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Youngsters from more than 50 countries have joined the recently retired French tennis ace Fabrice Santoro in Paris for the annual Open des Jeunes-BNP Paribas Cup, a tournament co-organized by the United Nations for young players age 12 to 14 that will also touch on themes such as doping, sustainable development and world heritage.

The head of the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) today praised the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) industrialized nations for recognizing the importance of the need to spur economic recovery and generate employment.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the Turkish Cypriot leader to “grasp the current political window of opportunity to reach a settlement” in the dispute over the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) opened its Emergency Operation Centre this weekend to Prince Harry of the United Kingdom, who got a firsthand look at how the UN agency uses mapping technology to coordinate relief and rescue, such as during the Haiti earthquake in January, from New York.

As he continues to take part in this weekend's summit of the leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) industrialized and developing economies, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today emphasized the importance of stepping up efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during a private meeting with the top officials of two European Union institutions.

In a continued push to keep the poorest and most vulnerable at the forefront of international discussions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) to scale up investment in clean energy and green economy as part of the effort to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Drug abuse and illicit trafficking hold back achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and should be fought as part of an overall policy to wipe out social ills, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

Too many countries are still practising or tolerating “cruel, degrading and illegal” acts of torture, top United Nations officials said today as they pledged the UN's solidarity with the millions of torture victims worldwide.

The joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur has helped local civil society groups collect thousands of books through a music festival designed to highlight Sudanese culture and its role in maintaining peace in the war-torn area.

Despite rising budget deficit and severe fiscal problems, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) industrialized and developing economies to take urgent steps to help the poor and vulnerable make ends meet through investment.