First SCO national coordinators meeting today in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: National coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are set to meet today (Monday) and continue their deliberations until September 30 to finalise the programme of activities under Pakistan’s chairmanship and prepare for a series of high-level engagements, including next year’s summit. The meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators (CNC) will be the first such gathering under Pakistan’s chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) for 2026-27, the Foreign Office said on Sunday. Pakistan’s national coordinator for the SCO will chair the meeting, which will be attended by counterparts from other member states and representatives of the SCO Secretariat. The coordinators will discuss SCO cooperation and coordination, including the programme of activities planned under Pakistan’s chairmanship, preparations for upcoming meetings and events, and other items on the organisation’s agenda. Pakistan has adopted “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity” as the theme of its chairmanship. According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan will focus on greater regional connectivity, innovation, economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts, with the aim of translating the SCO’s shared objectives into practical initiatives. The meeting will also contribute to preparations for various high-level engagements during Pakistan’s chairmanship, including the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in August 2027. Pakistan assumed the chairmanship of the SCO CHS for 2027 at the organisation’s annual summit in Kyrgyzstan in September. Speaking at the summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed a plan centred on IT and artificial intelligence, energy development, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports. He also called for greater regional connectivity and for the SCO’s vision to be translated into tangible progress. Preparations for next year’s summit are already under way in Islamabad. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has invited bids for the upgrading of the Jinnah Convention Centre and construction of a new block for the SCO summit. The authority was also working to ensure the availability of 4, 000 hotel rooms meeting international standards for the event. CDA officials said Islamabad had more than 4, 000 hotel rooms, but around 1, 000 did not meet the required standards. The authority has therefore been encouraging hotel operators to add new rooms, complete ongoing projects and begin new construction. Pakistan has also hosted other SCO-related activities during its current period of leadership. In July, Islamabad hosted the 12th meeting of the Heads of Border Services of the Competent Authorities of the SCO. Pakistan also chairs the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS), a responsibility it assumed in September. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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