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The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a political, economic, security, and defense organization of countries from the Eurasian region. It was established to promote cooperation, especially in economics, politics, culture, technology, education, and security.

It has 10 member-states including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus. Belarus is the youngest country to join in July 2024. India and Pakistan joined in 2017 followed by Iran which came along in 2023.

In addition, Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states.

Its 14 dialogue partners include countries from East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East such as Cambodia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, SCO summits have guest attendants from the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Turkmenistan.

SCO’s seven arms act as its legislative and executive bodies which are enumerated below:

The SCO was born out of the “Shanghai Five” in 2001. Shanghai Five, established in 1996, comprised of China, Russia, and three Central Asian Republics (CARs)—Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. It was formed to enhance confidence-building measures (CBMs) and resolve border disputes. In 2001, Uzbekistan joined the group and Shanghai Five adopted its new identity—the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

SCO expanded membership by welcoming India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus, enriching the diversity within. Simultaneously, it transformed itself from a security-centric organization to focusing on wide-ranging areas including regional connectivity, energy security, cultural exchange, and economic cooperation.

In simple words, SCO has expanded its areas of cooperation by putting more emphasis on the tangible initiatives of regional economic cooperation. For instance, SECURE SCO, the theme chosen for SCO Summit 2023 held in India, focused on diverse areas of security, economic cooperation, connectivity, unity, and respect for the environment.

By landmass and population, SCO is the largest intergovernmental organization functioning as a land bridge between Asia and Europe. Its members are composed of one-fourth of the global and 80% of the Eurasian landmass. Furthermore, SCO represents 40 % of the worldwide population and 30 % of the global GDP.

In addition, the SCO region is rich in natural resources collectively possessing approximately 25% of the world’s oil reserves, over 50% of the world’s gas reserves, 35% of the world’s coal reserves, and roughly 50% of the world’s known uranium reserves. Last but not least, SCO’s significance is bolstered by its four nuclear powers including China, Russia, India, and Pakistan.

Shanghai Spirit outlines the working principles of SCO as follows:

In addition, the SCO Charter outlines its goals to promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity through cooperation in politics, economics, and culture, and a coordinated effort to combat terrorism, extremism, and separatism.

Developing a democratic and equitable international political order—reflecting the new realities of the 21st century—is a fundamental objective of SCO. The flawed nature of the contemporary global order and the need for reforms is a unanimous objective of all members. In this regard, the SCO aims to promote an international order based on the principles of mutual respect, justice, equality, and mutual benefit.

A unanimous agreement exists to root out the menace of transnational terrorism, religious extremism, and separatism. Furthermore, sharing intelligence and joint military exercises form another bulwark for rooting out these transnational evils.

SCO member states seek to foster bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation through the free flow of goods and services, secure energy supply, and technology transfer through trade,........

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