Established almost two decades back, the SCO or Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the most powerful regional platforms, fostering conflict-free collaboration between its member countries. With its expanding agenda and membership opportunities, it plays an imminent role in shaping the world’s policies. To top it off, it has transformed into a global forum for security and economics. 

The organization’s membership blurs the line between nations that control vast natural resource reserves, operate major trade routes, and has a significant political influence over the entire Eurasia. Owing to this, learning the SCO member countries is imperative. This knowledge will help analyze global power dynamics, emerging partnership opportunities, and the collective strategies that impact Asia and beyond. 

What is the SCO?

Launched in 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO is a regional intergovernmental organization having member countries from both Europe and Asia. Its primary objective is to promote stability, security, and cooperation across Eurasia while empowering nations in this dynamically shifting political landscape. 

Goals of the SCO

  1. Fostering economic collaboration and connectivity, including trade routes and energy projects
  2. Strengthening regional security, peace, and stability
  3. Promoting political trust and diplomatic cooperation amongst all the SCO member countries
  4. Countering terrorism, extremism, and separatism through coordinated efforts and strategies
  5. Encouraging cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges
  6. Enhancing joint responses to global challenges and hiccups like cybercrimes and climate changes

Areas of focus

The SCO member countries focus on three primary areas to fulfil the forum’s mission and vision. These are:

  1. Security: Drafting coordinated strategies to counterattack terrorism, cross-border threats, and extremism while ensuring stability and collective defense infrastructures across the Eurasian region.
  2. Economic cooperation: Facilitating trades, energy collaboration, and infrastructure projects to foster prosperity and development amongst all the member nations.
  3. Cultural exchange: Strengthening ties through arts, education, sports, and cultural programs while promoting unity and mutual understanding.

SCO member countries in 2025

Member CountriesJoining Date
ChinaJune 15, 2001
IndiaJune 9, 2017
KazakhstanJune 15, 2001
KyrgyzstanJune 15, 2001
PakistanJune 9, 2017
RussiaJune 15, 2001
TajikistanJune 15, 2001
UzbekistanJune 15, 2001
IranJuly 4, 2023
BelarusJuly 4, 2024

Objectives of SCO member countries

Regional security

Instability and cross-border terrorism have stalled peace and stability in most European and Asian countries. This is where the SCO comes to play, unifying all the member nations to counterbalance these challenges using collective defense. 

  1. Joint anti-terror exercises help strengthen battle readiness
  2. Intelligence sharing eliminates the risks of extremism
  3. Border coordination helps reduce conflicts and disputes

Energy cooperation

Uneven resource distribution and skyrocketing energy demands have created too much dependencies and paved the road for increasing tension. That’s why the SCO member countries work collectively to stabilize the energy market across Eurasia. Here’s how. 

  1. Fosters shared access to oil and natural gas reserves
  2. Encourages the development plans for transnational energy pipelines
  3. Deepens the collaboration on renewable energy projects

Economic integration

Uneven growth and fragmented markets have put numerous restrictions on regional prosperity. The SCO members act diligently to foster stronger economic ties to unlock new opportunities for shared development. For instance:

  1. They harmonize economic policies for smoother trades.
  2. The member nations encourage cross-border investments.
  3. SCO supports innovation hubs and digital economy.

Trade connectivity

Commerce has been limited until now due to trade barriers and poor infrastructures. This is where the SCO member countries play a huge role by:

  1. Expanding regional transport corridors
  2. Supporting Belt and Road Initiative projects
  3. Simplifying custom procedures for cross-border trades

Educational collaboration

Lack of access to shared knowledge and innovation hubs has significantly weakened the youth development. The SCO addresses this issue by promoting collaborated education and research systems across Eurasia. For instance, they arrange exchange programs for scholars and students and foster academic partnerships. Cross-cultural learning is encouraged throughout by providing scholarships and establishing joint research centers.

Environmental action

The increasing climate risks and rising pollution levels have threatened both sustainability and regional health. That’s why the SCO member countries have incorporated environmental protection in their agency. Here’s how.

  1. Launching joint climate monitoring initiatives
  2. Working on cooperative projects for water management
  3. Promoting green technologies and eco-tourism

Sovereignty protection

Territorial disputes and external interferences often undermine regional stability. So, it is the responsibility of SCO to safeguard sovereignty through cooperation and mutual respect.

