The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the only international organization to officially bear the city's name, will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its founding at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences on Thursday.

Rashid Alimov, secretary-general of the SCO, said it was a proud day.

"The organization was established in Shanghai and has paved a brilliant path with the Shanghai spirit centering on respecting various civilizations and seeking joint development," Alimov said. "It has contributed greatly to the peace, safety and prosperity of the region and multilateral economic and cultural collaborations."

More issues, including ways to better cooperate over drug control, anti-terrorism, education and technology, will be discussed, he said.

The SCO currently has six member states — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan — and 12 observer states and dialogue partners. The population of the 18 countries involved make up 45 percent of the world's total.