Dhaka, Sept. 8 -- For South Asia, often sidelined in Western forums, the SCO offers a stronger voice to demand fair trade, more climate finance, and global reforms alongside Central Asia and China.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), founded in 2001, has grown into the world's largest regional body of mutual cooperation, encompassing over 3.4 billion people, about 42% of the global population, and a combined $30 trillion economy.

Unlike NATO, the SCO, comprising 27 countries and cooperation across more than 50 areas, is not a military alliance. It focuses on trade, energy, technology, and tackling security challenges such as drugs, terrorism, and cybercrime.

At the Tianjin Summit in China on September 1, the SCO adopted a 2026...