  1. Non-interference in domestic affairs
  2. Collective stance against unilateral sanctions
  3. Respect for territorial integrity

Multipolar order

The SCO member countries work together, hand in hand, to build a multipolar world with fairness and unbiased thinking. Here’s how.

  1. Promoting balanced global governance
  2. Strengthening partnerships with other regional organizations
  3. Enhancing South-South cooperation

What do SCO member countries do together?

Joint Military exercises

The SCO member countries organize drills and other forms of exercises frequently to improve coordination against shared threats. These include terrorism, border violations, and insurgency. With these joint exercises, the organization aims to build trust, interoperability, and war readiness. The two most noteworthy missions undertaken so far are:

  1. Peace Mission 2021: A joint anti-terrorism exercise
  2. Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS): To promote intelligence sharing

Economic cooperation

Uneven development, isolation, and infrastructure deficits have threatened prosperity and growth in Eurasia since a long time. That’s why the SCO has taken it upon itself to undertake different projects that will enhance energy, trade, and industrial capacities. The primary aim here is to create opportunities for markets, job growth, and regional development. Some of the best initiatives so far to promote economic cooperation are:

  1. SCO Interbank Consortium
  2. Amur Gas Chemical Complex
  3. China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline

Cultural exchanges

Diverse religions, languages, and histories have encouraged the SCO member countries to promote soft diplomacy. The primary goal is to reduce misunderstandings and encourage mutual understanding on a global platform. Several programs have been launched so far to unify people across borders, like:

  1. Restoration of historic heritage sites like Islamic schools and Khiva mosques
  2. SCO Summer Youth Gala Week for young people’s cultural tourism exchange programs
  3. Festival of Cultural and Tourism Exchanges of SCO members in Qingdao

Challenges within the SCO

India-Pakistan relations

Frequent border tensions between Pakistan and India along with historical disputes over Kashmir have strained the unity amongst the SCO member countries. The disagreements have often overshadowed cooperative agendas of the organization, limiting the progress of joint initiatives. To top it off, these have also complicated trust-building amongst other members preferring collective growth and stability.

Varying economic interests

The SCO members include both major consumer markets like China and India and energy exporters like Kazakhstan and Russia. As the priorities are contrast to one another, clashes and conflicts have become unavoidable. As a result, member nations find it extremely difficult to align investment, trade, and resource-sharing strategies, thereby declining the pace of regional economic integration.

Decision-making hurdles

A consensus-based decision-making system is followed across the entire SCO forum, which is why every member needs to provide their approval before any new policy is introduced. While it was done to ensure inclusivity and fairness, this often introduces delays in responses to projects and crisis.  

Balancing political systems

This regional organization brings together countries with varying political infrastructures. For example, India is a democratic nation while Russia and China follow a hybrid or an authoritarian regime. Owing to the differences in political models, creation of shared policies, especially on civil liberties, human rights, and governance norms have become way too complicated.

SCO Vs BRICS

FeaturesSCOBRICS
Founded2001 in Shanghai2009 in Russia
FocusCounter-terrorism, regional security, economic ties, and connectivityTrade, global economic reform, and development finance
Core membersChina, India, Pakistan, Russia, Central Asia, Belarus, and IranBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
OverlapChina, India, RussiaChina, India, Russia
Main agendaEurasian cooperation and regional stabilityReforming global financial order and funding development

Impact of SCO on global politics and economy 

Trade routes

The SCO member countries align with China’s Belt and Road to boost connectivity across Eurasia through pipelines, railways, and corridors.

Global diplomacy

SCO encourages multipolarity by allowing emerging powers to display collective influence in shaping international reforms and policies while counterbalancing Western-led institutions.

Security cooperation

The organization provides a common platform to address narcotics, terrorism, and instability spilling over from Afghanistan. 

Future of SCO member countries

After Belarus joined the regional organization in 2024, the SCO has expanded its roots into Eastern Europe. This has paved the road for potential partnerships with ASEAN and Gulf states. To top it off, the SCO member countries are poised to strengthen multipolar global governance and shape the Eurasian geopolitical landscape by enhancing energy cooperation, security, and connectivity.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has merged as one of the most powerful forces with a strong influence on global politics. Its members collaborate on trade, security, and cultural exchange while navigating differences in economics and politics. With expanding partnerships and new entrants like Belarus, the SCO is expected to face both new opportunities and challenges. 

