The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is an inter-governmental organisation and a global effort to build and operate the two largest and most sensitive radio telescope arrays on Earth. The SKA telescopes will be able to look back into the furthest reaches of the cosmos to study the first structures in the Universe, helping to understand some of the most fundamental questions in physics, as well as probing the nature of gravity and cosmic magnetism and exploring the origins of life itself. In 2011, coordinated efforts through a legal entity began, regarding the design and the policy making for the SKAO. In 2012, the members of the SKA Organisation (precursor to the Observatory) agreed on a dual site location for the SKA telescopes in the remote, radio-quiet regions of South Africa and Australia, while the site for the permanent headquarters – established in the UK – was decided in 2015. The construction phase began in 2021 with extensive procurement activities, and hardware and software development globally, followed by on-site construction the following year. Science verification is foreseen from 2027 using a partial array, before both telescopes are completed by the end of the decade.