Context: Recently, Union Minister for Health and Family emphasised on how the Indian traditional system of medicine has contributed substantially in boosting the immunity of general population during COVID-19 during their virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organization Health Minister’s Digital Meet.
Key Points

• The key topic of discussion was the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
• India has so far reported 1.25 million cases and more than 30,000 deaths due to COVID.
• India has one of the world’s lowest infection and death rate at 864 cases per million and less than 21 deaths per million of the population.
• The recovery rate stands at 63.45% whereas the mortality at 2.3%.
• It was pointed out that there is no institutional mechanism within SCO to discuss cooperation in Traditional Medicine.
• It has the potential to fulfil the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 and also reinforce the effective implementation of the Joint Statement on cooperation in combating epidemics signed at the Qingdao Summit in 2018.
• He proposed the setting up of a new Sub Group on Traditional Medicine under the existing institutional meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Health Ministers.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

• SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance founded in 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• These countries, except for Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996.
• After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organisation to SCO.

Members

• It has eight members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
• India had an observer status for the past 10 years in SCO.
• India was accepted along with Pakistan as full members of SCO in 2017.
• SCO has Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus as observers.
• It has established relations with the United Nations, where it is an observer in: General Assembly, European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Objectives

• Strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states.
• Promoting effective cooperation in -politics, trade & economy, research & technology and culture.
• Enhancing ties in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc.
• Maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
• Establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political & economic order.

Strengths of SCO

• The SCO covers 40%of the global population, nearly 20% of the global GDP and 22% of the world’s land mass.
• The SCO has a strategically important role in Asia due to its geographical significance - this enables it to control the Central Asia and limit the American influence in region.
• SCO is seen as counterweight to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Challenges for SCO

• The SCO security challenges includes combating terrorism, extremism and separatism; drug and weapons trafficking, illegal immigration, etc.
• Despite being geographically close, the rich diversity in member’s history, backgrounds, language, national interests and form of government, wealth and culture makes the SCO decision making challenging.

Importance for India: India’s membership of SCO can help in achieving regional integration, promote connectivity and stability across borders.