National coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are set to meet in Islamabad from Sept 28 to 30 to discuss the programme of activities under Pakistan’s chairmanship and other matters.
In a statement on Sunday, the Foreign Office (FO) said the first meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators (CNC) will be convened under Pakistan’s chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) for 2026-27.
The meeting would be chaired by the national coordinator of the SCO for Pakistan and attended by their counterparts from SCO member states, along with representatives of the SCO Secretariat.
“The national coordinators would discuss a wide range of issues relating to SCO cooperation and coordination, including the programme of activities under Pakistan’s chairmanship, preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events, and other matters on the agenda of the organisation.”
As the chair of the SCO CHS for 2026-27, Pakistan would seek to advance the group’s objectives under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity”.
“Pakistan’s chairmanship would focus on promoting greater connectivity, fostering innovation, enhancing economic cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people contacts, with a view to translating the shared vision of member states into practical and mutually beneficial initiatives,” FO noted.
It added that Pakistan would work closely with all member states and the SCO Secretariat to “advance these priorities and further strengthen cooperation within the SCO”.
“The meeting marks an important initial engagement under Pakistan’s chairmanship and would contribute to preparations for various high-level engagements and activities to be undertaken during the chairmanship, including the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State to be hosted by Pakistan in August 2027.”
Pakistan assumed the chairmanship of the SCO CHS for 2027 during an annual summit held in Kyrgyzstan in September.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had proposed an “excellent plan that will prioritise key sectors, including IT and AI, energy development, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports”.
He called for turning the SCO vision into action and its promises into progress, advocating for greater regional connectivity.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has invited bids for the upgradation of Jinnah Convention Centre, besides construction of a new block for the SCO summit next year.
CDA was also making all-out efforts in August to ensure the availability of 4,000 top-class hotel rooms in Islamabad for the SCO moot.
CDA officials said that although various hotels had more than 4,000 rooms available, around 1,000 did not meet international standards. Therefore, CDA had decided to encourage the hotel industry to construct new rooms, complete ongoing hotel construction projects early and start work on new hotels.
In July, Pakistan hosted the 12th meeting of the Heads of Border Services of the Competent Authorities of the SCO. Islamabad also chairs SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS), a role it assumed last September.
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