Partnerships with international and regional organisations play a prominent role in SCO’s network of international ties. The key documents of the SCO and its partner organisations set forth goals of ensuring regional peace, stability, security and sustainable development. This serves as a foundation for their cooperation and operates as a unifying factor.
On 21 April 2005, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta. The document sets forth cooperation priorities such as combatting terrorism, drugs and arms trafficking, the economy and finance, energy and tourism.
On 12 April 2005, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Beijing. The document sets forth cooperation priorities such as security, the economy and humanitarian affairs.
On 5 October 2007, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Dushanbe. The document provides for cooperation on matters dealing with ensuring regional and international security and stability, countering terrorism, fighting drug and arms trafficking, as well as organised cross-border crime.
On 11 December 2007, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), which provides for cooperation between the parties by exchanging information and best practices in the economic sphere, trade, transport, energy, environment, tourism and other matters of mutual interest.
On 20 May 2014, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai. The two structures share converging approaches to settling regional conflicts, reinforcing the fundamental non-proliferation frameworks and working together to address present-day challenges, including terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking, transnational crime and arms trafficking.
On 9 June 2017, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Astana. This cooperation focuses on maintaining dialogue on matters dealing with international humanitarian law as applied during armed conflicts. The two entities also collaborate in case law, education, and healthcare.
On 17 September 2021, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) in Dushanbe. The SCO and the EAEU cooperate in the economic sphere and finance, transport and multimodal deliveries, investment, digital transformation and information and communication technology.
On 15 September 2022, the SCO Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS) in Samarkand. In accordance with this document, the two parties undertake to facilitate cooperation on matters dealing with security and stability, trade, the economy, investment and finance, public healthcare, science, culture and social development.
Since 2015, the SCO, the CSTO and the CIS have been holding meetings of their top administrative officials. The three organisations approved a Roadmap for Promoting SCO-CSTO-CIS Cooperation on 3 September 2025 in Beijing.