Why in News?
The 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State (CHS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held on 1 September 2026 at the Yrys-Ordo Congress Hall in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The summit was chaired by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and brought together leaders of SCO member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Key Highlights of the Summit
The discussions covered a wide range of areas, including:
- Regional and international security
- Political and economic cooperation
- Trade and investment
- Energy and industrial cooperation
- Environmental protection
- Tourism
- New and emerging technologies
- Improving the functioning of the SCO
- Major developments on the international agenda
The leaders also proposed new initiatives to strengthen cooperation among SCO members.
The summit marked the conclusion of Kyrgyzstan’s SCO chairmanship for 2025–26, conducted under the theme “25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”
28 Documents Approved
The SCO leaders approved 28 documents during the summit. Major outcomes included:
- Bishkek Declaration
- Protocol on amendments and additions to the SCO Charter
- Statement on assistance to states affected by emergencies
- Provisions for the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to the security of SCO member states
- Provisions concerning the Executive Committee of the SCO Anti-Drug Centre
The SCO also decided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the African Union Commission.
Strengthening Cooperation with Other Organisations
SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev highlighted the organisation’s growing engagement with other international and regional bodies.
Key developments include:
- Approval of the SCO–CSTO–CIS Roadmap
- SCO obtaining observer status at the CIS
- Greater cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Commission
- Cooperation with the UN Environment Programme
- Engagement with the League of Arab States
- Signing of a memorandum with the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre
Pakistan Takes Over SCO Chairmanship
- At the end of the summit, Pakistan assumed the SCO chairmanship for 2026–27.
- Pakistan announced the theme of its chairmanship as: “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”
- The city of Lahore was also designated as the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026–27.
SCO Plus Meeting
- The summit was followed by the “SCO Plus” meeting, which focused on the role of the SCO and its partner countries in shaping a multipolar international order.
- The theme was: “The UN as a Key Element of a Just World Order: The Contribution of the SCO Plus States to the Formation of a Multipolar World.”
Apart from SCO members, the meeting included:
- Mongolia as an observer state
- Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Laos and Türkiye as dialogue partners
- Vietnam and Togo as guests of the presiding country
- Representatives of organisations such as the EAEU, CSTO, UN, CICA and CIS
Significance for India
- The SCO is important for India because it provides a platform for engagement with major Eurasian powers, including Russia, China and the Central Asian countries, while also addressing issues such as terrorism, connectivity, energy and regional security.
India can use the SCO framework to:
- Strengthen ties with Central Asian countries
- Promote connectivity and trade
- Cooperate on counter-terrorism and regional security
- Expand energy and economic partnerships
- Engage with a wider group of countries on global issues
About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
- Established: 15 June 2001, Shanghai, China
- Origin: Shanghai Five (1996–97)
- Members: 10
- India joined: 2017
- Belarus joined: 2024
- Permanent bodies: SCO Secretariat (Beijing) and RATS (Tashkent)
- Official languages: Russian and Chinese
- Key principle: Shanghai Spirit - mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation and respect for sovereignty.
- Important: SCO is not a defence alliance.
