Cooperation Between UN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Dynamically Expanding,

 

in Shared Quest for Peace, Prosperity, Says Secretary-General, in Message

 

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message to the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), delivered by Ján Kubiš, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 11 June:

I am pleased to convey my warm greetings to the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The SCO has become an increasingly important instrument of security and integration in the Eurasian region.  From addressing the situation in Afghanistan and related threats in Central Asia, to managing the consequences of the global financial crisis, the SCO has strengthened collective efforts to ensure peace, security and prosperity. 

These efforts are needed more than ever.  Few security problems today begin and remain within the borders of one country.  Terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational crime and environmental degradation by their very nature cross international borders and are impervious to domestic solutions.  Hardly a challenge arises which does not require actors at the local, national, regional and international levels to cooperate in the search for solutions.

It is, therefore, a source of satisfaction that cooperation between the United Nations and the SCO is expanding so dynamically.  The SCO has established working contacts with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  The SCO Secretary-General attended the January retreat in New York with the heads of regional organizations.  In Central Asia, the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy is well placed to develop initiatives with the SCO.  The regional discussions organized by the Centre on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-terrorism Strategy provide an excellent opportunity in this regard.  The provision of relevant assistance to Kyrgyzstan is another area where we can work together, and I welcome the commitment of the SCO to the stability and security of the country and the well-being of the Kyrgyz people.

The Joint Declaration on Cooperation between our two Secretariats, which I signed during my visit to Tashkent in April, provides a foundation for the further strengthening of our interaction.  This document, which follows the General Assembly resolution of December 2009 on “cooperation between the UN and the SCO,” highlights areas where we may deepen our ties.  I look forward to our continued engagement in our shared quest for peace and prosperity throughout the SCO region.

Please accept my best wishes for success in your deliberations.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record