Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

History
1996 Shanghai Five
China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Aimed at military confidence building among member countries and reciprocal reduction of military forces in border regions

2001 Uzbekistan joined and the Shanghai Six was renamed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The fight against terrorism, separatism, extremism, across-the-border crime and drug trafficking remain the priority issues for the SCO.

Members:
China Russia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Uzbekistan

Observer States:
India Iran Mongolia Pakistan

Dialogue Partners:
Belarus Sri Lanka

Working languages: Chinese and Russian

Purposes:
strengthening mutual trust and good-neighborliness and friendship among member states developing their effective cooperation in political affairs, the economy and trade, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transportation, environmental protection and other fields working together to maintain regional peace, security and stability promoting the creation of a new international political and economic order featuring democracy, justice and rationality.

Principles:
adherence to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, noninterference in each other's internal affairs, mutual non-use or threat of use of force equality among all member states

Principles:
settlement of all questions through consultations non-alignment and no directing against any other country or organization opening to the outside world and willingness to carry out all forms of dialogues, exchanges and cooperation with other countries and relevant international or regional organizations.

Council of Heads of State Council of Heads of Government Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs Conference of Heads of Ministries/Agencies Council of National Coordinators Secretariat Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS)

INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP

Council of Heads of State

Supreme decision-making body of the SCO Main functions:
to identify priority areas and basic directions of SCO activities to determine matters of principle concerning SCO internal set-up and operation to decide on matters of principle of SCO cooperation with other countries and international organizations to study pressing international issues

Council of Heads of Government

Main functions:
to adopt SCO budgets to study and determine the principal matters of cooperation in specific areas within the SCO framework, especially in the economic field

Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Main functions:
to study and resolve major issues of current SCO activities preparing for the meeting of the Council of Heads of State implementing SCO decisions conducting consultations on international issues that fall within the scope of the Organization when necessary, the Council makes statements on behalf of the SCO

Conference of Heads of Ministries

Main function:
To study and resolve specific questions of cooperation in specialized areas

Council of National Coordinators

Main function:
Coordination and administration of current activities of the organization

Secretariat
Main functions:
To provide organizational and technical support of activities of the SCO to participate in the study and implementation of SCO documents to draft annual budget proposals

Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure

Main function:
To coordinate SCO member activities against terrorism, separatism and extremism

SECURITY AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Security Cooperation
15 June 2001 Shanghai Convention Against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism was signed. June 2002 Agreement on Counter-Terrorism Regional Structure was signed October 2002 China and Kyrgyzstan conducted a joint anti-terrorism military exercise August 2003 member states held a successful multilateral joint anti-terrorism military maneuver

Economic Cooperation
14 September 2001 SCO member states signed a Memorandum on the Basic Objectives and Orientation of Regional Economic Cooperation and the Launching of a Process of Trade and Investment Facilitation 23 September 2003 SCO member states adopted a plan for multilateral economic trade cooperation 17 June 2004 Tashkent Declaration was signed

Business Council Interbank Association The Forum Youth Council

WORKING BODIES

Sources
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/topics/sco/t57970.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_O rganisation#Membership http://www.mfa.gov.by/en/organizations/membership /list/c2ee3a2ec2158899.html http://en.ce.cn/subject/sco2011/sco2011b/201106/17 /t20110617_22486039.shtml http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010sco/201006/09/content_9956191.htm http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/int/sco.h tm