FAQs

How many countries are members of the SCO in 2025?

As of 2025, there are 10 SCO member countries spanning across Eurasia. 

Which was the last country to join the SCO?

Belarus is the latest entrant of the SCO in 2024.

What is the role of India and Pakistan in the SCO?

Both these SCO member countries play crucial roles in trade, security, and dialogue despite having bilateral tensions.

Are SCO member countries allies of each other?

Although the member countries of the SCO are not strict allies, they do cooperate on economic integration, regional security, and stability.

Is the SCO like NATO or the EU?

The SCO is more like a cooperative forum and not an economic union or a military alliance like the EU or NATO, respectively. 

Chrysalis School is a hidden gem that is absolutely amazing. The experience started when we were driving through in search of school for our kids and saw this attractive newly built school.

Our interaction with school alumni assured us that our child will be in the best hands with the teachers and staff. The faculty and staff truly care about the students and are available around the clock to help with student needs.

Cheers!
Yaduveer Singh & Tanu Chaudhary

Chrysalis High, is a great school which develops a good foundation for kids both academically and also in character building. Both the pre primary and now the primary school years for Samay, have been socially nurturing and academically challenging. Our son loves his school, he has come a long way from his nursery days till today, the 3rd grade.

Everyone at school, be it the Principal, Coordinators, teachers or the administrative staff, all have been really cooperative and supportive. Chrysalis also has one of the best parent – teacher relationship!

Overall, Chrysalis High, has been a wonderful experience for both Samay and us till date. We appreciate the great work and looking forward for more!

Regard,
Kavita

I have been a student at Chrysalis High Marq for two school years and from what I have experienced, I can tell you it is a great school. The staff is excellent and the rules help keep the school safe and in order.

There is an equal balance of learning and reviewing the information. There are enrichment activity classes as well to where we have life skill and ink well sessions that help in the refinement and polishing of the mind. Chrysalis has initiated many activities for students. We have engrossing and fun-filled Indoor Champs, Performing Arts classes, Buddy interaction time etc. The teachers in Chrysalis are hardworking and determined . I am so proud and lucky to go to Chrysalis!

Sean Lennon
Grade VIII

In the field of Construction, they say- “ A well-designed and strong foundation keeps the building standing while the forces of nature wreak havoc.” The same purpose that a foundation serves for a building, schooling does for our children- ensures they are wholly prepared for the journey called Life!

Having worked for a few schools in the past, I was aware of the paramount role a school plays in the initial nurturing of a child. While joining Chrysalis, I expected a similar school environment as in my past, but to my astonishment, things were incredibly better. While the academics here are indeed exceptional, even better is the focus on the character development of each child. Teachers know their Children really well, beyond just recalling the child’s name; all thanks to initiatives like PUPA. The teachers nurture children in a way that is not just caring and loving but also instills in them qualities like compassion, collaboration, empathy and many more from an early age. Children are also encouraged in a way that they constantly thrive to develop confidence in their own unique abilities.

Well, what we reap is what we sow; and not just the teachers but the whole team in Chrysalis believes in this fact. We work together tirelessly because we know we are nurturing kids to form a responsible and noble generation for the future!

Anjali E
Faculty, Chrysalis High Marq

Chrysalis High Marq has paved new roads of possibilities of learning and fruitful experiences for both teachers such as myself and the students.

The things that are most satisfying for me are the never ending opportunities to learn, perform out of the comfort zone and most importantly the endless love that I receive from the children. Life is a continuous learning process and Chrysalis High Marq has made it possible by giving me many opportunities to be creative in the way I work. The whole team works as a family by supporting and helping each other at any given point of time .

The motivation, appreciation, support and positivity received by us is in turn passed on to our students. The school believes in the holistic development of all its children and takes all the necessary measures to nurture the young minds in a fruitful way. I am extremely proud to be a part of the Chrysalis High Marq family.

Shivani
Educator, Chrysalis High Marq

I enjoy working at Chrysalis High because this is a place where high energy meets absolute dedication.As a teacher, each day is a new day for me and I fully value the myriad opportunities that enhance my experience.

