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57-578: In the October 2004 Speech from the Throne, one element of the Canada Corps mandate highlighted the need to "help young Canadians bring their enthusiasm and energy to the world." Canada Corps was built on four goals: All Canada Corps programs focused on governance, which was at the time defined as central to any political economy because it deals with the institutions, processes, and relationships necessary to moving

114-535: A Framework Agreement to enhance economic cooperation was signed by the SCO member states. At the same meeting the Premier of China , Wen Jiabao , proposed a long-term objective to establish a free trade area in the SCO, while other more immediate measures would be taken to improve the flow of goods in the region. A follow-up plan with 100 specific actions was signed one year later, on 23 September 2004. In October 2005, during

171-457: A guest attendee. In 2010, the SCO approved a procedure for admitting new members. In 2011, Turkey applied for dialogue partner status, which it obtained in 2013. At the same time, Turkey is a NATO member and the European Union candidate country. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated that he has discussed the possibility of abandoning Turkey's candidacy of accession to

228-440: A knowledge base on governance, not a single one of the 500 observers to the 2004 Ukrainian elections was asked to write an after-action report. In October 2006, Canada's newly elected Conservative government replaced Canada Corps with the new Office for Democratic Governance (ODG). Subsequently, various programs were cut and others restructured. The ODG took over most Canada Corps responsibilities for supporting CIDA programming in

285-830: A number of SCO joint military exercises. The first of these was held in 2003, with the first phase taking place in Kazakhstan and the second in China. Since then China and Russia have teamed up for large-scale war games in Peace Mission 2005 , Peace Mission 2007 and Peace Mission 2009, under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. More than 4,000 soldiers participated at the joint military exercises in Peace Mission 2007, which took place in Chelyabinsk , Russia near

342-623: A permanently neutral country , which was recognized by a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995, thus ostensibly precluding its membership in the SCO. At the same time, Turkmenistan is a member of the Economic Cooperation Organization since 1992 and an observer of the Organization of Turkic States since 2021. Turkmenistan's head of state has been attending SCO summits since 2007 as

399-564: A platform for larger military announcements by members. During the 2007 war games in Russia, with leaders of SCO member states in attendance including Chinese President Hu Jintao , Russia's President Vladimir Putin used the occasion to take advantage of a captive audience. Russian strategic bombers, he said, would resume regular long-range patrols for the first time since the Cold War . "Starting today, such tours of duty will be conducted regularly and on

456-411: A small number of long-term monitors (known as LTOs) for a period of six to eight weeks. A larger number of short-term observers (known as STOs) then join the mission for the final week of the campaign. STOs provide mostly quantitative observation of polling station and count procedures, with LTOs supplying qualitative analysis and contextual information about the wider political situation. In some cases,

513-468: A society forward. Governance was also understood to be a central part of sustainable development and poverty reduction. Programming in governance involved a wide range of topic areas: democracy, elections and parliaments, a fair and impartial judiciary, mechanisms to respect and protect human rights, an effective and transparent public sector, and a stable and reliable security system to protect people and resolve conflict fairly and peacefully. Good governance

570-424: Is a good venue for designing a new banking system which is independent from international banking systems". President Putin included these comments: We now clearly see the defectiveness of the monopoly in world finance and the policy of economic selfishness. To solve the current problem Russia will take part in changing the global financial structure so that it will be able to guarantee stability and prosperity in

627-402: Is also an integral component of private-sector development, creating an environment that enables economic growth. At the provincial and national level, Canada Corps desired to help build on lasting institutions, enabling countries to take charge of their own development. At the regional or local level, Canada Corps helped local governments respond better to citizens' needs. The first mission of

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684-403: Is complemented in many countries by domestic observer groups. A 2024 study categorized election monitoring organizations in terms of their quality. Of the 20 most-frequent election monitoring organizations, these were ranked as high-quality: These were ranked middle quality: These were ranked low-quality: Standard international election observation missions, as deployed by, for the example,

741-436: Is elected to a three-year term. Ruslan Mirzaev of Uzbekistan became the current Director on 1 January 2022. Each member state also sends a permanent representative to RATS. The official languages of the SCO are Chinese and Russian . The status of dialogue partner was created in 2008. Multiple international organisations and one country are guest attendances to SCO summits. Turkmenistan has previously declared itself

798-700: Is governed by the Heads of State Council (HSC), its supreme decision-making body, which meets once a year. The organization also contains the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). The Shanghai Five group was created on 26 April 1996 when the heads of states of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in Shanghai . On 24 April 1997

855-468: Is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population , covering approximately 24% of the area of world (65% of Eurasia) and 42% of the world population. As of 2024, its combined nominal GDP accounts for around 23%, while its GDP based on PPP comprises approximately 36% of the world's total. The SCO is the successor to the Shanghai Five , formed in 1996 between

