The 24th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (CHS-SCO), held in Astana on 3-4 July 2024, focused on the major theme of ‘Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue-Striving Towards a Sustainable Peace and Prosperity.’ At a time of rising conflicts and global crises, the SCO Astana Summit can be credited as a crucial event for addressing key regional and trans-regional issues. In addition to member states, the Heads of state/government of observer states, and dialogue partners also attended the Summit. Moreover, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, was present, signifying the summit’s importance.
The Astana Summit concluded with the adaption of 25 Strategic Documents covering security, trade, energy, finance, and information security.[1] Noteworthy among these were: Astana Declaration 2024; Energy Cooperation Development Strategy until 2030; SCO Development Strategy until 2035; Program for Cooperation in Countering Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism for 2025-2027; and the SCO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2024-2029.[2]