I also appreciate the unique working atmosphere and  the collaborative culture  that allows me to grow not only as a professional, but also as a person.

The school provides me with a lot of scope to interact with children and their parents, and this gives me an opportunity  to gain deeper insights into ways to help each of them achieve their academic goals.

The school’s vision for children is a guiding principle for all of us. It is indeed a pleasure to work with my immediate superiors who are both-understanding and supportive in all aspects. Together, I am certain that we will have a mutually enriching and exciting academic year ahead.

Anuradha Shankar Venkataraman,
Employee, Chrysalis High Marq

My Voyage at Chrysalis High Marq has been spectacular and overwhelming. The school has positive vibes that makes it a beautiful shelter for not only students but also for the teachers. Here at Chrysalis we are motivated to nurture the young minds in the best possible way.

I learnt number of years of work experience is not that counts, what is more important is the quality one possesses through their learning experience. I thoroughly enjoy teaching and unfaltering curiosity.

Chrysalis High is an impressive organization that makes educators feel supported and equipped. I ’am proud to be a part of this institution that strive to take eloquent steps to transform our care philosophy and values into effective action.

I feel privileged to be an integral part of such a proficient and progressive workforce. Chrysalis oozes integrity and excellence that is t=refreshing and essential in our daily duties.

Chrysalis exemplifies what it means to be an organization that is “To help our children excel by understanding them, guiding them on the right path and strengthening their self belief.”

I have been in Chrysalis High BG Road since 2018. The teachers have laid a strong foundation, helped me improve on my basics in all subjects and played a major role in me evolving into the best version of myself. My school has given me many opportunities to develop my leadership skills and I will always feel grateful about that. I have made many friends in the last couple of years, thanks to the warm atmosphere at Chrysalis High. During online classes our school left no stone unturned and even though our classes were online, they ensured we learnt with the same enthusiasm.

I am very happy studying at Chrysalis High Bannerghatta Road. I got admission during the lockdown period. The online classes were well organized and very interactive.

I gained a lot of knowledge during online classes, and the teachers understood us quickly and were there for us at all times. Even though we didn’t meet personally, the atmosphere at Chrysalis was always very warm and supportive. Even though online classes were new to everyone, our teachers were able to identify where we were lagging, and they provided Individual Support Classes (ISP).

The teachers are very interactive, friendly with us, and support us to come up with our own ideas. Practical explanation of the subject through STEaM is also one of the most exciting sessions in our school. The teachers also covered extracurricular activities and enrichment activities during the online classes. The warm welcome by the teachers to the offline classes made us more excited to attend school and a day at Chrysalis High with my friends and teachers is something that I eagerly look forward to every day.

I started my journey at Chrysalis High in the third grade, and have been studying in the same till now and from all these years, I can say that Chrysalis High has the best staff and curriculum.

PUPA (Prior Understanding of Pupil Attributes) is a unique method used in Chrysalis High to understand a student’s learning ability, skills and emotions. They gain this knowledge from the parents and us in an effort to understand us better. The extracurricular activities, inter-school competitions, sports and cultural days organised help incorporate fun and games along with academics.

The student council and the elections for its positions familiarise a student with a sense of responsibility and teamwork. Studying at Chrysalis High has helped me grow to my full potential and has indeed trained me for the exam called life.

I would like to thank all the teachers and staff at Chrysalis High for making my learning experience the best.

Chrysalis High team integrates compassion into their teaching standards, emphasizes the importance of values and builds leaders through each of their classes and lessons. It allows for a lower student to teacher ratio. Online teaching during difficult times of Covid – 19 was indeed a huge challenge for all schools but the support provided by the school to transcend the challenge of teaching students by providing apt and timely training to teachers in online teaching methodology is commendable. This has been very useful to students as well as their parents. The teachers had worked hard in coming up with innovative methods of teaching to keep the students up breast with subjects with their enthusiasm intact.  It’s been a wonderful journey for me at Chrysalis High so far.  The entire team works in unison with one thought in mind – the betterment of the children.

My sincere thanks to Principal ma’am, Coordinators and last but not least my colleagues for the constant support and love.

Upasana Banerjee –
Primary Teacher

Working at Chrysalis High has been a wholesome experience for me. What stands out for me is the support I receive from the school management in standing by my vision and passion as a teacher.

