SYLLABUS

GS-2:  Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Context: Recently, the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Tianjin, under the presidency of China.

Key Outcomes of the Summit

• The summit adopted 24 key documents, including the Tianjin Declaration, the SCO Development Strategy 2035, and a joint statement marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War and the founding of the UN.
• Member states signed agreements to establish the SCO Anti-Drug Centre and the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to Security of SCO Member States.
• Cholpon-Ata in Kyrgyzstan was designated as the Tourist and Cultural Capital of the SCO for 2025–2026.
• Institutionally, leaders discussed creating a Disaster Assistance Fund or Mechanism, focusing on water security, humanitarian cooperation, and better implementation of decisions.
• China pledged a grant of two billion yuan (around USD 281 million) to support SCO member states.

Expansion of Membership and Partnerships

• Laos was granted Dialogue Partner status, while the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) received Observer status.
  CIS is a regional intergovernmental organisation in Eurasia. Its members are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Kyrgyzstan assumed the chairmanship of the SCO for 2025–2026 under the theme “25 years of the SCO: together for a stable world, development, and prosperity.”

India’s Interventions

• Prime Minister of India stressed collective action against terrorism and terror financing, condemned double standards, and referred to the Pahalgam attack as an assault on humanity.
• He thanked member states for their solidarity, emphasised respect for sovereignty in connectivity projects, and highlighted India’s contributions such as the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• He proposed a Civilisation Dialogue Forum under the SCO to share the richness of member countries’ ancient civilizations, art, literature, and traditions on a global stage.

SCO Plus Session

• It was focused on the topic “Turning Multilateralism into Action, Ensuring Regional Security, and Promoting Sustainable Development”.
• It was attended by SCO members, observer states, dialogue partners (including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Turkey, Egypt, and Laos), guest nations Turkmenistan, and representatives from global organisations such as the UN, ASEAN, CSTO, EEC, CICA, ECO, and AIIB.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• It was established in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, by six founding nations: Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. 
• The SCO now has ten members, including India (2017), Iran (2023), and Pakistan (2017), in addition to the founding members. 
• SCO Encompasses 40% of the World’s population, and member countries contribute approximately over $23 trillion to global GDP.
• SCO has two Permanent Bodies –
  (i) SCO Secretariat in Beijing
  (ii) Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. 
• The Chairmanship of SCO is by rotation for a year by Member States.

Source
MEA
The Hindu
ENG Sectsco
India Briefing