How Many Members are in SCO

Introduction

A Eurasian political, economic, and security organisation is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In terms of population and geographic coverage, it is the largest regional organisation in the world, accounting for more than 30% of the world's GDP(Gross domestic product) and over 60% of Eurasia. The SCO replaced the Shanghai Five—the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan—in 1996.

The leaders of these countries and Uzbekistan gathered in Shanghai on June 15 to announce the formation of a new organisation with a focus on increased political and economic cooperation. The SCO Charter was signed on July 7 and went into effect on September 19, 2003. Since then, eight states have joined, with Pakistan and India joining on June 9, 2017. A number of nations are participating as observers or discussion partners. The Heads of State Council (HSC), the SCO's top decision-making body, convenes once a year to oversee the organisation.

Origin of SCO

• The Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions was signed by the chiefs of states of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan on April 26, 1996, in Shanghai, thus establishing the Shanghai Five group.

• At a summit in Moscow, Russia, on April 24, 1997, the same nations signed the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions.

• The Shanghai Five group held subsequent annual summits in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 1998, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in 1999, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan, in 2000.

• The yearly conference made its way back to Shanghai in 2001. Uzbekistan was admitted to the Shanghai Five mechanism there for the first time by the five members (thus transforming it into the Shanghai Six). Then, on June 15, 2001, all six heads of state signed the Shanghai Collaboration Organization Declaration, complimenting the Shanghai Five mechanism for its work to date and pledging to elevate it to a greater level of cooperation.

• The leaders of the SCO member states gathered in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in June 2002. The SCO Charter was signed there.

• Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, greeted the guests in a way that had never been done before in any context in July 2005 at the summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, when representatives of India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan were attending an SCO summit for the first time.

• The SCO resolved to accept India and Pakistan as full members at Ufa, Russia, in July 2015. Both parties began the official process of becoming full members of the SCO by signing the memorandum of agreement in June 2016 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. At a summit in Astana on June 9, 2017, Pakistan and India were admitted to the SCO as full members.

• SCO's relationship with the Commonwealth of Independent States began in 2004. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was established in 2011, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2005, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSO) in 2007 and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 2007. Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), 2014; United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), 2015; The African Center for Terrorism Research (ACSRT) of the African Union.

Members in SCO

• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has a total of eight members.

• The members of SCO are China, India, Tajikistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.

• There are four Observer States Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mongolia.

• Giving full membership involved six "Dialogue Partners"; they are Nepal, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Turkey.

• Since 2005, the SCO has watched the UN General Assembly. The UN and the SCO Secretariats signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in 2010.

• Additionally, the SCO Secretariat established partnerships with

International Organizations in the World

Positive Sides of SCO

• The SCO includes 22% of the world's landmass, 20% of the global GDP, and 40% of the world's people.

• Due to its geographic importance, the SCO plays a crucial strategic role in Asia, allowing it to govern Central Asia and reduce American influence there.

• SCO is viewed as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's counterbalance.

Negative Sides of SCO

• Combating terrorism, extremism, and separatism; trafficking in drugs and weapons; illegal immigration; and other issues are among the security difficulties facing the SCO.

• The great diversity of the members' histories, experiences, languages, national interests, systems of government, wealth, and cultures makes the SCO's decision-making difficult despite their close proximity physically.

Conclusion

The SCO collaborates with its member nations to advance energy, transportation, environmental security, and other crucial areas. They must also guarantee the safety and stability of the peace in Central Asia. India views the SCO as vital because it gives them a platform to voice their worries about transnational terrorism. Additionally, it will support India's efforts to strengthen ties with Europe.