It would not be an exaggeration in the slightest, if I said that I feel always supported by the principal, coordinator and staff in performing my duties to the best of my abilities. This makes me confident that I would be given room to grow as an educator. It feels great to be part of a group that takes meaningful steps towards turning our philosophy and values into action!

The values we would love to instill in our students at Chrysalis High are strongly rooted in our hearts by our compassionate and efficient school heads and mentors and model them to our students.

The induction programme has been nothing short of immense learning and much-needed guidance to face all our challenges head-on and it has helped prepare ourselves for the year ahead.

At Chrysalis High, I find myself doing what I love to do, staying true to what I strongly believe in and above all I can see myself as a passionate learner with new opportunities to learn each and every day. To top it all, the love and support my students shower on me is an additional perk without which I cannot be the happy teacher that I am today.

Suhasini. S
Secondary Teacher

Student Safety and School Security

Safety Always a step ahead!

Chrysalis is inarguably the only school where at no point of time, any child is left without supervision of a female teacher!

CCTV Cameras- Entire premises

Precautionary measures

Nutrition

The School serves balanced and nutritious vegetarian snacks and lunch to students who have opted for the facility.

To supervise students during lunchtime, a teacher is appointed for monitoring each table. Children are trained to keep themselves clean and display correct dining manners.

Reverse Osmosis systems for purifying drinking water are available across the campus throughout the day.

Transport

We provide a fleet of well-maintained buses with trained drivers and lady attendants. Special care is taken while appointing the drivers, to ensure that only the experienced and qualified drivers are appointed after undergoing a driving test. The buses are equipped with safety equipment and a first-aid kit in case of an emergency.

Being GPS enabled, the school can locate the position of a bus at any time during commute and in case of a breakdown, can send a replacement bus instantly. To avoid rash driving and speeding, speed governors are installed in all the buses.

Salient Features

Indrani-Singh

Ms. Indrani Singh

Chief Vision Officer, Principal, Chrysalis High Marq & Head - Chrysalis Kids

Ms. Indrani Singh possesses a MSc and B.Ed degree to her credit. She has over 10 years of experience in the field of education and has climbed the rungs of leadership with her sheer dedication, hard work and love for her profession. She joined as the Head of Chrysalis Kids in 2013, which is a pre primary school of Chrysalis. Her out of box thinking and her ideology of doing the right thing for the children have helped her to pioneer new processes to make learning an enriching experience for the children. Across a period of seven years, Ms. Indrani Singh has become a flag bearer of Chrysalis vision, especially the PUPA (Prior Understanding of Pupil Attributes) Program. Indrani brought in the idea of Pre-CHAMPS to all Chrysalis schools. Known for her ideation & focus on quality, Indrani leaves no stone unturned to ensure children have a wonderful learning experience at Chrysalis. In 2017, she was made Associate Academic Director – Pre Primary & again promoted to Academic Director – Pre Primary, a role she handles along with the responsibilities of Chrysalis High, Marq. Under her supervision and guidance, many initiatives like Pre-CHAMPS, AwSTEM, Festival of learning were initiated and appreciated by all. Today she handles multitude of responsibilities from heading two schools to overseeing the Pre-Primary Curriculum Team of Chrysalis as the Academic Director. In addition to these profiles, she was recently promoted as Chief Vision Officer to propel PUPA, an initiative of Chrysalis, to greater heights. To this day, her ideas and her sheer determination to always try something different and new makes her a formidable and integral part of Chrysalis. With an unending pandemic looming over us, the future for education looked uncertain. But Ms. Indrani with her belief that learning should not stop for the children, ideated on the perfect balance of online and live class model to suit the learning styles of the children. The plan started with what best would suit the children and also help the working parents who were facing their own challenges and obstacles. The online model started with curriculum videos which the Chrysalis teachers recorded with the right guidance and methodology which was well defined by her. The live classes began with once a week class to slowly introduce the children to digital learning. With children adapting to live class, the sessions increased to add more to their knowledge. Teachers were sensitized about the challenges of live class and how to ensure that they do the right thing for the children and be an integral part in their learning given the circumstances. Providing the right support to parents and the challenges they faced, were also key elements of the whole digital teaching process. Providing individual support to the children was one way to ensure we partnered with parents to provide the right support to the children and ensure that the learning did not stop.