Upcoming webinar to address coronavirus pandemic impact on SCO cooperation, challenges and opportunities and public diplomacy’s role in promoting SCO cooperation

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered not only global socioeconomic problems but also a wave of xenophobia and stigmatisation in different parts of the world. At the same time, there are increasing appeals to prevent politicisation of the virus, pool efforts to counter COVID-19 and alleviate the consequences of the pandemic. It is essential to note that the coronavirus pandemic not only poses challenges and threats to the world but also creates new opportunities and prospects.

In this context, it is important to analyse within the SCO the accumulated experience of cooperation in an emergency. In part, this experience embraces positive factors of joint efforts, solidarity, and moral and material support between representatives of different social strata, business circles, cultural and scientific communities and young people, which points to the great potential of public diplomacy in the SCO countries.

Considering the new realities, it is necessary to focus on the ways of effectively implementing the potential of public diplomacy, and consolidating the social foundation of neighbourly relations, friendship and cooperation.

To this end, at 3 pm (Beijing time) on 11 August 2020, the SCO Secretariat, the SCO Chinese Committee on Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation, Shanghai International Studies University, and the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies will hold a joint videoconference that will focus on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cooperation in the SCO, challenges and opportunities, as well as the role of public diplomacy in promoting SCO cooperation.

The event will be attended by representatives of relevant public structures of member states, observer states and SCO dialogue partners.

The SCO Secretariat invites all those who are interested to attend the event online via the Zoom platform. The conference call number is 933 5919 6200.