The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) secretary-general has been replaced. Representative of Uzbekistan, Vladimir Norov, has been appointed a new SCO secretary-general, replacing representative of Tajikistan, Rashid Alimov.
Vladimir Norov, who had previously served as Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan since May 5, 2017 was appointed SCO Secretary-General for the period from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021. Norov holds the diplomatic rank of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Prior to this, Norov served as Uzbekistan envoy to Belgium. In different years he was the Deputy, First Deputy and Minister of Foreign Affairs, State Adviser to the President and held other posts.
Vladimir Norov, PhD in Law, was born on August 31, 1955 in the city of Bukhara, southern Uzbekistan. In 1972-1976, he studied at and graduated from Bukhara Pedagogical Institute, (Mathematics Department). He then served in the Soviet Army from 1976 through 1977. In 1978-1983, Norov worked in the Department of Interior of Uzbekistan (MVD). In 1983-1985, he studied at and graduated from the Internal Affairs Ministry Academy in Moscow. Then, he continued working for the Department of Interior and in 1988-1990 was a student of the adjunct courses at the Interior Ministry Academy (Moscow) followed by two more years of employment at Department of Interior.
Based in Beijing, the SCO Secretariat is the primary executive body of the organization. It serves to implement organizational decisions and decrees, drafts proposed documents (such as declarations and agendas), functions as a document depository for the organization, arranges specific activities within the SCO framework, and promotes and disseminates information about the SCO.
The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General. Nominated by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and approved by the Council of Heads of State, the Secretary-General is appointed from among citizens of the SCO member states on a rotating basis in Russian alphabetical order for a single three-year term with no possibility of extension. Deputy Secretaries-General are nominated by the Council of National Coordinators and approved by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Officials of the Secretariat are hired from among citizens of the SCO member states on the basis of quotas.
The SCO Secretariat coordinates the activity of the SCO and provides informational, analytical, legal, organizational and technical support.
The Secretariat coordinates the organization's cooperation with observer states and dialogue partners in line with SCO regulatory and legal documents, works with states and international organizations on issues related to the organization's activity, and concludes agreements to that end with the consent of the member states. The Secretariat also works with non-governmental organizations within the SCO framework in accordance with the legal documents regulating their activity. In addition, it organizes and coordinates the activity of the SCO Observer Mission in presidential and/or parliamentary elections, as well as referendums.
The SCO was founded at a Summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently has eight full members — China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are four observer states, and SCO’s dialogue partners include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. ACEAN, CIS, Turkmenistan and the United Nations are guest attendances.
