Meeting of Ministers of Justice

In order to implement the objectives set out in the SCO Charter (Article 8), meetings of heads of sectoral ministries and agencies of the Member States are held regularly. The establishment within the Organisation of a mechanism for interaction among the ministers of justice of the SCO Member States was an important step towards the practical implementation of these objectives.

The activities of the interaction mechanism are governed by the SCO Charter, the Agreement on Cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States, the regulations on meetings of heads of ministries and/or agencies of the SCO Member States, and the SCO rules of procedure.

The participants discussed ways to expand cooperation among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States on the basis of equality, mutual trust, and respect and agreed to promote neighbourly and friendly relations and to build a society within the SCO based on the rule of law in order to achieve the Organisation’s objectives, including through legal support to ensure peace and stability in the region, as well as the development and prosperity of the SCO Member States.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the ministers expressed their readiness to:

1. Introduce the practice of holding regular meetings of ministers of justice of the SCO Member States in accordance with the SCO rules of procedure.

2. Continue deepening cooperation in law and justice within the framework of the meeting mechanism, including by way of holding round table discussions and conferences, exchanging visits, and offering training programmes aimed at sharing experience and improving the professional qualifications of justice officials.

3. Develop cooperation strictly in accordance with the SCO Charter and the regulations on meetings of heads of ministries and/or agencies of the SCO Member States on the basis of the Shanghai Spirit.

4. Strengthen contacts among senior officials and expand exchanges among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States at various levels in order to facilitate the implementation of agreements on issues of mutual interest.

5. Strengthen contacts and cooperation among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States, in accordance with international treaties and on the basis of reciprocity, in areas such as ensuring the rule of law, providing legal assistance and forensic activities when enforcing judicial decisions and acts, and protecting lawful rights and interests of individuals and corporations of the SCO Member States.

6. Consider in the future the development of a draft agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States.

A joint statement was adopted following substantive discussions with a view to further strengthening cooperation and exchanges.

The ministers declared the following:

1. Reaffirm the importance of holding regular meetings of the ministers of justice of the SCO Member States in accordance with the SCO rules of procedure.

2. Promote cooperation in accordance with the SCO Charter and regulations on meetings of heads of ministries and/or agencies of the SCO Member States.

3. Continue strengthening contacts among ministers of justice and officials at various levels and promote the development of the legal systems of the SCO Member States.

4. Promote cooperation among the SCO Member States in law and justice to ensure the protection of lawful rights in accordance with national legislation and international treaties of the SCO Member States.

5. Identify the exchange of experience in legislative drafting, notarial, advocacy, and forensic activities, provision of legal services, legal assistance, public legal education, and other areas of mutual interest as promising areas of further cooperation.

6. Approve the work carried out by experts in agreeing upon the draft agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States and recognise the expediency of preparing for signing it at the third meeting.

7. Actively facilitate the implementation of this joint statement.

The heads of delegations discussed the creation of a single electronic database of legislation of the SCO Member States for entrepreneurs and investors and signed an agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the ministers expressed their readiness to:

1. Strengthen the development of cooperation among the ministries of justice in accordance with the SCO Charter and the regulations on meetings of heads of ministries and/or agencies of the SCO Member States.

2. Recognise the expediency of creating a unified electronic database of legislation of the SCO Member States for entrepreneurs and investors.

3. Continue strengthening contacts among ministers of justice and officials at various levels and promote the development of the legal systems of the SCO Member States.

4. Continue cooperation in exchanging experience in legislative drafting, notarial, advocacy, and forensic activities, provision of legal services, legal assistance, public legal education, and other areas of mutual interest.

5. Carry out work to implement the agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States, this joint statement, and other SCO documents.

During the meeting, a number of decisions were adopted pursuant to which the Member States will strengthen legal assistance to citizens, expand exchanges and cooperation in state legislative planning, forensic medicine, and ensure free access to SCO legal databases.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the heads of delegations noted their readiness to:

1. Continue exchanging experience in legislation and conduct multilateral and bilateral workshops on issues of mutual interest, subject to agreement by the parties.

