Siddharth Chatterjee, the United Nations development system resident coordinator in China, has underlined the need to shore up international cooperation for multilateralism at an event in celebration of the 78th United Nations Day on Monday.

The world has reached "a tipping point" and is running out of time to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals and save the planet from the worst effects of climate change, he said when addressing the event.

He warned that while the most significant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have passed, "the long-term consequences are still being felt, particularly in low and middle-income nations".

"UN Day marks the Organization's creation and gives a chance for us to reflect on and reaffirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and emphasize the critical role multilateralism must play in addressing our common challenges," he said.

Chatterjee expressed his gratitude to China for its "unwavering support for the United Nations in China, since we established our presence in this very compound in 1979".

"I want to thank every member of the UN Country Team in China for their hard work and perseverance every day to make a difference," he added.