PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Abstract

Sustainable development is becoming a central element of the international agenda in the face of global challenges such as climate change, natural resource depletion and rising social inequality. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which unites eight Eurasian states, has unique potential to address these issues by ensuring security, economic cooperation and environmental sustainability, which makes this study relevant. The study's objective is to identify prospects and opportunities for implementing the principles of sustainable development within the framework of SCO, with an emphasis on assessing the organisation's strategic priorities, mechanisms and initiatives. The main areas of work include analysis of the role of the SCO Charter, the Strategy to 2025 and the Youth Innovation Campaign in achieving sustainable economic, environmental and social development in Eurasia. The study contributes to a theoretical understanding of international cooperation mechanisms for sustainable development. It provides empirical material for analysing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the regional level. The practical importance lies in identifying opportunities for integrating innovative and institutional approaches to address the region’s current challenges. The work is based on a set of methods: content-analysis of key SCO documents, comparative analysis of strategies of participating countries and method of case study of successful projects such as the transport corridor «Western Europe - West China» and initiatives under the project BRI. The result showed that the SCO Charter provides a basis for cooperation, the Strategy until 2025 specifies sustainable development directions, and the CIPP focuses on youth innovation and environmental initiatives. Including an ecological agenda, increased cross-border cooperation, and the introduction of renewable energy offers significant prospects for achieving the SDGs. The implementation of the goals faces challenges such as political divisions and economic inequalities in the region. The value of the study is that it expands existing approaches to sustainable development in regional international organisations such as the SCO, integrating political, economic and social aspects. The study contributes to developing recommendations for strengthening institutional mechanisms and involving civic initiatives in implementing sustainable development strategies. The study results can be used to optimise the SCO strategy, including developing environmentally oriented projects, supporting infrastructure initiatives and youth involvement in implementing SDGs. The work results also interest government authorities in participating countries, international organisations and researchers in sustainable development.