A joint appeal to the youth adopted by the heads of the SCO member states at the SCO Summit in Qingdao on 10 June 2018 opened a new page in the organisation's youth policy. New momentum to boost youth cooperation is to be given by the programme of action for practical implementation of the appeal, which includes effect-oriented steps to support and inspire the youth movement within the SCO.
On 9 November 2018, the SCO Youth Assembly kicked off in Dongfang, Hainan Province, China. The theme is "SCO Youth against Terrorism and Extremism."
The opening ceremony on the picturesque coast of Hainan brought together youth representatives from the SCO countries, high-ranking diplomats in the "SCO family," Dongfang and Hainan Province officials, as well as guests and friends of the organisation.
"Today is a remarkable day as a new page in SCO history is opening. United by the spirit of friendship and a commitment to contribute to the joint development of the SCO member states, you, the representatives of the younger generation, have convened in the city of Dongfang to reaffirm your adherence to the "Shanghai spirit," said the SCO Secretary General at the opening ceremony, adding that "concern for youth has been and will remain the top priority for the organisation. The guidelines of relevant activities on this new stage of development were defined by the SCO member state leaders at the Qingdao summit."
Rashid Alimov also pointed out that the most important challenge is suppressing the penetration of the ideology of destructive forces into the youth environment, forces that endanger the future and the lives of young people. This includes terrible 21st century dangers like terrorism, extremism, organised crime and drug trafficking.
"The criminal recruitment of young people to such activities undermines traditional ways of life and strips young people of hope in their lives and the prospect for a dignified future," the SCO Secretary-General stressed.
Speaking about the threats to young people, Rashid Alimov stated, "Massive information, ideological and psychological impact, imposing alien values and false religious beliefs have led to horrendous human tragedies and claimed many human lives. Those young people who set out on that slippery road move away from traditional moral values, lose their inner moral compass and follow a path that leads to a blind alley".
He underscored that the "SCO member state leaders are confident that the young people united by the ‘Shanghai spirit' are capable of resolutely rebuking these destructive forces, and of becoming a powerful creative force that stands against the spread of alien ideas like terrorism, extremism and the rejection of law. Patriotism, high morale, tolerance, humaneness, mutual respect, thirst for knowledge and self-accomplishment are the things that describe the overwhelming majority of young SCO men and women," the SCO Secretary-General said.
Rashid Alimov also added, "The increasingly more powerful SCO youth movement is an appealing example for disoriented young people. Reaching out to a peer with a helping hand, thwarting the baneful moral disintegration of a young person is a key task for SCO youth movement activists. Only through concerted effort will we be able to make our common home safer, and this means ensuring peace, lasting development and prosperity," he said.
The SCO Secretary-General also assured the Assembly participants that the SCO member states will consistently pursue the goal of providing the younger generation with favourable socioeconomic conditions, better opportunities for education, self-expression, revealing creative potential and self-realisation.
"There is no doubt that the united youth of the SCO member states, as they actively engage in public life, will make a worthy contribution to the progress and well-being of their countries, to bolstering regional and global stability and security, to the dialogue between peoples, cultures and religions," the SCO Secretary-General concluded.
During the opening ceremony, messages of greeting were also conveyed by the Chairman of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Chyngyz Aidarbekov, UN Under-Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov, Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Colonel General Yevgeny Sysoyev, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Central Asia, Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Natalia Gherman, Ambassador Extraordinary, and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to China Andrei Denisov.
The intensive programme of the SCO Youth Assembly includes the 2018 SCO Model conference, the 21st Century Leaders contest, themed meetings, cultural events, creative competitions and athletic tournaments. All the events are aimed to help young people become moral and all-round personalities, to enhance their intellectual potential, thirst for knowledge, and encourage interest in education, science, art and literature.
The first SCO Youth Assembly "SCO Youth against Terrorism and Extremism" in Dongfang on 8-12 November 2018 was supported by the heads of government of the SCO member states which was reflected in their Joint Communiqué following an 11-12 October 2018 meeting in Dushanbe.
The Assembly has over 300 participants.