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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Monday stressed the need for the international community to unite in tackling key global challenges such as economic crisis, unemployment, inequality and the consequences of climate change.

Ban's statement was contained in his message for the United Nations Day, which fell on Monday this year, marking the 66th anniversary of the founding of the world body.

"Global problems demand global solutions," the secretary- general said here in the message. "They compel all nations to unite in action on an agenda for the world's people."

Ban said the world has made remarkable progress since the UN was born 66 years ago, but all this progress is threatened by global challenges such as economic and political turbulence, unemployment, inequality and climate change.

"In these turbulent times, there is only one answer -- unity of purpose," the secretary-general said, emphasizing that the UN was needed more than ever to build a better world, and to support the poorest and most vulnerable people to enhance global peace and social justice.

Ban reiterated that the world's population will hit the seven- billion mark in one week and with the seven billionth member of the human family coming, "we are seven billion strong."

The UN Day was marked with various activities in UN offices and missions around the world, including in Sudan's region of Darfur, where the UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (UNAMID) held military and police parades. It was also an occasion to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in their service of the organization.