2. Continue promoting the rule of law and raising awareness of the rule of law among citizens and law enforcement personnel.

3. Strengthen exchanges and cooperation in legal services.

4. Establish a working group on forensic expertise of the SCO Member States and request the Kazakh side to draft the charter and submit it for consideration at the next meeting of the ministers of justice.

5. Develop mutual legal assistance among member states in civil and criminal matters.

6. Create a legislative database on the SCO website containing laws and regulations of the Member States and ensure access to legal information for citizens, legal entities, and stakeholder organisations.

The heads of delegations discussed cooperation in providing legal assistance in civil and criminal cases among the SCO Member States, the regulations of the expert working group on forensic activities and the regulations of the expert working group on legal services under the meeting of ministers of justice of the SCO Membr States.

Following the meeting, a joint statement was adopted. The ministers of justice of the SCO Member States declared the following:

1. Continue exchanging experience in the following areas:

- promoting information technologies in the provision of legal services (notariat, advocacy, civil status registration);

- improving systems for handling appeals from individuals and legal entities through the introduction of the latest information and communication technologies aimed at safeguarding their rights and interests.

2. Approve regulations of the expert working group on forensic activities and regulations of the expert working group on legal services under the meeting of ministers of justice of the SCO Member States.

3. Continue implementing existing agreements to ensure broad access for individuals, business entities, and stakeholder organisations to legislative information databases of the SCO Member States.

4. Develop cooperation among the SCO Member States in law and justice to ensure the protection of the lawful rights and interests of individuals and legal entities of the SCO Member States, based on respect for universally recognised principles of international law and in accordance with national legislation and international treaties of the SCO Member States.

5. Actively facilitate the implementation of this joint statement.

The heads of delegations discussed issues related to the provision of legal services to individuals and/or legal entities and emphasised that the development of information technologies in the provision of services remains one of the key goals of the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States.

The parties noted positive dynamics in multilateral cooperation in forensic activities and legal services, highlighting the need to prioritise the development of mutually beneficial programmes and innovative cooperation projects, improvement of the legal and contractual framework, and the expansion of dialogue in scientific and technological innovations and achievements.

During the meeting, the action plan of the expert working group on forensic activities of the meeting of ministers of justice of the SCO Member States for 2018-2020 and the action plan of the expert working group on legal services for 2018-2020 were approved.

The participants exchanged views on the role of the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in countering the spread of modern threats to international security. The importance of cooperation and active participation of the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in the efforts of the international community to combat contemporary challenges and threats, given their transnational nature, was unanimously reaffirmed.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the heads of delegations declared the following:

1. Cooperation among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States is carried out in accordance with the goals and principles of the SCO Charter, the Treaty on Long-Term Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States, and the SCO Development Strategy to 2025.

2. Interaction among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States contributes to the preservation and strengthening of mutual trust, neighbourliness, and friendship among the SCO Member States.

3. The ministers of justice consider it a priority to continue cooperation on improving mechanisms for providing legal services to individuals and/or legal entities and on key areas of forensic activities.

4. The ministers of justice emphasise the importance of countering modern-day threats to international security on the basis of universally recognised norms of international law and international treaties adopted within the SCO framework.

5. The ministers note the importance of creating expert working groups on forensic activities and legal services and highlight the importee of active and targeted implementation of their action plans for 2018-2020.

6. The ministers of justice will actively facilitate the implementation of this joint statement.

During the meeting, the ministers noted the importance of promoting mechanisms for alternative dispute resolution, recognised the need for cooperation in this area, and emphasised that the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the importance of cooperation across all fields, including legal matters. They also stressed the relevance of mutual exchange of legal information related to countering the spread of the pandemic.

Following the meeting, a joint statement was adopted in which the heads of delegations emphasised the importance of:

1. Intensifying work on the implementation of the agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States (Dushanbe, August 18, 2015).

2. Continuing implementation of the action plans of the expert working groups on forensic activities and legal services for 2018-2020, and drafting action plans for 2021–2023.

3. Considering the possibility of organising exchange programmes for representatives of the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States to study best practices in alternative dispute resolution.

4. Continuing discussions on mutual legal assistance and the development of legal services in accordance with national legislation.

