About SCO
- The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation established in 2001.
- It primarily focuses on regional security, stability, economic cooperation and people-to-people relations.
- The SCO evolved from the Shanghai Five mechanism created by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
- The SCO Charter was adopted in 2002.
Membership
- The SCO currently has 10 members: China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Belarus
- Important Timeline
- 2001: SCO established with six founding members.
- 2017: India and Pakistan became full members.
- 2023: Iran became a full member.
- 2024: Belarus became a full member.
Objectives of SCO
- Security & Stability: Promotes peace and stability; combats terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking and cybercrime.
- Economic Cooperation: Enhances trade, investment, energy, transport, agriculture and digital cooperation, with a focus on connectivity.
- Social & Cultural Cooperation: Promotes education, science, culture, tourism, healthcare, sportsand people-to-people ties.
Shanghai Spirit
The functioning of the SCO is guided by the “Shanghai Spirit”.
It emphasises:
- Mutual trust and mutual benefit
- Equality among members
- Mutual consultations
- Respect for cultural diversity
- Common development
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)
- The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is an important SCO mechanism for counter-terrorism cooperation.
- It is located in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
- It focuses on cooperation against:
- Terroris
- Separatism
- Extremism
| This concept has been elaborately discussed in the following article: SCO Summit 2026: India Calls for Dismantling Terrorism Ecosystem |