India To Chair SCO Environment And Emergency Ministers Meeting

India is set to chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) environment and virtual emergency ministers meeting this week on 20th April.

This week, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization‘s (SCO) environment and emergency ministers are gathering for a meeting. India is currently holding the chairmanship of the grouping for this year. 

The purpose of the meetings is to prepare for the summit in July, and they are specifically ministerial meetings that are being held as part of a series. Today, the environmental ministers meeting is being hosted by India virtually. 

The meeting will be chaired by the Indian environment minister, Bhupender Yadav. On April 20th, there will be a meeting of emergency ministers, with Pakistan attending virtually and China attending in person at the deputy minister level.

At the Samarkand SCO summit in September of last year, India was appointed as the chair of the grouping. This is significant because it marks the first time India is hosting the summit since joining the grouping in 2017.

India is set to host two important meetings in the coming weeks. The first meeting will be the SCO Defence ministers meeting, which will take place in Delhi from 27th to 29th April. 

This is going to be followed by the SCO Foreign ministers meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Goa from 4-5th May. 

All member countries of the grouping, including China and Pakistan, have received invitations.

It is noteworthy that the upcoming meetings between India and Pakistan will have in-person representation from Pakistan. 

This is significant because it marks the first ministerial trip from Pakistan to India after New Delhi revoked the special status of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a global organization that was founded more than 20 years ago to enhance economic, political, and military collaboration among its member countries.

The organization is made up of eight countries: Russia, India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. 

It includes more than 60% of the Eurasian landmass and has a population of over 40% of the world’s inhabitants. The economy of the organization accounts for 30% of global GDP.

India holds the position of chair in the group, which means they have significant influence in determining the topics discussed during meetings and encouraging collaboration among member countries. 

International observers will closely monitor the meetings to gain insight into the changing geopolitical landscape in the region.