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September 28, 2026
Pakistan begins its SCO chairmanship with a three day national coordinators’ meeting in Islamabad, setting the agenda for cooperation and preparations for the 2027 summit.
Pakistan’s chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) moves from diplomatic handover to working mode this week as national coordinators from member states meet in Islamabad from September 28 to 30.
The three day meeting of the SCO Council of National Coordinators (CNC) is the first major engagement under Pakistan’s chairmanship of the Council of Heads of State for 2026-27. It will be chaired by Pakistan’s national coordinator and attended by counterparts from SCO member states and representatives of the SCO Secretariat.
According to the Foreign Office, the coordinators will review Pakistan’s programme of activities, preparations for upcoming SCO meetings and events, and other items on the organisation’s agenda. The meeting will provide an early coordination platform as Islamabad begins implementing its priorities for the chairmanship.
Pakistan is conducting its chairmanship under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.” The Foreign Office says the agenda will emphasise regional connectivity, innovation, economic cooperation and people-to-people contacts, with the stated aim of turning shared commitments into practical initiatives.
The meeting also has a longer term significance: its discussions will contribute to preparations for the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting that Pakistan is scheduled to host in August 2027. The summit will be a key high level engagement during Islamabad’s year at the helm of the organisation.
Pakistan formally assumed the SCO chairmanship after the Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek earlier this month. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had outlined priorities including information technology and artificial intelligence, energy development, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports during the transition.
The Islamabad meeting comes after Pakistan hosted other SCO related engagements this year, including a meeting of the organisation’s Regional Anti Terrorist Structure. Islamabad has also been preparing for next year’s leaders’ summit, including work on facilities and arrangements in the capital.
With the CNC meeting, Pakistan now enters the detailed coordination phase of its SCO chairmanship. The immediate discussions will focus on planning and coordination, but they will also help shape the agenda Islamabad takes forward toward the 2027 summit.
