Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO)

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation.

It’s a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.

It was created in 2001.

The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003.

The SCO’s official languages are Russian and Chinese.

SCO has two Permanent Bodies
SCO Secretariat in Beijing, and
Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.

The Chairmanship of SCO is by rotation for a year by Member States.

Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.Following the accession of Uzbekistan to the organisation in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO.
India and Pakistan became members in 2017.

Question 2

Members countries of SCO?

Answer 2

There are 8 Member States:

China
India
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Russia
Pakistan
Tajikistan
Uzbekistan

4 Observer States interested in acceding to full membership:

Afghanistan
Belarus
Iran
Mongolia

6 Dialogue Partners:

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Cambodia
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Turkey

Question 3

What are the SCO’s main goals?

Answer 3

1. Strengthening mutual trust and neighborliness among the member states;
2. To promote their effective cooperation in trade, politics, research, the economy, technology, and culture.
3. Education, transport, energy, environmental protection, tourism, and other areas;
4. Making joint efforts to maintain and ensure security, stability, and peace in the region;
5. Moving towards the establishment of a democratic, rational, and fair new international economic and political order.
6. The organisation pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual benefit, mutual trust, mutual consultations, equality, respect for cultural diversity, and a desire for common development, while the external policy is conducted under the principles of non-targeting and non-alignment.

Question 4

Structure and working of SCO?

Answer 4

The supreme decision-making body in the SCO is the Heads of State Council (HSC).

The HSC meets once in a year and adopts guidelines and decisions on all important matters of the SCO.

The SCO Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once a year to discuss the organization’s multilateral cooperation strategy and priority areas, to resolve current important economic and other cooperation issues

The organization has two permanent bodies — First is the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent and second is the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing.

The Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO RATS and SCO Secretary-General are appointed by the Council of Heads of State for a term of 3years.

Question 5

Importance of SCO for India?

Answer 5

-SCO is one of the few regional structures India is a part of now, given a decline in its engagement with SAARC, BBIN and the RCEP

-offers a platform, when needed, for
bilateral discussions with the two countries India has the most tense ties with: China and Pakistan.