Duke Kunshan University marked United Nations Day with an event featuring Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN resident coordinator in China, who delivered a keynote address emphasizing the need for collective action, followed by a Q&A session with students and faculty moderated by Executive Vice Chancellor John Quelch.
Chatterjee, who leads and coordinates the work of over 26 UN agencies, funds and programs in China, focused on global vulnerabilities exposed by recent crises, including the pandemic, during his keynote titled “SDGs, the Pact for the Future, and the UN in China.”
“The pandemic exposed the fragility of human health and our global economic systems, illuminating deep-rooted inequalities,” he said.
Pointing to a sharp rise in climate-related disasters, Chatterjee added that in the 1970s, we used to have about 70 to 80 natural disasters; now, it’s 700 to 800 a year, and warned that “no one is immune” from these global challenges, stressing the need for “urgent, united action.”
During the Q&A, Chatterjee responded to questions about the UN’s role in supporting youth and adapting global governance structures, emphasizing resilience and adaptability in international service.
He advised the students to be “ready to serve in some of the most difficult parts of the world,” reflecting on his first job as a security guard at the gate, where he learned humility and gained a better perspective.
Chatterjee told the students: “The choices you make today will shape the world for generations to come.”
Chatterjee also praised China’s rapid economic growth and poverty reduction, adding that the UN’s partnerships with China on poverty, climate action, and sustainable infrastructure could inspire other regions, particularly Africa, where the population is expected to double by 2050.
The event was moderated by Quelch, who connected it to Remembrance Day and the UN’s founding on Oct. 24, 1945, in the aftermath of World War II.
Quelch highlighted the UN’s establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, emphasizing Article 1’s statement that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
