SCO Adopts Bishkek Declaration, Makes English Official Language and Creates Counter-Security Threat Centre

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has concluded its 26th Summit in Bishkek with one of its most extensive packages of institutional and security reforms, adopting the Bishkek Declaration, approving the inclusion of English as an official language and establishing a new mechanism to coordinate action against terrorism, extremism, organised crime and other transnational threats.

The summit, held in the Kyrgyz capital on September 1, 2026, marked the 25th anniversary of the SCO. Leaders approved 28 documents covering security, climate change, energy, emergency response, narcotics, artificial intelligence and institutional cooperation.

India described the meeting as producing 13 major outcomes across strategic areas ranging from counter-terrorism and drug trafficking to climate action, disaster management and digital cooperation.

Bishkek Declaration Sets Direction for SCO’s Next Phase

At the centre of the summit’s outcomes was the Bishkek Declaration, adopted as the SCO completed 25 years since its establishment.

The declaration provides a broader political framework for cooperation among the organisation’s members while addressing regional security, economic development, connectivity, technological change and international affairs.

The summit was held under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship with the theme “25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”

India used the anniversary to argue that the organisation should now move from broad declarations towards measurable cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the SCO to develop a roadmap for the next 25 years based on three pillars identified by India: Security, Connectivity and Opportunity.

He said geographical proximity among SCO members should increasingly be transformed into shared economic and strategic opportunities.

English Approved as an Official SCO Language

One of the most significant institutional changes agreed in Bishkek was the inclusion of English as an official language of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Until now, Article 20 of the SCO Charter identified Chinese and Russian as the organisation’s official and working languages.

At Bishkek, leaders approved a Protocol on Amendments and Additions to the SCO Charter, including the Indian-backed proposal to introduce English into the organisation’s formal linguistic framework.

For India, the decision represents an important diplomatic achievement. New Delhi had supported expanding the organisation’s language framework to make meetings, documentation and institutional interaction more accessible to officials and participants from India and other member states where neither Russian nor Chinese is commonly used.

English could also improve communication as the organisation expands its relationships with partner countries and international institutions beyond its original Central Asian core.

The decision is particularly notable because changing the SCO Charter requires formal agreement among member states. The amendment represents one of the most visible institutional changes to the organisation following its enlargement over the past decade.

New Universal Centre to Counter Security Threats

Another major outcome was approval of provisions establishing the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States.

The new mechanism is intended to strengthen cooperation against a broad range of security threats affecting SCO countries.

These include terrorism, separatism, extremism, transnational organised crime and other emerging security challenges.

The summit also approved provisions governing the Executive Committee of the SCO Anti-Drug Centre, strengthening the organisation’s institutional architecture for combating narcotics trafficking.

The creation of these mechanisms is particularly relevant to India, which has consistently argued that terrorism and extremist networks require coordinated regional action involving intelligence exchange, disruption of financing networks and stronger action against cross-border support structures.

India has repeatedly emphasised within the SCO that there should be no double standards in dealing with terrorism and that countries supporting or sheltering terrorist organisations must be held accountable.

Terrorism Remains Central to India’s SCO Agenda

Prime Minister Modi placed terrorism prominently within India’s intervention at the summit, describing it as a threat to humanity rather than a problem affecting individual countries alone.

India has increasingly used multilateral organisations to advocate stronger action against terrorist financing, radicalisation, extremist networks and safe havens.

The creation of the Universal Centre could potentially provide another institutional platform through which SCO members coordinate information and responses to these threats.

The SCO already operates the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, or RATS, headquartered in Tashkent. The addition of the Universal Centre indicates a move towards addressing a wider spectrum of security challenges rather than focusing exclusively on conventional counter-terrorism.

Such cooperation has become increasingly important as terrorist organisations make greater use of encrypted communications, drones, digital financing systems, online recruitment and transnational criminal networks.

Stronger Action Against Drug Trafficking

Counter-narcotics cooperation formed another important component of the Bishkek decisions.

SCO members agreed to strengthen coordination against illicit narcotics, with particular attention to the spread of synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances.

Earlier meetings of SCO anti-narcotics agencies had highlighted the growing use of digital platforms, cryptocurrencies and new financial technologies by trafficking organisations.

At Bishkek, the organisation moved forward with programmes designed to coordinate action against synthetic narcotics and their precursors through 2030.

A separate cooperation programme addressing drug addiction was also approved.

For India, narcotics trafficking increasingly has both a criminal and national-security dimension. Indian agencies have repeatedly warned about the connection between cross-border drug trafficking, organised crime and terror financing.

Closer intelligence sharing between SCO countries could therefore strengthen India’s attempts to disrupt trafficking networks operating across the wider Eurasian region.

Climate Change Becomes a Larger SCO Priority

The summit also expanded the SCO agenda beyond traditional security by approving stronger cooperation on climate change.

Member states adopted a memorandum covering cooperation to address climate-related challenges, reflecting the growing importance of environmental issues within the organisation.

The SCO encompasses countries extending from South Asia and Central Asia to Russia and China, making it one of the world’s most geographically diverse regional organisations.

