 SCO, standing for Shanghai Cooperative Organization, is a permanent

intergovernmental international organization founded in Shanghai, a city in

China, on 15 June 2001 by six countries, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, (other members – India and Pakistan in
2017).
 An Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to
maintain peace, stability and security in the region
 The SCO Charter, a statutory document outlining the organisation’s goals
and principles, as well as its structure and core activities, was signed in
2002 and enforced in 2003.
 Its objectives are to –
- Strengthen relations among member states by deepening political, security and
economic cooperation.
- Promote cooperation in political affairs, economics and trade, scientific-technical,
cultural, and educational sphere as well as in energy, transportation, tourism, as well
as in energy transportation, tourism, and environmental protection.
- Safeguard regional peace, security, and stability by ensuring joint efforts, which will
also help in confronting threats emanating from terrorism, extremism and
separatism.
- Create a democratic, equitable international political and economic order.
 With assistance from the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, SCO members
have developed an intergovernmental agreement on facilitating
international road transport.
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