Developing multi-faceted cooperation aimed at maintaining and strengthening peace, security and stability in the region, and facilitating the formation of a new democratic, just and rational political and economic international order, are among the key objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, as enshrined in the SCO Charter.
The 2020 Moscow Declaration of the SCO Heads of State Council states that “the member states will continue to strengthen the SCO as one of the pillars of the emerging more representative world order based on the supremacy of international law, primarily the UN Charter, respect for the civilisational diversity and peoples' independent choice of the path of their political and socioeconomic development, equitable partnership of states.”
The Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of 16 August 2017 states the shared intention “to contribute to more democratic international relations and to the establishment of a new architecture of global security on the basis of equality, mutual respect, mutual trust and benefit, as well as abrogation of a bloc-based and ideological division.”
The SCO is not a military bloc, as this organisation’s structure has no attributes typical of a defence alliance, such as supranational command bodies or joint military contingents. However, the 2007 agreement mentioned earlier provides for SCO consultations in the event of developments threatening the security of any of the agreement parties.
Security cooperation among the SCO member states is founded on the principles of the UN Charter and the SCO Charter – chiefly, mutual respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, border inviolability, non-aggression, non-interference in domestic affairs, non-use of force or threats of using force in international relations, no unilateral military advantage in border territories, non-alignment against other countries or international organisations, and peaceful resolution of any potential disagreements among the member states.
Following the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council in Tianjin on 1 September 2025, the Statement by the SCO Heads of State was adopted to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the establishment of the United Nations.
The SCO has created several security mechanisms, which include meetings of security council secretaries, chairs of supreme courts and prosecutors general, meetings of defence ministers, interior ministers and justice ministers; and meetings on emergency prevention, where the parties coordinate action to ensure international and regional security, law enforcement, as well as share experience and strengthen working contacts.
The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) takes practical efforts to expose, prevent and intercept “the three forces of evil” (terrorism, extremism and separatism), demonstrating tangible results in countering these threats, eliminating the causes and conditions for their emergence, and preventing the spread of terrorist ideology, extremist propaganda and radicalism across the SCO space.
Considering the fact that the RATS agenda has substantially expanded compared to its initial outlook – in particular, by including the problem of international information security and countering international organised crime, the SCO member states have taken practical steps to transform the SCO RATS Executive Committee into the SCO Universal Centre for Countering Security Threats.
In one of the essential outcomes of the Tianjin summit, the parties signed an agreement on the Universal Centre for Countering Security Challenges and Threats in Tashkent, which will include the Information Security Centre and the Centre for Countering International Organised Crime in Bishkek as a branch, and on the Anti-Narcotics Centre in Dushanbe as a permanent dedicated body. The establishment of these new centres marks a new stage in developing security cooperation.
The SCO is advancing efforts in countering drug trafficking, facilitated by the effectiveness of the three-tier cooperation mechanism for the anti-narcotics agencies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that was created in 2009.
The fundamental document in this area is the Anti-Drug Strategy of the SCO Member States for 2024–2029, with a corresponding Action Plan.
Shaping effective multilateral mechanisms to oversee the production, import, export and transit of precursors used to produce and process prohibited narcotics is an integral part of anti-drug cooperation within the SCO.
The international anti-drug operation called Spider Web is among the SCO’s effective mechanisms.
The latest phase of the operation took place on 4–8 August 2025 in the SCO member states, resulting in the seizure of 9 tonnes and 235 kg of narcotics and 21 tonnes and 451 kg of precursors.
In June 2011, the SCO Secretariat and the UNODC signed a memorandum of understanding. Regular joint high-level events have been organised since 2017 on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
The joint anti-terrorist exercise, Peace Mission, has been held since 2003 to improve the practical skills of the law enforcement agencies and armed forces of the SCO member states.
SCO missions have participated in and overseen elections in the SCO member states and beyond since 2004. Seventy-six SCO Observer Missions have been formed since 2004.