Its members face considerably different climate risks, ranging from glacial retreat and water insecurity to desertification, floods, extreme heat and changing agricultural conditions.

Regional cooperation could therefore become increasingly important in areas such as climate adaptation, water management, disaster preparedness and environmentally sustainable development.

Energy Conservation and Energy Security

Energy emerged as another significant area of agreement.

SCO countries decided to expand cooperation on energy conservation and energy efficiency, building on work conducted by the organisation’s energy ministers earlier in 2026.

The organisation has also been examining greater cooperation in renewable energy, energy infrastructure protection and long-term energy security.

This agenda has considerable strategic importance because the SCO includes some of the world’s largest energy producers and consumers.

Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran possess major hydrocarbon resources, while India and China are among the world’s largest energy-consuming economies.

Greater coordination therefore has potential implications for energy investment, technology, infrastructure and long-term regional supply chains.

Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence Expands

Artificial intelligence also moved higher on the SCO agenda in Bishkek.

Member states agreed to expand cooperation in AI and digital technologies following earlier discussions among ICT ministries and agencies during Kyrgyzstan’s presidency.

The initiative opens possibilities for cooperation in digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence applications, research and governance frameworks.

India enters this area with significant capabilities in software, digital payments, digital public infrastructure and an expanding AI ecosystem.

New Delhi has increasingly advocated an approach to artificial intelligence that combines innovation with safety, accessibility and responsible governance.

An SCO framework could allow India to share experience with digital platforms while building technological partnerships across Central Asia and the wider Eurasian region.

Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance

The summit adopted a separate statement on assistance to countries affected by emergencies, strengthening another practical area of SCO cooperation.

Natural disasters frequently cross borders or require rapid international assistance, particularly across Central and South Asia where earthquakes, floods, landslides, extreme weather and glacial events present persistent risks.

The agreement could support closer coordination between disaster-management agencies, including training, information sharing and humanitarian assistance.

India possesses substantial experience in disaster relief through the National Disaster Response Force and the Armed Forces and has increasingly deployed these capabilities internationally during earthquakes, cyclones and other emergencies.

This makes disaster-management cooperation an area where India could make a particularly practical contribution to the SCO.

India Pushes Civilisational Dialogue

India also secured support for several initiatives extending beyond conventional diplomacy and security.

Among them is the SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum, whose first edition India has offered to host later in 2026.

The initiative is intended to strengthen interaction among the diverse civilisations represented within the organisation.

The SCO spans a vast geographical area encompassing Indian, Persian, Central Asian, Russian, Chinese and several other cultural traditions. India has argued that greater civilisational interaction can provide an additional foundation for long-term political and people-to-people relations.

India also supported initiatives involving a Young Scientist Forum and Young Authors’ Conclave, both of which were reflected in the summit outcomes.

These programmes add an educational, cultural and scientific dimension to the organisation’s increasingly broad agenda.

SCO Expands International Partnerships

The summit also strengthened the organisation’s relationships with other regional and international bodies.

The SCO approved an SCO-CSTO-CIS Roadmap, creating a framework for interaction involving the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Collective Security Treaty Organisation and Commonwealth of Independent States.

The SCO has additionally obtained observer status within the CIS.

Cooperation is also being expanded with organisations including the Eurasian Economic Commission, United Nations Environment Programme and League of Arab States.

The leaders further approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the African Union Commission.

These developments indicate that the SCO is increasingly seeking a wider institutional role extending beyond its original geographical focus.

Pakistan Takes Over SCO Chairmanship

The Bishkek meeting concluded Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship of the organisation for 2025-26.

Pakistan will hold the SCO chairmanship for 2026-27, with the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”

The Pakistani city of Lahore has also been designated the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026-27.

The transition will place greater attention on how the organisation implements the extensive package of reforms and programmes adopted in Bishkek.

A Broader SCO After 25 Years

The Bishkek Summit demonstrates how significantly the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has evolved since its establishment in 2001.

Originally centred primarily on regional security and confidence-building in Central Asia, the organisation now encompasses ten member states and addresses subjects ranging from counter-terrorism and narcotics to artificial intelligence, energy, climate change, disaster management and cultural cooperation.

Its geographical reach now covers a substantial portion of Eurasia and includes major powers and emerging economies such as India, China, Russia and Iran.

For India, the SCO offers access to a regional platform connecting South Asia with Central Asia and the wider Eurasian region while providing a forum to advance priorities including counter-terrorism, connectivity, economic cooperation and civilisational engagement.

The Bishkek decisions are particularly noteworthy because they combine institutional reform with practical security mechanisms. The inclusion of English in the SCO’s official-language framework increases India’s ability to participate more effectively, while the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats could strengthen regional security cooperation.

The real test will now be implementation. Twenty-eight documents and a broad collection of initiatives were approved in Bishkek, but their strategic value will ultimately depend on whether member states can convert them into operational cooperation.

As the SCO enters its second quarter-century, the Bishkek Summit has provided the institutional framework for that transition—from an organisation primarily associated with Eurasian security dialogue to a much broader platform dealing with security, technology, energy, climate, connectivity and economic development.

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