Uzbekistan and the SCO: Strengthening Cooperation in the Field of Information Security

The contemporary stage of international relations is marked by the rapid growth of the importance of information and communication technologies, which have become not only a driving force of progress but also a source of new challenges and threats. In this regard, ensuring international information security has assumed particular urgency, requiring the coordination of efforts at both regional and global levels.

The Republic of Uzbekistan, as one of the founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), regards the sphere of information security as a strategic element of collective stability, the development of the digital economy, and the consolidation of trust among nations. As early as the Tashkent SCO summits in 2004 and 2016, special attention was devoted to the necessity of safeguarding the information space and strengthening the legal framework in this domain.

The fundamental significance of this issue was reaffirmed during the anniversary summit of the Heads of State of the SCO held in Dushanbe in 2021, where the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, advanced the initiative to establish an SCO Expert Forum on Information Security. This initiative provided a powerful impetus for the consolidation of efforts among member states, and today’s event stands as a direct continuation and practical embodiment of the proposed format. The Expert Forum is designed to serve as a platform for broad and substantive discussions on pressing aspects of information security across the SCO space, as well as for the exchange of experience and the elaboration of practical mechanisms for responding to contemporary cyber threats.

Of particular importance is the practical implementation of the Agreement among the Governments of the SCO Member States on Cooperation in the Field of International Information Security, signed on 16 June 2009. This document laid the foundation for the formation of a regulatory and legal framework defining the principles and directions of joint action in combating cybercrime, countering the use of information technologies for terrorist and extremist purposes, and supporting the secure functioning of critically important digital infrastructure.

A logical subsequent step was the adoption of the SCO Plan of Cooperation on International Information Security for 2022–2023, endorsed at the Dushanbe summit. The Plan consolidated specific areas of collaboration, including the development of legal and technical protection mechanisms, the deepening of inter-agency cooperation among competent bodies, the coordination of actions to prevent and suppress cyber threats, as well as the training of national specialists. Uzbekistan, drawing on its practical experience as the host of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO in Tashkent, has been actively contributing to the implementation of the Plan’s provisions and promoting their application in practice.

Thus, Uzbekistan’s interaction with SCO member states in the field of information security has a consistent and systemic character. It is built upon the adoption of strategic documents such as the 2009 Agreement and the 2022–2023 Plan of Cooperation, as well as the advancement of new initiatives aimed at the establishment of expert platforms and specialized institutions. Taken together, these efforts strengthen the resilience of the region, enhance the level of trust in the digital sphere, and create the conditions for a peaceful, secure, and open information space that fosters the development of innovation and the digital economy.