SCO

Why in News?

The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation “strongly condemned” terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the Pahal-gam attack and the attacks on Jaffar Express and Khuzdar in Pakistan in Tianjin summit.

UPSC Relevance 

Questions are often asked about regional blocks and international groupings in Prelims.

PYQ

2023 Prelims

Consider the following statements about G-20:

1. The G-20 group was originally established as a platform for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss international economic and financial issues.
2. Digital public infrastructure is one of India’s G-20 priorities.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

 (a) 1 only

 (b) 2 only

 (c) Both 1 and 2

 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Outcomes from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin

• Counter-Terrorism: The Tianjin Declaration, adopted by all members, including India, Pakistan, and Russia, strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, specifically mentioning attacks in Pakistan (Pahalgam, Jaffar Express, and Khuzdar). The declaration called for an end to “cross-border movement” of terrorists and reiterated the commitment to fighting against terrorism, separatism, and extremism. It also stressed the inadmissibility of using these groups for “mercenary purposes.”
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked whether “open support” of terrorism by some countries was acceptable, as he spoke at the summit meeting of the heads of state of the SCO on Monday. He said, “We must jointly oppose terrorism in all its forms and colours.”
• Global Governance and Economy:
  • The member states opposed “unilateral coercive measures, including those of an economic nature,” a possible reference to U.S. tariffs.
  • Chinese President Xi Jinping criticized “bullying behaviour” and “cold war mentality” in the global order, advocating for fairness, justice, and multilateralism.
  • China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed by President Xi, which aims to support the UN’s central role and encourage countries to reform the global governance system.

Global governance does not imply a single world government, but a complex network of actors—including states, international organizations (like the United Nations and World Trade Organization), non-governmental organizations, businesses, and civil society—that work together to manage global challenges. It is exercised through both formal systems (such as international treaties or institutions) and informal arrangements (like guidelines or ad hoc coalitions)

• The SCO decided to establish an SCO development bank, a long-term goal of Beijing.
• The declaration also welcomed a UN General Assembly resolution to combat Nazism, neo-Nazism, and other forms of racism and xenophobia.
• Regional and International Issues:
  • Gaza and West Asia: The SCO expressed “deep concern” over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and strongly condemned actions leading to civilian casualties. The declaration stated that a “comprehensive and just settlement” of the Palestinian issue is the only way to ensure peace in West Asia.
  • Iran: Member states, including India, strongly condemned the military strikes by Israel and the U.S. against Iran in June. They reaffirmed the importance of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which includes lifting sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 was a 20 July 2015 resolution endorsing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the nuclear program of Iran. It sets out an inspection process and schedule while also preparing for the removal of United Nations sanctions against Iran.

• Afghanistan: The declaration noted the political situation in Afghanistan, reiterating that lasting peace and stability can only be achieved through an “inclusive government with broad participation of representatives of all ethno-political groups.”
• Organizational and Financial Developments:
  • The SCO merged its “dialogue partner” and “observer” statuses into a single “partner” status.
  • Laos was accepted as a partner country, bringing the total number of partners to 17 and the total strength of the grouping to 27 (10 members and 17 partners).
  • All member states, except India, reaffirmed their support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
  • President Xi pledged a ¥2 billion grant to member countries this year and an additional ¥10 billion loan to member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years.
  • Pakistan and Armenia announced the establishment of diplomatic relations during the summit.

About SCO

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a key intergovernmental international organization focused on regional stability, cooperation, and development across Eurasia.

Establishment and Historical Background

• The SCO was officially established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• It evolved from the Shanghai Five mechanism (1996), with Uzbekistan joining as the sixth founding member.
• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 in St. Petersburg, coming into force on September 19, 2003.

Goals and Core Principles

• Strengthen mutual trust, friendship, and good-neighborliness among member states.
• Promote effective cooperation in politics, economics, science & technology, culture, education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and more.
• Ensure and maintain regional peace, security, and stability.
• Advance a democratic, fair, and rational international order.
• The “Shanghai Spirit” embodies mutual trust, benefit, equality, consultation, cultural respect, and common development.

Organizational Structure

• Council of Heads of States (CHS): The top decision-making body, meets annually to decide important issues.
• Council of Heads of Government (CHG): Meets annually for strategic and budgetary decisions, focusing on economic and multilateral cooperation.
• Additional Councils: Regular meetings among ministers and officials in foreign affairs, national defense, security, economy, culture, health, education, transport, emergency, science & tech, agriculture, judiciary, tourism, energy, poverty alleviation, sports, etc..
• Council of National Coordinators: Manages coordination among member states for daily functioning.

Two Standing Bodies of SCO

• Secretariat: Based in Beijing, China.
• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS): Based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, focuses on combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
• The SCO Secretary General and RATS Executive Committee Director are appointed for three-year terms. 

Membership and Participation

• Member States (10): Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
• Observer States (2): Afghanistan and Mongolia.
• Dialogue Partners (15): Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Laos (latest).

NOTE : Now onwards all the observer and dialogue states shall be known just as ‘Partner’.

Initiatives and Expansion

• SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group: Established in 2005 to facilitate peace and cooperation.
• Economic Integration: Programs for trade and free movement, including an emerging SCO Development Bank.
• Regular summits and development strategies aim at increasing intra-SCO trade and regional development.

Decision Making

• SCO decisions are reached by consensus, generally requiring unanimity among all member states.
• Russia and China play influential roles, but all states participate in setting direction and policy.
• Official languages: Russian and Chinese.