On 2 November 2026, SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev took part in the SCO International Forum on Sustainable Development in Minsk. The event was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Belarus. The Forum brought together more than 250 participants, including national coordinators for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the SCO member states, representatives of international organizations and UN agencies, diplomatic missions, and the expert, analytical and business communities.
Speaking at the plenary session, SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev stressed that sustainable development is one of the important areas of the Organization’s work. He noted that the SCO Development Strategy to 2035 and sectoral documents create the necessary conditions for expanding cooperation among member states in improving the quality of life, healthcare, education, energy, environmental protection, combating climate change, “green” development, science and innovation. The SCO Secretary General emphasized that these areas are fully consistent with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As concrete steps toward implementing a number of SDGs, Nurlan Yermekbayev mentioned the Statement on Assistance to States Affected by Emergencies, adopted at the Bishkek summit of the SCO Heads of State, which provides for measures for rapid response and mitigation of the consequences of such emergencies.
The Secretary General separately addressed the Russian Federation’s proposal to establish an SCO Council on Sustainable Development. In his view, creating such a mechanism could help develop effective approaches to ensuring sustainable development across the Organization’s area. He expressed the Secretariat’s readiness to facilitate the discussion and coordination of this initiative and, subject to consensus approval, its implementation.
Discussion of the establishment and functioning of the SCO Council on Sustainable Development continued at a special session of the Forum, held as a working lunch and attended by national SDG coordinators of the Organization’s member states, representatives of national regulatory mechanisms, and the SCO Secretariat. Nurlan Yermekbayev briefed the participants on the work of the meetings of heads of ministries and agencies of the SCO member states and of non-governmental bodies, including the Business Council and the Interbank Consortium, as well as on the possible procedure for establishing new mechanisms.
On the sidelines of the Forum, Nurlan Yermekbayev gave interviews to several Belarusian media outlets.
From 31 October to 1 November, the SCO Secretary General visited the city of Brest, where Nurlan Yermekbayev toured the Brest Fortress Memorial Complex, laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen soldiers.