Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 23rd Summit
The Prime Minister of India has hosted the 23rd Summit of the Council of Heads of State/Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on 4 July 2023.
The theme of the conference was “SECURE”. SECURE stands for: Security, Economic Development, Connectivity, Unity, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity and Respect and Environmental Protection.
Highlights of the summit-
- Iran was included as a new member country in this conference. Other members of SCO are China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
- The New Delhi Declaration was signed to combat the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups and prevent the spread of religious intolerance, aggressive nationalism, ethnic and racial discrimination, xenophobia (hatred of foreigners), etc.
Under the New Delhi Declaration-
- India did not sign in support of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The purpose of the BRI is to develop trade routes between China and the rest of the world.
- The member states agreed to declare 2024 as the SCO Environment Year.
- Statement on cooperation in digital transformation to harness the full potential of digitization in all sectors of the economy was issued.
Key Initiatives under the Chairmanship of India (2022-23)
- India has established five new pillars of cooperation within the SCO: start-ups and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage.
- To enhance people to people engagement through SCO Millet Food Festival, Film Festival, International Conference on Common Buddhist Heritage etc.
- Varanasi has been declared as the first tourism and cultural capital of SCO.
- The SCO was founded in 2001 at a summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in the year 2017.
Source – PIB
