The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an inter-governmental organization comprising eight member states – China, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It was founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. Nepal is one of its dialogue partners.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been mainly focusing on regional security issues, the fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism, and religious extremism. The SCO has also become an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005.
SCO aims to strengthen mutual confidence and good neighborly relations and promote effective cooperation in politics, trade, and economy, science and technology, energy, counterterrorism, etc.
Nepal joined the SCO as a Dialogue Partner after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SCO Secretariat on 22 March 2016. As a result, Nepal can engage with the SCO in the field of trade, transit and investment, energy, agriculture, small and medium business, security issues, legal and customs affairs, transport and communications, science and technology, education, health, culture and tourism, and disaster.
Nepal has been taking part in SCO events with full commitment to the implementation of the MoU.
