25 JULY 2005

Months after touring tsunami-hit southern Thailand, pop star-turned-United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Ricky Martin is once again showing his most caring side, helping launch the 25th annual Arab Children's Congress in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

The chart-topping singer met with Jordan's Queen Noor as he took centre stage at the international teen summit, which brings together young people from the Arab world, Asia and Europe to discuss cultural and humanitarian issues.

Ricky has taken up a high-profile role as a children's advocate in recent years, stepping to the forefront of a campaign against child trafficking. And last month, the US State Department recognised the star for "lending a powerful voice to vulnerable children who are unable to speak for themselves".

The Latin hunk, who created the Ricky Martin Foundation to help charitable causes, once made the heart-felt plea: "Let's do something… It's all about talking about things that need to be done to create a better world, especially for generations to come."

And he apparently puts his money where his mouth is – Habitat For Humanity recently revealed Ricky made a "significant donation" to build homes for more than 200 families who survived last December's tsunami disaster in Thailand.