By almost any measure, multilateralism is under pressure. Major powers are increasingly divided, conflicts are multiplying, and international institutions struggle to produce agreement on basic security challenges.
Aliya Mussabekova. Photo credit: KazISS
Against this backdrop, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, offers a different story: while many multilateral frameworks are losing influence, the SCO has expanded, diversified its agenda and become one of the key platforms for dialogue across Eurasia.
Its success is not accidental. The organization has endured because it was built not around ideology or military commitments, but around solving practical security problems. Its strength lies in a simple principle: cooperation does not require countries to agree on everything.
The SCO’s origins illustrate this point. Before the organization was established in 2001, the Shanghai Five mechanism had already transformed relations among China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia. The breakthrough came in 1997, when the five countries signed an agreement on the mutual reduction of military forces in border areas and confidence-building measures. It covered almost 7,500 kilometers of borders and established a zone of reduced military activity extending about 100 kilometers on both sides.
At the time, this was an extraordinary diplomatic achievement. Countries with complicated historical legacies chose cooperation over confrontation. Border regions that might have remained sources of tension gradually became areas of economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
Seen from today’s perspective, when unresolved territorial disputes continue to destabilize regions around the world, the lesson is clear: security problems are easier to prevent than to resolve after they become conflicts.
That success also gave the organization credibility and created the conditions for its expansion. Yet the SCO’s lasting relevance cannot be explained by its history alone.
First of all, its greatest strength is the political culture that has developed within the organization. The so-called Shanghai Spirit emphasizes mutual trust, equality, consultation, respect for diversity and the search for common ground. These are not simply diplomatic slogans. They describe a working method that allows countries with different political systems and sometimes conflicting interests to keep engaging in regular dialogue.
Second, the SCO’s growing importance is also reflected in its role within Eurasia’s security architecture. Although the SCO is not a military alliance, its strategic weight is difficult to overlook. Its membership includes four nuclear-armed states – China, India, Pakistan and Russia, as well as four important space powers – China, India, Iran and Russia – with advanced missile capabilities and significant space-launch and transportation capabilities. This concentration of strategic, technological and military potential gives the organization considerable geopolitical weight.
Third, the SCO has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to evolve. Rather than being confined to its original mandate, the organization has never remained static and continuously adapted its agenda to the changing needs of Eurasia. The SCO began as a mechanism for building confidence and resolving border issues (1996-2001). It then expanded its focus to combating terrorism, extremism and transnational crime (2001-2015). As regional economies became more interconnected, the organization broadened its agenda to include transport connectivity, trade, investment and cultural exchanges (2015-2025).
Today, the SCO is entering another phase: sustainable development is emerging as the organization’s new growth driver. The emphasis is shifting toward practical cooperation in green development, the digital economy, poverty reduction, energy, education, logistics and cross-border connectivity.
This evolution reflects one of the SCO’s defining characteristics: it is a flexible, pragmatic, results-oriented organization. Rather than pursuing ideological alignment, it identifies areas where member states have tangible common interests and develops practical mechanisms for cooperation.
For Kazakhstan, the SCO has a special meaning. As a founding member, Kazakhstan has participated in shaping the organization from its very beginning. For a middle power at the heart of Eurasia, the SCO is an important instrument of international agency, allowing Kazakhstan to contribute to regional security, promote dialogue and advance cooperative development.
Kazakhstan’s role in the SCO also reflects a broader diplomatic approach: engaging constructively with different powers Kazakhstan’s ability to build bridges and connect different perspectives is becoming more prominent.
The SCO’s 25th anniversary, therefore, is more than a milestone. Its history demonstrates that pragmatic multilateralism can work when institutions address real problems, respect differences and remain capable of adapting. The next 25 years will test these principles. The SCO will undoubtedly face disagreements among its members and pressure to respond to a rapidly changing international environment. Its future relevance will depend on whether it can preserve what made it successful in the first place: pragmatism, dialogue and the ability to turn differences into areas of cooperation.
The author is Aliya Mussabekova, the head of the International Security Department at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan.
