New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, virtually on Tuesday. The summit’s importance and scope will be demonstrated by the gathering of recognized leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation with international standing. Its establishment was officially declared in June 2001 in Shanghai, China, by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Tajikistan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) currently consists of nine Member States, namely China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran. Additionally, there are three Observer States, including Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia, that have expressed interest in obtaining full membership.
The organisation also maintains six “Dialogue Partners”: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. Notably, in 2021, Iran initiated the process of joining the SCO as a full member, while Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia joined as dialogue partners.
India’s association with the SCO began in 2005 as an Observer country. India became a full Member State of the SCO at the Astana Summit in 2017, which was a historic moment in India’s engagement with the organisation.
India took over the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for the first time from Uzbekistan during the Samarkand Summit in September 2022. India’s presidency will span a year, concluding in September 2023, during which it will hold leadership and organisational responsibilities within the SCO.
Major Highlights of India’s Presidency of SCO 2022-23 :
• In the course of India’s presidency, SCO has touched new milestones in the range, depth and intensity of engagements and interactions across a wide ranging sectors.
• Theme of India’s chairship of SCO- SECURE is derived from the acronym given by Hon’ble PM at the 2018 Sco Qingdao Summit.
It stands for:
• S : Security,
• E: Economic development,
• C: Connectivity,
• U: Unity,
• R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity
• E: Environmental protection
• India created five new pillars and focus areas of cooperation in SCO, these are Startups and Innovation, Traditional Medicine, Digital Inclusion, Youth Empowerment and Shared Buddhist Heritage.
• Two new mechanisms in SCO, Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and Experts Working Group on Traditional Medicine were created on India’s initiative; we intend to contribute substantially in both these areas.
• To further the PM’s vision of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakom (World is one Family), India emphasised on building greater people to people connect. A number of signature events were held under the Indian Chair of SCO with the intention to further deepen people to people connect.
• There was an unprecedented level of engagement with the SCO Observers and Dialogue Partners under Indian Chair with their participation in 14 socio-cultural events.
• The SCO meeting marked a significant moment as it was the first time in 12 years that a Pakistani Foreign Minister attended an international forum held in India.
• Events like SCO Film Festival,SCO Millet Food Festival”, “SCO Film Festival”, “SCO Cultural showcase at SurajKund Mela”, “SCO Tourism Mart”, “Conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage”, “B2B Conference on Traditional Medicine”, SCO International Conference of Think Tanks.
• Kashi/varanasi: Drawing focus on India’s millenia old cultural and civilisational heritage, Kashi/ Varanasi was celebrated as the 1st SCO Tourist and Cultural Capital of SCO 2022-23. This served to highlight the millenia old culture of the immortal city.
• The Youth Empowerment was another focus area of Indian chair, events like Young Authors Conference, Young Scientist Conclave, Startup Forum, SCO Youth Council and Conference, SCO Resident Researchers Programme where the SCO young scholar from the Member State stayed in India for a month to conduct research activities.
• On 4-5 May India hosted the Foreign Ministers of SCO in Goa, this was marked by a colourful cultural program and substantive discussions the following day. Goa showcased its warm hospitality, unique culture and distinct heritage.
• EAM inaugurated New Delhi Hall virtually at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing during India’s presidency of SCO.
• A commemorative stamp was released to mark the first ever SCO presidency of India.
SCO Objectives:
• The main objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are to foster stronger mutual trust and cooperation among its member states.
• The organisation aims to facilitate and promote effective collaboration in various domains such as trade, politics, research, economy, technology, and culture. Additionally, the SCO focuses on areas including education, transportation, energy, environmental protection, tourism, and other relevant sectors to promote comprehensive regional development and cooperation.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) member states have a common commitment to working together to promote regional security, stability, and peace. Together, they wish to create a new global political and economic system that is based on democratic values, justice, and logical reasoning.