912-527: Is unique in this regard. Since 1990, over 50 election processes have been observed by the Congress. The Congress Strategy on election observation is based on three lines of action: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Observers: Dialogue partners: Guest attendees: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( SCO ) is a Eurasian political , economic , international security and defence organization established by China and Russia in 2001. It

969-522: The European Union in return for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This was reinforced again on 21 November 2016, after the European Parliament voted unanimously to suspend accession negotiations with Turkey. Two days later, on 23 November 2016, Turkey was granted the chairmanship of SCO energy club for the 2017 period. That made Turkey the first country to chair a club in

1026-843: The Commonwealth of Independent States in 2005, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2005, the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2007, the Economic Cooperation Organization in 2007, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2011, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in 2014, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and

1083-543: The European Commission or the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), monitor the entire electoral process. Election experts and long-term observers begin their work weeks before the actual election day, looking at candidate registration, the legal framework, the media situation, the work of the election administration, and the campaign environment. On election day, short-term observers monitor

1140-647: The Organization of American States , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union , the Commonwealth Secretariat , the Council of Europe , and the African Union regularly deploy monitoring teams. The United Nations no longer provides monitoring services; instead, it focuses on electoral assistance. Individual governments also participate in monitoring efforts, generally under

1197-557: The People's Republic of China , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Russia , and Tajikistan . In June 2001, the leaders of these nations and Uzbekistan met in Shanghai to announce a new organization with deeper political and economic cooperation. In June 2017, it expanded to eight states, with India and Pakistan . Iran joined the group in July 2023, and Belarus in July 2024. Several countries are engaged as observers or dialogue partners. The SCO

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1254-738: The Ural Mountains , as was agreed upon in April 2006 at a meeting of SCO Defence Ministers. In 2010, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that the exercises would be transparent and open to media and the public. Following the war games' successful completion, Russian officials began speaking of India joining such exercises in the future and the SCO taking on a military role. Peace Mission 2010, conducted 9–25 September at Kazakhstan's Matybulak training area, saw over 5,000 personnel from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan conduct joint planning and operational maneuvers. The SCO has served as

1311-452: The 2008 summit it was stated that "Against the backdrop of a slowdown in the growth of world economy pursuing a responsible currency and financial policy, control over the capital flowing, ensuring food and energy security have been gaining special significance". At the 2007 SCO summit, Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoodi addressed an initiative that had been garnering greater interest when he said, "The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

1368-785: The Council of the RATS decided to hold a joint anti-terror exercise, Pabbi-Antiterror-2021, in Pakistan in 2021. At the summit in Astana , Kazakhstan , in July 2024, the SCO called for the creation of a fair, multipolar world order based on the key role of the United Nations, international law and the aspiration of sovereign states towards a mutually beneficial partnership. As of 2009, the organisation's activities expanded to include increased military cooperation, intelligence sharing , and counterterrorism . At

1425-549: The Dushanbe summit, members agreed to "oppose intervention in other countries' internal affairs on the reason of 'humanitarianism' and 'protecting human rights;' and support the efforts of one another in safeguarding the five countries' national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and social stability." The Shanghai Five structure helped speed up the members' resolution of border disputes, agree on military deployments in border areas, and address security threats. In 2001,

1482-729: The Moscow Summit of the SCO, the Secretary General of the Organisation said that the SCO would prioritise joint energy projects; including in the oil and gas sector, the exploration of new hydrocarbon reserves, and joint use of water resources. The creation of the SCO Interbank Consortium was also agreed upon in order to fund future joint projects. In February 2006, the first meeting of the SCO Interbank Association

1539-509: The Pacific (ESCAP) in 2015. in 2018, SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) has established relations with the African Union 's African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT). As of 2020, the Council of Heads of State was the top decision-making body in the SCO, meeting at the annual SCO summits in one of the member states' capital cities. Because of their government structure,

1596-533: The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was established. On 21 April 2006, the SCO announced plans to fight cross-border drug crimes under the counter-terrorism rubric. In October 2007, the SCO signed an agreement with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, to broaden cooperation on issues such as security, crime, and drug trafficking. As of 2010,

1653-651: The Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during his meeting with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on 3 July 2024 in Astana. As of 2023, the SCO is primarily centered on security-related concerns, describing the main threats it confronts as being terrorism , separatism and extremism . It has addressed regional human trafficking and weapons trafficking and created terrorist blacklists. At SCO summit, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 16–17 June 2004,

1710-566: The SCO decided to admit India and Pakistan as full members. In June 2016 in Tashkent , both signed the memorandum of obligations, thereby starting the process of joining the SCO. In June 2017, at a summit in Kazakhstan, India and Pakistan officially joined SCO as full members. In 2004, the SCO established relations with the United Nations (where it is an observer in the General Assembly ),

