The Executive Committee of the SCO RATS is steadily increasing cooperation with external partners - specialized structures of international and regional organizations.

These measures are being taken as part of the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, unanimously approved by the UN General Assembly in 2006 in the form of a resolution and an attached Action Plan.

The activities of the SCO RATS in this direction are important for the development of the common efforts of the world community in coordinating joint actions to maintain an appropriate level of security at the regional and global levels.

In cooperation with external partners, RATS is traditionally guided by systematic and programmatic approaches, which are enshrined in the relevant documents. These are, in particular, the three-year Cooperation Programs of the SCO member states in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as various joint measures and plans of the SCO RATS.

On September 17, 2017, the SCO RATS Council approved Measures to improve the effectiveness of cooperation between the SCO RATS and international organizations performing tasks to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.

In pursuance of this Decision, the SCO RATS legally formalized its partnership relations with major global and regional organizations by signing the following international legal documents:

1. The procedure for the implementation of working contacts between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Anti-Terrorist Center of the member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (Moscow, 23.01.2006); 
2. Protocol of Intent between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Council of Commanders of the Border Troops of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (Moscow, 20.10.2008);
3. Protocol on Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances; and   their   precursors   (Almaty,  27.09.2010);  
4. Protocol on Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Astana, 14.06.2011);
5. Protocol on Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (Almaty, 22.07.2011);
6. Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Executive Directorate of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council (Bratislava, March 25, 2019);
7. Protocol of Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Moscow, June 20, 2014);
8. Memorandum of Understanding between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and INTERPOL (Monaco, November 6, 2014);
9. Protocol on Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (September 20, 2017);
10. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and interaction between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Anti-Terrorist Center of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Moscow, May 28, 2018);
11. Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the African Center for the Study and Research of Terrorism (Algeria, December 11, 2018);
12. Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations represented by the UN Counter-Terrorism Office and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (New York, February 19, 2020);

The SCO RATS International Scientific and Practical Conference is a platform for theoretical and practical exchange of views and discussion of pressing issues in the field of combating terrorism and extremism.

This conference is an annual event held by the SCO RATS since 2013. The conference began in the form of a "round table" with the participation of researchers from the SCO member States and observer states. Since then, the number of participants in the annual Conference has grown to about 50 speakers, including, in addition to the SCO member States and observer States, SCO dialogue partners, international and regional organizations, as well as scientific, research, information and analytical institutes.