The Developing Eight (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation aims to continue to increase its visibility worldwide as integration and cooperation between member states expands, D-8 Secretary-General Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam said on Monday.
"Resulting from the enhanced visibility of the organization, the D-8 is now being invited to high-profile conferences and meetings in the member states and globally," Imam said during a meeting with D-8 representatives and media in the capital, Ankara.
The secretary-general underlined that following increased engagement, the organization "secured resources and support from external partners to implement capacity building workshops and hold joint investment-related programs in Istanbul in 2022 and Abu Dhabi in 2023, respectively."
"We have also established a number of instruments of cooperation such as memorandums of understanding and cooperation with international organizations and partners," Imam added.
The D-8 was launched in June 1997 after then-Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan proposed the creation of an economic group consisting of eight emerging economies from the Islamic world.
Alongside Türkiye, the group includes Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan.
Saying that the year 2024 holds great significance for the D-8 in terms of programs and activities aimed at elevating the organization to higher heights, Imam recorded that Egypt is to assume the chair of the D-8 by hosting the 11th D-8 Summit at a date to be announced later by Cairo.
Among the top programs this year, Bangladesh will organize the seventh Supervisory Meeting of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and the third Trade Ministerial Council in 2024.
Iran is expected to host the first D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Energy, while the first D-8 Energy Forum is expected to be hosted by Nigeria. Nigeria will also hold a ministerial-level meeting on Agriculture and Food Security.
Bangladesh is expected to host the D-8 Youth Ministers Council and to officially inaugurate the "D-8 Youth Council" in Dhaka later this year.
Türkiye, for its part, will host the Civil Aviation Expert Meeting in Istanbul to enhance cooperation in civil aviation, just as Indonesia has expressed its readiness to host the first Meeting on Marine Connectivity in 2024.
Indonesia has also committed to hosting the seventh Ministerial Meeting on Industry.
Moreover, Imam highlights that the D-8 secretariat will hold a Diplomatic Reception and Cultural Show to mark the 27th-anniversary celebration of the establishment of the organization between June 15 and 16 in Istanbul.
"As Secretary-General, I have chosen to prioritize private sector engagements and subsequently taken steps to strengthen the existing partnership between the D-8 and the Organized Private sectors for the promotion of trade and economic development," Imam continued, recording that significant achievements were made in 2023.
The D-8 finalized the Dispute Settlement Mechanism and Trade Facilitation Strategy protocols of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement in 2022, to be endorsed during the trade ministers meeting in Bangladesh this year. Several meetings have been organized in tourism, agriculture and aviation, among other areas.
Those two protocols are expected to be endorsed by the forthcoming third D-8 Trade Ministers Council meeting, which will help smoothen the implementation of the D-8 PTA among the member states.
Imam also reiterated that the D-8 now has a standardized mechanism to host diplomatic training for the diplomats of member states. "Under this flagship initiative, Türkiye, Bangladesh and Pakistan have already hosted diplomatic training programs. Other member countries have also agreed to host similar training programs in the coming years."
Esen Altuğ, the D-8 commissioner of the Turkish foreign minister, also hailed the organization's works and said that the D-8 had long proven its role in difficult times and had made significant progress in areas of cooperation among its members.
Pointing out that there are still steps to be taken to unlock the potential of the organization, which works for the welfare of the population of 1.1 billion, Altuğ underlined that the most urgent and striking development that requires the D-8's attention is what is happening in Gaza.
Bangladesh's Ambassador Amanul Haq, who hosts the term presidency of the D-8, similarly touched upon the continuing war in Gaza and said that the D-8 approved a joint communique for solidarity with the Palestinian people.
"It is my immense pleasure to mention that the D-8 has made remarkable progress in recent years and implemented many of our decisions. Our journey together has been one of the unwavering commitments to shared prosperity and collaboration among our member states," Haq said.
Saying that Bangladesh consistently emphasizes the importance of fostering increased interaction among nations, Haq said that the foreign service academy in Dhaka last year hosted a training session for D-8 diplomats, which facilitated an exchange of practices in diplomacy.
At the meeting, the D-8 representatives voiced their willingness to take the organization and cooperation among its members further in the upcoming period.