The Secretariat of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission (GNFCC) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) organized a high-level virtual meeting on June 5.
The meeting was organized under the theme “Building on Past Achievements and Charting the Future for Jointly Writing a New Chapter for the SCO Community of a Shared Future,” marking the 25th anniversary of the SCO.
Dr. Farhat Asif, Founder and President of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS), participated in the meeting alongside ten representatives from people-to-people friendship institutions across SCO member states and partner countries.
Representing Pakistan, and the sentiment of friendliness carried by the country, Dr. Farhat said that summits and declarations alone do not build lasting partnerships, it is the connections between peoples, scholars, and civil societies that give the Shanghai Spirit its enduring strength.
She highlighted the Centre for SCO Studies at IPDS, the various certification programs offered by the institute, and many partnerships across the region which ensure that Pakistan’s voice in the SCO is heard in classrooms, policy circles, and civil society forums.
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Delegates from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal also took part in the event.
The meeting was hosted and chaired by Yu Xueyong, Deputy Secretary-General of the GNFCC, and featured opening and closing remarks by Zuo Hongbo, Secretary-General of the GNFCC.
Founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, the SCO has grown from a six-member regional grouping into the world’s largest regional organization, now comprising ten full members including Pakistan, China, Russia, India, and several Central Asian states.
Over its history, the organization has deepened solidarity and mutual trust, advanced integrated development, and enhanced cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The GNFCC, as the SCO’s dedicated people-to-people mechanism, plays a critical connective role in this ecosystem; having established ties with nearly 30 friendship organizations, more than 10 think tanks, and over 100 media outlets across SCO countries.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
