SCO calls for effective multilateralism when world bereft of global solutions: Pakistani PM

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Tuesday that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) called for effective multilateralism and played a central coordinating role with the United Nations when the world was bereft of global vision and shared solutions.

In a virtual address at the 20th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, the prime minister said that during the time of pandemic, the global harmony and multilateralism were undermined by rising geopolitical tensions, unilateralism and isolationism, adding that he believed that the SCO fraternity, with its core principles of solidarity and mutual support, would be effective in combating the negative influences of COVID-19.

Khan said his country appreciates China's effective handling of COVID-19 and also the material and technical assistance extended by China to other countries of the world, including Pakistan, to fight the pandemic.

Highlighting SCO's vision of regional connectivity, he said the SCO was destined to play a pivotal role in the emerging confluence between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union.

"Pakistan's geographical location provides it an ideal opportunity to crystallize the benefits accrued from this process. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the BRI, is poised to play a vital part in this regard."

The Pakistani prime minister said his country joined its SCO partners in focusing on international information security, and strongly supported the Global Initiative on Data Security proposed by China.

In his suggestions to the SCO, Khan said that it should create a "Knowledge Bank" of best practices to fight COVID-19 in order to guide the member countries through the second wave and beyond.

He also called for a strategy as an SCO action plan to mitigate the adverse economic impact of COVID-19 in the short, medium and long-term, adding that COVID-19 vaccine must be viewed as a "global public good," affordable and accessible to all.

He also said a multi-year SCO Youth Strategy with a focus on building partnerships among educational institutions should be formed.