake in Haiti resulted in the devastation of much of the country’s infrastructure, and resulted in as many as 50,000 deaths, according to the Red Cross. The U.S. Geological Survey registered the earthquake as a 7.0 in magnitude, placing it on the upper edge of measurable strength. President Obama pledged U.S support for the earthquake victims on January 14. Current U.S. plans include airlifts of medicine, food and other supplies, as well as coordination with NGO workers already on the ground.