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International Relations GS 2 In the news 22 times

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

The SCO is an intergovernmental political, economic, and security alliance founded on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai. It has grown from a six-member body into the world's largest regional organisation by geographic scope and population, covering approximately 65% of Eurasia and 42% of the global population.

Key details
  • Headquarters: Secretariat in Beijing, China; Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
  • Founded: June 15, 2001 (successor to the Shanghai Five, 1996)
  • Current Members (10): China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan (founding six), India and Pakistan (joined 2017), Iran (joined 2023), Belarus (joined 2024)
  • Observer States: Mongolia; Afghanistan (inactive)
  • Dialogue Partners: 14, including Sri Lanka, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nepal, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Maldives, Bahrain, Kuwait
  • Core Mandate: Regional peace and stability; counter-terrorism; economic and trade cooperation; combating the "three evils" — terrorism, separatism, extremism
In the news

Tracked since April 17, 2026 · last seen August 31, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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