The first specialized meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on “the contribution of space technologies to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” was held in the Russian capital, Moscow, on September 17. The event took place on the sidelines of the Second International Technology Congress and was organized at the initiative of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.

The meeting was timed to coincide with Russia's 2025 chairmanship of the SCO Heads of State Council, bringing together representatives from the public sector, businesses, and academic institutions from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, Belarus, India and Pakistan. Experts from international organizations, including the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation, were also in attendance. The Counsellor for Technology and Innovation at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran represented the country at the Moscow event.

The meeting focused on best practices in applying space technologies to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, technological solutions by member states to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, prospects for satellite monitoring cooperation, and promising areas for industrial, scientific, and educational collaboration.

Delegates also highlighted their respective countries’ approaches to assessing the economic gains of leveraging space technologies for sustainable development. Key topics included integrating satellite imagery into national reports on SDG progress and the need for open, accessible space data banks to facilitate future collaboration.