On 27 February 2020, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov had a meeting with Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva Tatiana Valovaya on the sidelines of the 82nd session of the Inland Transport Committee of the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
The SCO Secretary-General thanked the senior officials of the UN Office in Geneva for their assistance and support in organising the joint SCO-UN Economic Commission for Europe high-level event Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development along the Transcontinental Eurasian Transport Corridors.
Vladimir Norov noted that the SCO prioritised collaboration with the UN while addressing tasks to combat international terrorism, separatism and extremism and while promoting regional economic cooperation and cultural and humanitarian ties. He singled out the practice of holding joint high-level events on various aspects of regional and international security that has won a reputation for itself. In November 2019, New York hosted the latest such event to date, which involved over 180 representatives of diplomatic missions.
Today, the SCO has signed memorandums of understanding with such specialised UN agencies as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, UNESCO, the UN World Tourism Organisation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Work is underway to draft a similar document that will be signed with the UN Economic Commission for Europe.
In turn, Tatiana Valovaya noted that the SCO played an important and constructive role in maintaining peace and sustainable development and promoting regional cooperation in various areas.
The Director-General expressed support for SCO initiatives to strengthen relations with regional organisations and said this helped implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Ms Valovaya reaffirmed her readiness to provide all-round assistance in holding the presentation Eight Wonders of the SCO involving permanent representatives of SCO member states at the UN Office in Geneva.
She also noted the importance of SCO measures to expand inter-regional cooperation by organising multi-format events that would make it possible to combine the member states' initiatives for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
The meeting took place in a constructive and friendly atmosphere.