Current affairs, 1 September 2026: the 26th SCO Summit closes in Bishkek as the bloc marks 25 years, adopts the Bishkek Declaration and hands the chair to Pakistan

1 September 2026 is an international relations day for every aspirant: the 26th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has just closed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and the bloc marked 25 years since its founding. Names, dates and the takeaways for your notebook are below.

The 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek

The 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 31 August–1 September 2026, chaired by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov under the theme “25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity”. The summit adopted the Bishkek Declaration and 27 other documents, and Kyrgyzstan handed the rotating chairmanship to Pakistan for the next cycle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended and framed India’s approach around three pillars — security, connectivity and opportunity — and held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines. Prime Minister of India · Wikipedia

What the SCO is, for revision

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and security grouping founded in 2001 in Shanghai, growing out of the earlier Shanghai Five. Its permanent Secretariat is in Beijing, and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. India became a full member in 2017 (together with Pakistan); Iran joined in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, taking the group to ten full members. The Council of Heads of State is its top decision-making body and meets once a year.

Why it matters for an exam: the SCO is one of the most-asked multilateral groupings after the UN, G20 and BRICS. Examiners like the founding year, headquarters, the year India joined and the host city of the latest summit — all of which changed or were reaffirmed here.

What to write in your notebook

Three lines:

1. Summit: 26th SCO Summit, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), 31 August–1 September 2026; theme “25 Years of the SCO”; Bishkek Declaration adopted; chair passes to Pakistan.
2. India: PM Modi attended; India a full member since 2017; pitched security, connectivity, opportunity.
3. Basics: SCO founded 2001, Shanghai; Secretariat — Beijing; RATS — Tashkent; ten full members after Belarus joined in 2024.