Daily Times

In the International arena, there are several players including independent states and bodies/alliances of states; alliance depends on the convergence of interests. With every passing minute, the global political environment is changing and hence the approach to working relationship is also evolving. Over a period of time, the alliance system transformed from military alliance to economic to mutual development for the betterment of state functions under peaceful circumstances.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a working state body. It time and again, proved to be an important and proactive player in the international arena. SCO revolves around the basic modalities for instance ensuring peace and security, equality, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, diversity, non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, renunciation of the use or threat of use of force, and in lieu of that settling the international and regional conflicts merely by the political and diplomatic channels based on the said principles.

For developing stronger cooperation, all the states need to be connected, hence, restoration of peace in Afghanistan is not only a challenge but also essential for viable regional cooperation

All the member states abide by the guiding principles for peaceful co-existence and co-development.

Multilateral trade and economic cooperation is the backbone of the SCO Development Strategy until 2025. As international politics is in continuous flux, hence all the international actors are looking for means and ways to stay intact in a cooperative manner, and for that economics and trade are the key. SCO is moving towards a comprehensive growth and development model. SCO is working on the lines of accommodation, collaboration, cooperation, and coordination. The four said modes are defining the very approach of the SCO for this decade. It is now moving towards a shared future for all for the sake of humanity. From unilateralism, the world is once again gradually stepping to multilateralism. SCO as a responsible international body is working to develop an amicable environment based on the principles of international law for a community of a common destiny for mankind. Moreover, it would be established on mutually beneficial cooperation, respect, fairness, and equality.

Adding to it, other than economics, another point of convergence of interest would be to design a strategy to counter the growing transnational security challenges mainly terrorism, extremism, separatism, drug trafficking, and cyber-crimes. Handling security threats and challenges need a strong political and diplomatic influence, SCO’s two major contributors China and Russia, both tend to do that in a much practical way.

Rebranding its approach, SCO as an inclusive international body, now aiming at strong communication and information network. It would not only open up new development opportunities but also creates new advantages and avenues of co-working. Cybersecurity under the framework of International Information Security for securing the digital economy and countering hybrid warfare would further strengthen the existing cooperation in the said sector.

For developing stronger cooperation, all the states need to be connected, hence, restoration of peace in Afghanistan is not only a challenge but also essential for viable regional cooperation.

Therefore, SCO as an independent international body emphasizes political dialogue and an inclusive peace process to end the conflict in Afghanistan. All, SCO states are on the same page on the Afghan issue and so designed multilateral interaction formats, for instance, SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group & the Moscow format consultations, etc.

Furthermore, to strengthen the state performance and state-level cooperation, there has to be an inter-parliamentary liaison committee, a judicial committee for a legal platform, an economic and trade committee, a security committee, and a cultural committee. Committees should at least have a quarterly meeting on the latest developments. This very practice would strengthen the level of trust among states.
Adding to it, the youth of all the member states should be promoted and given opportunities for developing strong networks through youth – to – youth relations. Exchange programs for the above-mentioned fields would be value-added. It's time to invest in our youth for smooth future cooperation. There should be massive awareness campaigns on SCO goals and the future way forward. For an inclusive community for the betterment of humankind, SCO has to be more comprehensive in its approach.

There is always room for improvement, and to attain the highest level, a constructive state approach matters a lot. SCO as a bloc would emerge but for that, all the member states should promote a culture of openness, deeper partnership, mutual trust, pragmatic approach to regional and global issues.

Sabah Aslam is the Founder & Executive Director of Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution (IICR) and was a member visiting faculty Dept. of Peace & Conflict Studies, NUML, and School of Politics & IR, Quaid-I- Azam University, Islamabad.