The SCO pays great attention to the development of cooperation in the field of environmental protection. Working mechanisms such as the Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Agencies of the SCO Member States Responsible for Environmental Protection, as well as the expert working group accountable to this Meeting, function on a permanent basis.
To date, 7 Meetings have been held; the latest was held under the chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic on 3 April 2026 in a hybrid format in the city of Bishkek. During the event, an exchange of experience and best practices took place in such areas as climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, the development of a "green" and low-carbon economy, waste management, and combating atmospheric air pollution. Following the event, a Joint Statement was signed and the Initiative to Improve Atmospheric Air Quality was approved. The final documents are intended to ensure the further development of interaction among the SCO Member States on the environmental track. The Eighth Meeting will be held in 2027 under the chairmanship of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
During the meeting of the Council of Heads of State, which took place on 31 August – 1 September 2026 in the city of Bishkek, the Initiative of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States on the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Biodiversity and the Plan of Joint Actions for its Implementation were signed.
The climate agenda is being actively promoted within the framework of the SCO. The first document in this area was the Statement of the Council of Heads of State on Responding to Climate Change, adopted at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022. In 2024, a decision was adopted to establish a Special Working Group on Climate Change, the draft Regulations of which are being discussed at the expert level.
During the Bishkek Summit, the Memorandum between the Governments of the SCO Member States on Cooperation in Combating Climate Change was also signed.
Interaction with international organizations in the sphere is also developing. Thus, on 28 February 2024, on the margins of UNEA-6, a Memorandum between the SCO Secretariat and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was signed, and a joint special high-level SCO-UNEP event "One Planet, One Future: Joining Efforts for Environmental Sustainability" was held. During the Regional Environmental Summit (22 April 2026, Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan), a special high-level session was held on the topic "Environmental Partnership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme: Joint Actions for a Sustainable Future of the Region."