Cabinet gives nod ratifying SCO agreement

Context:

The Cabinet on accorded an ex post facto approval for signing and ratifying an agreement on cooperation in the field of mass media between all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Relevance:

GS-II: International Relations (Groupings & Agreements Involving India and/or Affecting India’s Interests, Effect of Policies & Politics of Countries on India’s Interests)

Dimensions of the Article:

1. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
2. About the ‘Cooperation in the field of Mass Media’

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance which was formed in 2001 in Shanghai, China.
• The SCO is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.
• The leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were involved in the formation; India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members in 2017.

• The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO, it meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the Organisation
• The SCO is widely regarded as the “alliance of the East”, due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific
• The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO, it meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.
• The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest council in the organisation.
• Military exercises are also regularly conducted among members to promote cooperation and coordination against terrorism and other external threats, and to maintain regional peace and stability.

About the ‘Cooperation in the field of Mass Media’

Main Areas of Cooperation under ‘Cooperation in the field of Mass Media’:

• Creation of a favorable system for mutual and wide distribution of information via Mass Media in a bid to deepen the knowledge about the lives of the people of their States.
• Cooperation among the Editorial Offices of the Mass Media of their States as well as between the relevant Ministries, Agencies, and Organizations in the field of Mass Media.
• Promoting equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between professional associations of journalists of the States.
• Aiding broadcast of television and radio programs and those distributed legally within the territory of the State.
• Encouraging the exchange of specialists and experience in the field of Mass Media, offer mutual assistance in training media professionals, and promote cooperation between scientific research and educational institutions in the field of Mass Media.

-Source: The Hindu