delivered by Mr. Miroslav Jenča, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia

It is a pleasure to address the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Since its founding in 1996, the SCO has become a key forum for the States of the region to jointly address challenges facing Eurasia. Threats such as terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational crime and environmental degradation continue to affect not only individual States, but also the region as a whole.

Increasingly, issues of water and energy management are coming to the fore.

No one country can tackle these issues alone. The only durable solutions will be those that are agreed upon by all stakeholders in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

In this context, the SCO drug control strategy for 2011 to 2016, agreed at your last summit, was a significant step forward. I encourage Member States to coordinate their efforts with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to further strengthen regional efforts to guarantee security, stability and development.

UNODC recently launched a Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries, which provides a strategic framework on counter-narcotics and the rule of law. This initiative could be an excellent vehicle for closer collaboration between the UN and the SCO, as well as among the States of the region.

The SCO's work to foster dialogue will be all the more necessary given the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan planned for 2014. Most SCO Member States and observers are participating in the Istanbul Process, an initiative with great promise to bring tangible benefits not only to Afghanistan but also to the region as a whole. The Ministerial Conference in Kabul on 14 June will provide an opportunity to deepen this cooperation.

More generally, I am pleased that cooperation between the United Nations and the SCO continues to develop, based on the 2010 Joint Declaration between our two Secretariats and in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations.

We are ready to expand those ties, especially in areas such as preventive diplomacy, early warning and crisis response.

Your Summit takes place on the eve of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. The world needs Rio+20 to create a roadmap that leads to dynamic, equitable growth while staying safely within the ecological limits of our shared planet. Issues of direct and urgent importance to your membership will be on the table, and your leadership will be crucial if we are to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

On this and other challenges, the further development of the SCO and deeper cooperation with other organizations can strengthen security in Eurasia in all its dimensions – political, economic, military and environmental. In that spirit of partnership, I look forward to our continued work together, and I offer you my best wishes for a successful summit.