5. Actively developing cooperation with the ministries of justice from the SCO observer states and dialogue partners.

6. Continuing efforts to create an online platform for the exchange of legal information, considering provisions of national legislation.

The participants discussed ways to improve the legal and contractual framework, the role of the legal system during the pandemic, the provision of free legal aid to citizens, anti-corruption efforts, as well as the digitalisation of judicial authorities, the use of new information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence in the administration of justice.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the heads of delegations emphasised the importance of:

1. Stepping up the efforts to implement the agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States signed in Dushanbe on August 18, 2015.

2. Strengthening interaction among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in order to preserve and expand mutual trust, neighbourliness, and friendship among the Member States.

3. Seeking to hold regional conferences dedicated to the provision of free legal aid to citizens, organising reciprocal visits of representatives of institutions and services providing free legal assistance in the Member States, and exchanging experience in this area.

4. Establishing exchanges of experience among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in combatting corruption, considering the improvements in national legislation and the introduction of innovative technologies.

The participants discussed the provision of legal services to individuals and/or legal entities, ensuring the rule of law based on the principles of respect for, protection and guarantee of human rights in all areas of social, political and economic life, as well as mutual understanding regarding the development of the legal systems of the SCO Member States.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the participants emphasised the need to:

1. Maintain interaction among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in order to preserve and expand mutual trust, neighbourliness, and friendship among the Member States.

2. Continue implementing the agreement on cooperation between the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States signed in Dushanbe on August 18, 2015.

3. Further strengthen cooperation among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States to promote the development of their legal systems.

4. Organise reciprocal visits by representatives of the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States, hold SCO regional conferences, bilateral symposiums, seminars, workshops, and joint courses on important legal issues, and exchange experience in this area.

5. Continue the activities of the expert working groups on forensic activities and legal services.

The parties discussed cooperation in law and justice, further improvement of interaction among the ministries of justice, and the SCO legal framework. Special attention was paid to the activities of the expert working groups on forensic activities and legal services, the development of information technologies in the provision of services, and ensuring the rule of law based on respect for and protection of human rights in all spheres of social, political and economic life.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the heads of delegations emphasised the importance of:

1. Maintaining interaction among the ministries of justice to expand cooperation in the legal and judicial spheres.

2. Continuing the implementation of the agreement on cooperation.

3. Organising conferences, forums, seminars and other relevant events on legal cooperation to enhance the exchange of experience.

4. Continuing the activities of the expert working groups on forensic activities and legal services and deepening cooperation in the field of legal services among the SCO Member States.

5. Continuing discussions on cooperation among legal institutions and experts from the stakehoder SCO Member States.

The participants approved action plans of the expert working groups on legal services and on forensic activities for 2024–2026.

The parties also discussed further improvement of inter-ministerial cooperation, the provision of legal services to individuals and legal entities, the development of information technologies in service delivery, and the advancement of the legal systems of the Member States.

In a joint statement adopted following the meeting, the heads of delegations emphasised the importance of:

1. Continuing cooperation among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in accordance with the goals and principles of the SCO Charter, the Treaty on Long-Term Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States, and the SCO Development Strategy to 2025.

2. Maintaining interaction among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in the legal sphere.

3. Organising conferences, forums and seminars on legal cooperation, as well as other relevant events to enhance the exchange of experience.

4. Continuing the implementation of the action plans of the expert working groups on legal services and forensic activities for 2024–2026.

Following the meeting, a joint statement was adopted. The ministers, emphasising the existing mutual understanding on the development of the legal systems of the SCO Member States and taking into account the agreements and objectives set out in the SCO Development Strategy to 2035, declared the following:

1. To continue cooperation among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in accordance with the goals and principles of the SCO Charter, the Treaty on Long-Term Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States, and the SCO Development Strategy to 2035.

2. To maintain interaction among the ministries of justice of the SCO Member States in the legal sphere.

3. To convene conferences, forums and seminars on matterso legal cooperation, as well as other relevant events to enhance the exchange of experience.

The next meeting of ministers of justice of the SCO Member States will be held in the Republic of Tajikistan in 2026.