Pakistan assumes SCO chairmanship for 2026-27

• The chairmanship for 2026-2027 was passed to Pakistan during the 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

• Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif defined the theme of the chairmanship as “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity”.

• The city of Lahore received the status of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026-2027.

• The Tourism and Cultural Capital title has been annually rotated among SCO member states since 2022 and aims to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among member states while highlighting the cultural heritage of the country holding the organisation's rotating presidency.

Cities that previously held the title include:

• Varanasi, India (2022-23)

• Almaty, Kazakhstan (2023-24)

• Qingdao, China (2024-25)

• Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan (2025-26).