1767-523: The SCO developed rapidly, establishing a number of permanent bodies and ad hoc initiatives dealing with economic and security matters. In June 2002, the heads of the SCO member states met in Saint Petersburg , Russia and signed the SCO Charter which expounded on the organisation's purposes, principles, structures and forms of operation. It entered into force on 19 September 2003. In July 2005, at

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1824-456: The SCO. The SCO Secretary-General is elected to a three-year term. Zhang Ming of China became the current Secretary-General on 1 January 2022. The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Executive Committee, headquartered in Tashkent , Uzbekistan, is a permanent organ of the SCO which serves to promote cooperation of member states against the three evils of terrorism , separatism and extremism . The Director of SCO RATS Executive Committee

1881-588: The United States. Most international observer organizations have a mandate to observe parliamentary elections and some organizations, such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), also monitor local elections and referendums. However, the Congress of the Council of Europe , in cooperation with the Venice Commission , is specifically mandated to monitor local and regional elections and

1938-655: The Yekaterinburg Summit, China announced plans to provide a US$ 10 billion loan to other SCO member states to shore up the struggling economies of its members amid the global financial crisis. The summit was held together with the first BRIC summit, and the China–Russia joint statement said that they want a bigger quota in the International Monetary Fund . In 2014, the Eurasian Economic Union

1995-458: The accreditation, voting, counting, and tabulations processes at polling units throughout election day. There are, however, also numerous domestic nonpartisan observer groups in many countries. Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in Pakistan is a coalition of 42 national civil society organizations working together to promote fair elections in Pakistan . Each jurisdiction may have different rules about who may observe. Rules vary by state in

2052-522: The annual summit returned to Shanghai and the group was institutionalized. The five member nations first admitted Uzbekistan in the Shanghai Five mechanism. On 15 June 2001, all six heads of state signed the Declaration of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation , praising the role played thus far by the Shanghai Five mechanism and aiming to transform it to a higher level of cooperation. From 2001 to 2008,

2109-665: The conduct of democratic elections and the process of monitoring elections by both international and domestic observing organizations. By the 2000s, about 80% of all elections were observed. In recent years, there has been increased prevalence of low-quality election monitors who validate flawed elections. These election monitors tend to have ties to autocratic states and authoritarian regional organizations, such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) , Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) , and Southern African Development Community . International organizations such as

2166-409: The deposition of President Viktor Yanukovych and increased tensions with Russia , no application has been submitted and there are no current plans to incorporate Ukraine into the organization. Azerbaijan expects to receive observer status according to Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada. Azerbaijan will probably become a full member of the SCO in a little while, President of

2223-618: The entire electoral process over a long period of time, rather than at election-day proceedings only. The legitimacy of an election can be affected by the criticism of monitors, unless they are themselves seen as biased. A notable individual is often appointed honorary leader of a monitoring organization in an effort to enhance legitimacy of the monitoring process. Scholars distinguish between election monitoring organizations in terms of quality. Some election monitors, often those with ties to authoritarian states, validate elections even when they are blatantly flawed. The first monitored election

2280-831: The following pillars of democratic governance: The ODG was dissolved shortly thereafter. Election observer Election monitoring involves the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or from a non-governmental organization (NGO). The monitoring parties aim primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and of international election standards . There are national and international election observers. Monitors do not directly prevent electoral fraud , but rather record and report instances of suspicious practices. The monitoring may serve to disincentivize, prevent or minimize practices that undermine election quality, as well as election-related violence . Election observation increasingly looks at

2337-483: The framework of the SCO's charter. The Secretariat of the SCO, headquartered in Beijing , China, is the primary executive body of the organisation. It serves to implement organisational decisions and decrees, drafts proposed documents (such as declarations and agendas), function as a document depository for the organisation, arranges specific activities within the SCO framework, and promotes and disseminates information about

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2394-491: The objectivity of some international observers is questioned. In addition to international organizations monitoring elections, citizen organizations—or coalitions of organizations—also monitor elections in their own country. The most common type of domestic election monitoring comes by way of party poll-watchers , who are partisan individuals that are looking out for the interests of their party. Election day activities of partisan observation groups often included scrutinizing

2451-416: The opening of polling stations, the vote cast, and the counting and tabulation of results. After election day, observers remain in the country for another few weeks to monitor how possible election-related shortcomings and complaints are dealt with by the election administration and the judiciary. The findings of the observers are made public in reports issued after election day. Most observation missions send

2508-494: The organisation was opposing cyberwarfare , saying that the dissemination of information "harmful to the spiritual, moral and cultural spheres of other states" should be considered a "security threat". An accord adopted in 2009 defined " information war ", in part, as an effort by a state to undermine another's "political, economic, and social systems". The Diplomat reported in 2017 that SCO has foiled 600 terror plots and extradited 500 terrorists through RATS. The 36th meeting of

