At a recent SCO foreign ministers’ meeting held in Beijing, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated alongside other regional diplomats. The gathering, which also saw participation from Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, underscores the organization’s role in fostering dialogue among states often characterized by authoritarian practices.

The chapter describes how the SCO's internal focus on protecting autocratic regimes and the influential roles of Russia and China have led to a limited, fragmented crisis management approach, exposing its authoritarian leanings.

At its annual meeting in Astana on July 7, 2024, SCO leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined strategies to expand the bloc, resist external (Western) meddling, propose a new Eurasian security framework, and promote de-dollarization. These moves aim to reshape the global order and assert a counterweight to Western influence.

SCO member states have issued a joint statement outlining plans to transition public services to digital platforms, aiming to promote proactive, customized, and participatory governance among citizens.

The article highlights that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation supports authoritarian regimes by backing the suppression of political dissidents in order to sustain intergovernmental cooperation, a stance that undermines human rights and violates international norms.

A FIDH report argues that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s legal and operational framework – notably its mutual recognition principle – has enabled member states to bypass international human rights protections. This has resulted in forced extraditions, suppression of dissent, and a reinforcement of authoritarian practices among its member states.

The article describes the founding of the SCO in 2001 as a response to emerging non‑traditional security threats and details its evolution into a regional institution where China, Russia, and other authoritative states have used the organization to further consolidate control and normalize an authoritarian order in Eurasia. This historical development is linked with strategic political and economic maneuvers that bolster regime-centric approaches to governance in the region.