Why in News?
India successfully hosted the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Context:  
·         Over the years, the SCO has been committed to becoming a community with a shared future for mankind, firmly supporting each other in upholding their core interests, and synergising their national development strategies and regional cooperation initiatives. 
·         Member-states have carried forward the spirit of good neighbourliness and friendship, and built partnerships featuring dialogue instead of confrontation, and cooperation instead of alliance. 
·         The SCO has been a guardian of and contributor to regional peace, stability and prosperity. 
·         These achievements manifest the common aspirations of all countries so that there is peace, development and win-win cooperation.

What is Shanghai Cooperation Organization?  
·         SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization.
·         It’s a political, economic and military organization 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.
Member Nations: The SCO grouping comprises China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
  
Objectives:
·         Strengthening mutual trust and neighborliness among the member states.
·         Promoting effective cooperation in -politics, trade & economy, research & technology and culture.
·         Enhancing ties in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc.
·         Maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
·         Establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political & economic order.
 
Structure: 
·         Heads of State Council: The supreme SCO body which decides its internal functioning and its interaction with other States & international organisations, and considers international issues.
·         Heads of Government Council: Approves the budget, considers and decides upon issues related to economic spheres of interaction within SCO.
·         Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Considers issues related to day-to-day activities.
·         Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS): Established to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
·         SCO Secretariat: Beijing 
·         Official language: Russian and Chinese.
 
Key Takeaways from the 23rd SCO Summit: 
·         Recently, India has chaired the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) virtual Summit, leaders called for the formation of a “more representative” and multipolar world order in the global interest.
·         India, which was admitted as a full member of the SCO at the Astana Summit in 2017, holds the rotating presidency of the grouping for the first time in 2023.
·         The theme of India's chairpersonship of SCO is 'Towards a SECURE SCO’, which is derived from the acronym coined by the Indian PM at the 2018 SCO Qingdao Summit.
·         It stands for: S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.
·         During this 23rd Summit, Iran officially joined the SCO as the Ninth Member Country.

New Delhi Declaration:  
The New Delhi Declaration was signed by the member nations, which states that the international community must come together to "counter the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups, paying special attention to preventing the spread of religious intolerance, aggressive nationalism, ethnic and racial discrimination, xenophobia, ideas of fascism and chauvinism."

Joint Statements:  
The leaders adopted two thematic joint statements - one on cooperation in countering the radicalization leading to separatism, extremism, and terrorism & the second one cooperation in the field of digital transformation.
 
New Pillars of Cooperation: 
India has created five new pillars and focus area for cooperation in the SCO, which include,
·         Startups and Innovation
·         Traditional Medicine
·         Youth Empowerment
·         Digital Inclusion
·         Shared Buddhist Heritage
 
India's AI-based language platform Bhashini at SCO: India's AI-based language platform Bhashini will help overcoming the obstruction of Language Barrier. Bhashini can become an example of digital technology and inclusive growth.
 
India's Reservations on BRI:  
·         India refused to be part of the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) of the SCO members’ economic strategy statement, mentioning “interested member states’.
·         India's opposition to the BRI stems from its inclusion of projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), which India considers a violation of its sovereignty.

Significance of the SCO:  
Economic Cooperation:
·         The eight member countries of SCO represent around 42% of the world population and 25% of the global GDP. There is an immense tourism potential in the region which can be promoted by increasing awareness about SCO countries.
Connectivity:
·         The SCO is promoting connectivity among its member states through infrastructure projects, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Security Cooperation:
·         The main threats which are the focus of the SCO include terrorism, separatism and extremism.
·         Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) to promote cooperation among member states in the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
·         RATS provides a platform for sharing intelligence, conducting joint exercises and operations, and coordinating actions to prevent and combat terrorism in the region.
 
Importance of SCO for India: 
Economic Cooperation:
·         The SCO provides a platform for India to enhance economic cooperation with Central Asian countries, which have vast reserves of natural resources.
·         India is seeking to increase its trade and investment ties with the SCO countries to diversify its economic partnerships.
Energy Security:
·         Central Asia has vast reserves of oil and gas, and India is looking to tap into these resources to enhance its energy security.
·         The SCO provides a forum for India to engage with the energy-rich countries of Central Asia and explore opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector.
·         The Samarkand Declaration, signed at the 22nd Summit, centralizes connectivity which is a priority for India, as well as energy and food security.
Cultural Cooperation:
·         The total Cultural Heritage of the SCO member states, observers and partners include 207 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
·         SCO member countries have decided to designate one city (from SCO member countries) as tourism and cultural capital every year under a rotating initiative.
·         “Kashi” (Varanasi) has been designated as the first cultural capital of the SCO under this initiative.
Counterterrorism:
·         The SCO has a strong focus on counterterrorism cooperation.
·         India, which has been a victim of terrorism, can benefit from the collective efforts of the organization to combat terrorism in the region.
 
Mains Question:
 Q: India’s aptitude to endure and confidently influence multilateral processes will have an unswerving bearing on its emergence as a great power. In this context, it is essential to take note of the developments and way forward for India at SCO- Analyse.