SCO summit summary: Member states sign Samarkand Declaration

On September 16, the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization discussed the Organization’s activity and prospects that resulted in signing the final document of the event - the Samarkand Declaration.

The participants adopted a total of 44 documents - agreements, concepts, programs and other decisions which is a record indicator in the organisation's history. Such as:

• On the comprehensive action plan for the implementation of the provisions of the agreement on long-term good neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation of the SCO member states in 2023-2027;
• On the concept of the SCO member states on the development of interdependence and the creation of effective transport corridors;
• On the regulation on the honorary title of "Ambassador of Good Will of the SCO";
• On the "roadmap" for gradually increasing the share of national currencies in mutual settlements of SCO member states;
• On the signing of the memorandum on the obligations of Iran to obtain the status of a member state of the SCO;
• On starting the process of admitting the Republic of Belarus to the SCO membership;
• On granting the status of a dialogue partner of the SCO to the Republic of Maldives, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and Kuwait;
• On declaring the city of Varanasi (India) as the tourism and cultural capital of the SCO in 2022-2023;
• On signing a memorandum between the SCO Secretariat and the UN (UNESCO) on Education, Science and Culture;
• Reports of the SCO General Secretary on the organization's last year's activity and the 2021 activity of the Council of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure;
• On cancelling the validity of the decisions of the SCO Council of Heads of State;

 Decisions were made to improve the activities of the SCO.

• on response actions to climate change;
• on ensuring reliable, stable and diversified supply chains;
• on ensuring global food security;
• statements on ensuring energy security were accepted.

In addition, the following documents were signed during the event:

• Memorandum on obligations of Iran to obtain the status of a member state of the SCO;
• Agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism between the governments of the SCO member states;
• Fundamentals of partnership between SCO member states in the field of trade in services;
• Memorandum on cooperation between the competent bodies of the SCO countries in the field of museum work;
• Agreement on cooperation between the competent bodies of the SCO countries in the field of plant quarantine;
• Cooperation program of the SCO countries in the field of using renewable energy sources;
• The infrastructural development program of SCO countries;
• Program for the promotion of industrial cooperation between business circles of SCO countries;
• SCO program for the development of digital literacy;
• Cooperation program of the SCO member states on the development of artificial intelligence;
• "roadmap" on cooperation between the medical organizations of the SCO member states in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases;
• Action plan for scientific and technical cooperation in priority directions between SCO member states (in 2022-2025);
• Joint action plan for the development of intra-regional trade in the SCO;
• Concept of cooperation of SCO countries in the field of telemedicine;
• Concept of cooperation of SCO countries in the field of "smart" agriculture and introduction of agro-innovations;
• Memorandum between the secretariats of the SCO and the League of Arab States;
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of the SCO and the United Nations (UNESCO) on Education, Science and Culture;
• A memorandum of understanding and other documents were signed between the Secretariat of the SCO and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESKATO).