SCO: gateway to development and prosperity
Pakistan, as Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) hosted 23
rd
Council of Heads of Government (CHG) Summit in Islamabad on 15-16 October 2024. The Summit was attended by all the 10 member states including 8 Prime Ministers with India and Iran represented by their senior cabinet ministers which reflects Pakistan's significance amongst the SCO countries. The Summit was the exhibition of objectivity and professional conduct by Pakistan on two accounts. One, unlike the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting held in India in 2023, Pakistan ensured that bilateral issues with India did not overshadow the event. Second, Pakistan remained cognizant and reflected the tenets of Shanghai Spirit throughout the proceedings of the Summit - from conducting meetings and social gatherings to the issuance of joint communique. China and Russia participated with large contingents to pursue cooperation in multiple domains that also highlights Pakistan's geopolitical and geo-economic significance.
The SCO is a potent organisation due to a number of unique characteristics: (i) it consists of two global powers China and Russia - the pillars of emerging multipolarity; (ii) the organisation, even ahead of NATO, includes four declared nuclear weapon states (China, Russia, Pakistan and India); (iii) it represents almost 45 percent of world's population and combined GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP) which is approximately 27 percent of the world's total GDP amounting to USD 24.6 trillion in 2023, roughly USD 6 trillion more than that of the European Union; (iv) it enjoys pivotal position in the global energy landscape as it contains approximately 25 percent of world's oil reserves, over 50 percent of the gas reserves, about 35 percent of the coal reserves and 50 percent of the known uranium reserves; and (v) the SCO member states lead the world in industrial manufacturing, AI, emerging technologies, cyber and space domains.
In clean energy domain, presently 441 nuclear power reactors generate approximately 10 percent of global electricity out of which 123 (28%) nuclear power reactors account for five SCO countries (China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Belarus) emitting zero carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases during operation. This clean energy program is in line with the strategy for the development of energy cooperation until 2030 that was approved during the 24
th
annual Summit of SCO Heads of State at Astana in July 2024. Agriculture was another domain for which cooperation mechanism was established that included stabilizing agriculture markets, ensuring grains security, establishing smart agriculture farms, sharing modern agro-industrial technologies and utilising SCO agricultural trade network to promote food security amongst the member states.
Pakistan enjoys longstanding association with SCO Member States in historical, cultural, civilizational and geographical domains. Ever since joining as the member, Pakistan has played active role in promoting regional peace, stability and socio-economic development with special focus in countering terrorism and extremism, transnational crimes, and cooperation in socio-cultural, economic and humanitarian spheres. Pakistan is the Chair of Special Working Group (SWG) on poverty alleviation of SCO that was proposed by Pakistan at the meeting of the Council of Heads of States (CHS) in Bishkek in 2019. Under the framework of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), Pakistan hosted first ever Joint Anti-Terrorism Exercise (JATE) at its National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in 2021, with physical participation of counter terrorism forces from two SCO member States - Pakistan and China. Pakistan also hosted 'Conference on Transport Connectivity for Regional Prosperity' on 22 November 2023 and the expert-level meeting of the SWG on poverty alleviation titled 'Leveraging Digital Technologies to Enhance Social Safety Nets in SCO Member States' on 06 December 2023, besides holding meeting for the Ministers of Commerce and Trade on 12 September 2024.
Critical review of the joint communique of CHG Summit reveals clarity of vision and resolve by the SCO leadership to pursue perceived objectives. The communique takes stock of all the decisions taken during the previous Summits and meetings and underscores the commitment of the heads of delegations to follow-up and implement decisions taken during the Council of Heads of State in Astana on 4 July 2024. The member states expressed their resolve to 'oppose protectionist actions, unilateral sanctions and trade restrictions that undermine the multilateral trading system and impede global sustainable development'. The heads of delegations emphasised that the 'unilateral application of sanctions is incompatible with the principles of international law and has a negative impact on third countries and international economic relations'.
In an important development, all the SCO member states barring India, reaffirmed support for China's One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative and agreed to bridge the Eurasian Economic Union and OBOR. All the delegates reaffirmed commitment to the peaceful settlement of differences and disputes through dialogue and consultations and advocated respect for the 'right of peoples to independently and democratically choose their political, social and economic development.'
The delegates, while emphasising on capitalising the SCO Development Strategy-2035, advocated the promotion of cooperation within the framework of the SCO to pursue sustainable economic growth by optimising the potential in areas such as digital economy, trade, e-commerce, finance and banking, investment, high technology, start-ups and innovation, poverty alleviation, healthcare, agriculture, industry, transport, logistics, connectivity, energy, communications, science and technology, environment and climate change.
Achieving inclusive economic development through connectivity, promoting cooperation instead of competition and commitment to settle differences through dialogue were the hallmarks of CHG Summit-2024. Pakistan being at a crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and China, can become an ideal trade conduit to transform SCO's vision of Eurasian connectivity into reality. The Summit also provided Pakistan with an opportunity to project soft power through hospitality and paved the way to pursue membership of BRICS.
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