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UNITED NATIONS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday emphasized the importance of cooperation in today's turbulent world.

"In a world of shared dangers, cooperation is not naivete. It is the clearest-eyed realism there is," Guterres said at an informal meeting of the General Assembly to mark UN Charter Day.

"A world where the rules apply only to some is not a world of order. It is a world of uncertainty, injustice and impunity. Some tell us the answer to this turbulence is to retreat -- behind walls, behind borders, behind the comforting fiction that any nation can weather the storms of our age alone," he said.

"They are wrong. Retreat is not safety. It is surrender. No border can hold back a warming planet. No country can govern artificial intelligence alone, end a pandemic alone, or shield its people from global shocks alone," he said.

Guterres cautioned that cooperation only works when it is grounded in rules.

"I've said it before: the Charter is not an a la carte menu. Its principles are not optional, and they are not negotiable," said the UN chief.

The principles give every member state a choice and every people the protection of the law. When these foundations are weakened, every country is less secure, said Guterres. "That is why we must uphold the Charter's purposes and principles and respect international law, including international humanitarian law."

He stressed the need to strengthen diplomacy and solidarity across regions, and accelerate action on sustainable development, as peace, dignity and opportunity go hand in hand.

Guterres said the United Nations must be reformed to reflect today's realities. But reform must strengthen the United Nations, not weaken it, he said.

"The answer is not less cooperation. It is stronger cooperation. Cooperation rooted in the charter -- and in the simple truth that our futures are bound together. Cooperation that rebuilds trust through action, defends the principles that bind us, and proves that multilateralism can deliver for people," said the UN chief.

The UN Charter was born from catastrophe and from the courage to build a better world. That work is unfinished, Guterres said. "And it falls to us. To uphold the Charter. To strengthen the United Nations. To choose -- again -- peace, justice and our common humanity. And prove what becomes possible when 'we the peoples' act as one."