On September 21-22, 2024 employees of the Institute of Economics participated in the International Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) think tanks “Promoting Sustainable Development, Creating a Common Home

On September 21-22, 2024 in Xi’an, China, the International Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) think tanks “Promoting Sustainable Development, Creating a Common Home” was held. The event was jointly organised by the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IREECA CASS), the Institute of Central Asia of Shengxi Normal University and China Petroleum University.

For 2 days, experts from China, Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Armenia, Azerbaijan discussed various directions of the organisation’s development.

The opening ceremony of the event was addressed by Sun ZHUANGZHI, Director of the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who noted that China, under the SCO chairmanship, will promote cooperation and take a series of actions in key areas under the topic of the “Year of SCO Sustainable Development”. For this purpose, Sun ZHUANGZHI said, it should effectively respond to external challenges and solve real problems in a timely manner, focusing on trade and economic cooperation to meet the current development needs of the SCO member states.

The forum discussions were held in the following thematic sections:

changes in the international situation and SCO co-operation;

new quality productive forces and sustainable development of the SCO;

global initiatives and building a common destiny for the SCO.

The discussions confirmed the urgency of forming a systemic basis for the SCO functioning in the new composition and in the new international and political environment, and the transition from point interaction in the economic and energy spheres to strategic multilateral cooperation with a view to achieving sustainable development.

The session “New Quality Productive Forces and Sustainable Development of the SCO” included a presentation by Nadezhda BATOVA, Head of the Sector of Environmental and Economic Research, who revealed the potential and readiness of Belarus to introduce environmental innovations and green technologies and called on the SCO member states to share best practices in this area.