26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO

Why in News?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, held from August 31 to September 1, 2026. The year 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the SCO.

Key Points

• SCO: A major Eurasian regional organisation focused on peace, security, stability and economic cooperation.
• 2026 Summit: Held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
• Leaders reviewed the organisation’s progress and discussed strengthening its regional role.
• Bishkek Declaration and 20+ decisions/statements were adopted.
• Four MoUs were also signed in areas including climate, nuclear safety, energy conservation and combating drug addiction. 
• The Bishkek Declaration emphasised that “double standards” in combating terrorism are unacceptable.
• India announced that it would host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum later in 2026 to promote civilisational exchanges among member states.

About SCO

• Established: 15 June 2001, in Shanghai, China.
• Founding members: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• India and Pakistan: Became full members in 2017.
• Belarus: Became a full member in 2024.
• Current membership: 10 countries: Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan;
• The organisation covers around 36 million sq km and represents more than 3.4 billion people.
• Permanent Bodies: 
  • SCO Secretariat: Located in Beijing, China. Serves as the principal administrative and coordinating body.
  • Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS): Headquarters: Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Focuses on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism and facilitates security cooperation among members.

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