On 13 October 2026, a meeting was held at the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Beijing between the SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev and the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Relations with International Organizations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals Boris Titov.
The parties exchanged views on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discussed preparations for the SCO International Forum on Sustainable Development, which will be held on 2 November 2026 in Minsk.
Nurlan Yermekbayev emphasised that the SCO's activities cover a wide range of areas related to achieving the SDGs. The commitment of the Organisation's member states to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is consistently reflected in the declarations of the heads of state, while the SCO Development Strategy until 2035 and sectoral documents form the basis for further deepening cooperation in this area.
Boris Titov noted the importance of strengthening the role of SCO member states in shaping the international sustainable development agenda. He informed the participants about the initiative to create the SCO Challenges and Threats Barometer, aimed at identifying current geopolitical changes and developing approaches to overcoming emerging threats, as well as about the Astana Group of Experts.
The interlocutors also discussed the Russian Federation's initiative to establish an SCO Council for Sustainable Development. The Secretariat expressed its readiness to assist in its further discussion and coordination.