SCO Summit 2025: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Members, Objectives & Theme

SCO Summit 2025: The 25th edition of SCO Summit is being held in China for the fifth time. The SCO Heads of State Council Summit is set to be held on 31 August and 01 September 2025. Various world leaders are invited to the summit including the Russian and North Korean leaders.

The SCO was established by China and Russia in 2001 from a security perspective in Central Asia and other regions. SCO is an intergovernmental organization focusing majorly on economic, political and security cooperation.

SCO Summit 2025 UPSC

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was carved out from the Shanghai Five which was established by 5 countries viz, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. In 2001, Uzbekistan was added to Shanghai Five and hence, renamed it as SCO. Its headquarters is in Beijing, China.

SCO Summit Countries

There are total of 8 member countries:

There are some Observer members and some dialogue partners too. These are:

• Observer Countries: Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia

• Dialogue Partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Egypt, Nepal, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia

What is the Theme for SCO Summit 2025? 

The 25th SCO Summit hovers around the theme: “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move”.

What are the Objectives of SCO Summit? 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization came into picture in 2001 and the first summit was held in Shanghai, China, in 2001. It was established to promote cooperation and peace among member countries. 

The SCO aims to promote mutual support and cooperation among themselves in areas of trade, security, investment, energy,etc. Its objectives are based on Shanghai Spirit, which means mutual trust, equality, respect for each other’s cultures, and promoting growth. The main objectives of the SCO are:

• Strengthening of relations among the member countries.

• Cooperation among the member nations in the areas of political affairs, economy, trade, scientific knowledge, environment protection, etc.

• Maintaining regional peace, security and stability.