Pakistan has achieved a major victory as Lahore is named the Tourism and Cultural Capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit for 2026-27, highlighting the Pakistani city’s historic and cultural significance.
The announcement was made during the 26th SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where Pakistan formally assumed the organisation’s rotating presidency.
The Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, attended the summit, where Pakistan outlined its priorities for the coming year under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”
The Tourism and Cultural Capital title is rotated among SCO member states and is intended to promote tourism, cultural exchange and closer people-to-people ties between member countries.
Lahore, one of Pakistan’s oldest major cities, is known for its historic landmarks, Mughal-era architecture, traditional food and cultural heritage.
The decision to nominate Lahore was made in April 2026 during a meeting of tourism officials from SCO member states in Bishkek.
Previous cities to hold the title include Varanasi in India (2022-23), Almaty in Kazakhstan (2023-24), Qingdao in China (2024-25), and Cholpon-Ata in Kyrgyzstan (2025-26).
The designation is expected to provide opportunities for Pakistan to promote Lahore as a cultural and tourism destination while strengthening cooperation with other SCO countries.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a regional grouping focused on security, economic cooperation and political ties across Eurasia.
Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the organisation developed from the earlier Shanghai Five grouping, which was established in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The SCO has since expanded to include 10 full members and has become one of the largest regional organisations in the world in terms of population and geographic reach.
SCO countries
The SCO’s founding members were China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.
Turkey is among the organisation’s dialogue partners and has expressed interest in closer involvement with the SCO.
The organisation also has observer states and dialogue partners, giving it a wider network beyond its full members.
The SCO includes China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus, along with several observer and dialogue partners.
What is SCO summit
An SCO summit is a high-level meeting of leaders from the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The summit provides a forum for leaders to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, political relations and other issues of common interest.
At the SCO summit in Bishkek in September 2026, Pakistan assumed the organisation’s rotating chairmanship for 2026-27.