2565-687: The organisation without full membership status. In 2022, at the 22nd summit of the SCO, the Turkish president said that Turkey would seek full SCO membership status. On 11 July 2024, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated in a statement to the U.S. Newsweek magazine that they did not consider Turkey's membership in NATO as an alternative to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS . In 2011, Vietnam expressed interest in obtaining observer status (but has not applied for it). In 2012, Ukraine expressed interest in obtaining observer status. However, since

2622-410: The organisation's budget. As of the 1 November 2022 meeting, Council of Heads of Government consists of: As of 2007, the Council of Foreign Ministers also held regular meetings, where they discussed the current international situation and interaction with other international organisations. As of 2021, the Council of National Coordinators coordinated the multilateral cooperation of member states within

2679-540: The prime ministers of the parliamentary democracies of India and Pakistan attend the SCO Council of Heads of State summits, as their responsibilities are similar to the presidents of other SCO nations. As of the 4 July 2023 meeting, the Council of Heads of State consists of: The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest council in the organisation. This council also holds annual summits, at which time members discuss issues of multilateral cooperation and approves

2736-647: The program was to send a delegation of approximately 500 Canadians as election observers to the December 26 2004 Ukrainian presidential election . Since then, they have served as international observers in a number of other nations, notably the February 2006 Presidential Elections in Haiti and the January 2006 Palestinian Parliamentary Elections. Canada Corps also had a partnership with NetCorps . Despite its commitment to building

2793-623: The same countries signed the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions in a meeting in Moscow , Russia. On 20 May 1997 Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin signed a declaration on a " multipolar world ". Subsequent annual summits of the Shanghai Five group occurred in Almaty , Kazakhstan in 1998, in Bishkek , Kyrgyzstan in 1999, and in Dushanbe , Tajikistan in 2000. At

2850-413: The same time, leaders of SCO states repeatedly stated that the SCO was not a military alliance. As of 2023, the SCO had not provided military support in any actual conflicts. However, as of 2017, military exercises have regularly been conducted among members to promote cooperation and coordination against terrorism and other external threats, and to maintain regional peace and stability. There have been

2907-454: The strategic scale", Putin said. "Our pilots have been grounded for too long. They are happy to start a new life". In June 2014, in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, the idea was brought up to merge the SCO with the Collective Security Treaty Organization . However, as of late 2022, in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many SCO and even CSTO members had distanced themselves from military cooperation with Russia. In September 2003,

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2964-728: The summit in Astana , Kazakhstan, with representatives of India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan attending an SCO summit for the first time, Nursultan Nazarbayev , the president of the Kazakhstan, greeted the guests in words that had never been used before in any context: "The leaders of the states sitting at this negotiation table are representatives of half of humanity". By 2007, the SCO had initiated over twenty large-scale projects related to transportation, energy and telecommunications and held regular meetings of security, military, defence, foreign affairs, economic, cultural, banking, and other officials from its member states. In July 2015, in Ufa , Russia,

3021-613: The umbrella of an international organization. These national efforts are normally managed by the local electoral commission . A wide array of NGOs also participate in monitoring efforts. The Carter Center , for example, played a key role—with the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division and the National Democratic Institute —in building consensus on a common set of international principles for election observation. International observation

3078-453: The world and to ensure progress. The world is seeing the emergence of a qualitatively different geo-political situation, with the emergence of new centers of economic growth and political influence. We will witness and take part in the transformation of the global and regional security and development architectures adapted to new realities of the 21st century, when stability and prosperity are becoming inseparable notions. In June 2009, at

3135-614: Was founded in which Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are members. During the 2019 Bishkek summit, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan suggested taking steps to trade in local currencies instead of U.S. dollars and setting up financial institutions including an SCO bank. In June 2022, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari suggested creating a single SCO currency to facilitate trade and financial transactions among SCO members. During 19–22 October 2022, Iran hosted SCOCOEX, an international conference and exhibition on economic cooperation opportunities available to

3192-624: Was held in Beijing. In November 2006, at The SCO: Results and Perspectives , an international conference held in Almaty, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia was developing plans for an SCO "Energy Club". in November 2007, Moscow reiterated the need for this "energy club" at an SCO summit. Other SCO members, however, did not commit themselves to the idea. During

3249-464: Was that of an 1857 plebiscite in Moldavia and Wallachia (current Romania) that was monitored by most of the major European powers. Election monitoring was uncommon until after World War II . During the 1960s, less than 10% of elections were monitored. Election observation activities have expanded significantly following the end of the Cold War , along with the development of international standards on

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