1. In line with the initiation of Task Forces under WGIC, the proposal to identify the TFs was raised during the Fourth Meeting of D-8 Working Group on Industrial Cooperation (WGIC) on 10-12 November 2008, Bali-Indonesia.

After having and intensive discussion and exchange of views, the meeting agreed to strengthen future cooperation through Task Forces:

1. Automotive (Coordinator: Iran, Egypt, and Indonesia)
2. Energy, Power Sector and Conservation (Coordinator: Turkey, Nigeria)
3. Food production through Mechanization (Coordinator: Malaysia)
4. Cooperation/Transfer of Technology (Coordinator: Turkey, Iran)
5. Petrochemicals and Fertilizer (Coordinator: Indonesia, Iran)
6. Cement (Coordinator: Iran)
7. Steel (Coordinator: Iran)
8. Textile (Coordinator: Egypt, Indonesia)
9. Standardization and Intellectual Property Rights (Coordinator: Turkey, Iran)
10. SMEs (Coordinator: Turkey, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria)
11. Electronics and IT (Coordinator: Malaysia)

During this meeting, the private sector of Indonesia, Turkey and Iran has signed a Minute of Meeting to facilitate cooperation through a long-term program on Automotive Industry. A joint working group will be established to develop the long-term cooperation.

2. The Fifth Meeting of D-8 Working Group on Industrial Cooperation (WGIC) was held in Tehran, Iran, on February 28 – March 02 2010, back-to-back meeting with the First D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industry.

During WGIC meeting, all the delegations discussed and approved all the Terms of Reference (ToR) of 11 Task Forces as recommended on previous D-8 WGIC meeting. In addition, Plan of Action: Cooperation on Industry & Tehran Declaration on D-8 Industrial Cooperation was adopted by WGIC meeting. Meanwhile, at ministerial meeting, The Ministers adopted Tehran Declaration.

3. As the one of coordinator Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) under 11 Task Forces of D-8 WGIC, Iran Small Industries & Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) hosted the First D-8 SMEs Governmental Bodies Meeting of D-8 Member Countries on 06-07 December 2010 in Tehran-Iran with the idea to examine how to implement the agreements and deepen the ties between D-8 Member Countries. In addition, the meeting has also considered that it is also timely opportune for D-8 governmental bodies to meet and discuss common efforts in responding towards the current potential market of D-8 SMEs.

4. As a follow up activity of the First D-8 SMEs Governmental Bodies Meeting of D-8 Member Countries on 06-07 December 2010 in Tehran-Iran, Iranian government held the SME Cluster Development Best Practice Workshop on 8-9 February 2011 in Tehran-Iran, which intended to familiarize the related persons from Member Countries with the concept and experiences of SME Cluster Development in Iran. The workshop commenced successfully with full participation from D-8 Member Countries and ECO.

5. The Sixth Meeting of D-8 Working Group on Industrial Cooperation (WGIC) and Second D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industry was held on 4-6 October 2011 in Istanbul-Turkey. Excluding Task Force on Textile and Garment, all Task Forces were discussed. Turkish delegation also proposed to add one more Task Force, namely Task Force on Machinery.

At Ministerial level meeting, the Ministers adopted Istanbul Declaration. In addition, at agenda item: exchange of views on Industry Meeting, Minister of Industry of Indonesia and Minister of Industry of Iran emphasized on the discrepancy in the level of performance of various Task Forces of the WGIC and called of an objective review and analysis, with regards to optimization of the number of TFs.

6. The First D-8 Task Force Meeting on Textile and Garment successfully held on 27-28 October 2011 in Jakarta-Indonesia. The meeting decided that the Member Countries would submit their respective set of concrete proposals for cooperation to D-8 Secretariat within 45 days. In addition, Indonesian delegation proposed a matrix for the articulation of a plan of action for the future of the Task Force, which can also serve as a mechanism for further articulation of the activities of the Task Force.

D-8 Organization has successfully held the 2nd Industrial Ministerial Meeting and 6th Working Group on Industrial Cooperation (WGIC) during 4-6 October 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, to strengthen its industrial cooperation among member countries in order to find and secure opportunities for new investment and markets, with the recovery of the global economy continued robustly during the final months of 2010 and into early 2011.

D-8 has previously held its 1st Industrial Ministerial Meeting and the 5th Working Group on Industrial Cooperation (WGIC) in early 2010 in Tehran. At the Tehran Meeting D-8 has tried to utilize existing capacities in order to increase industrial cooperation within its ranks and improve its collective relative weight in the global industry. The “Tehran Declaration” provides a quite pragmatic approach to move in the direction of expanding industrial and technological cooperation amongst us. It also lays out a number of practical policies and measures towards increasing industrial and market opportunities as well as financial resources.

This meeting designed to take stock of D-8’s collective performance thus far, analyze the situation with each and every Task Force it holds under the Working Group on Industry, and adopt a very objective and realistic approach to their future work, including with respect to the current mechanism of the coordination of Task Forces shared between and among a number of countries – which, in certain cases, might have not proved conducive to achieving the desired pace of dynamism and progress. The emphasize is being put on a number of Task Forces, for example Petrochemical/Fertilizer and Food Production Task Forces, which need to be accorded special attention, since they directly serve to increase food security for and within the D-8 community with almost 1 billion population and quite serious pockets of challenge in this field.

D-8 has had agreement with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on a Memorandum of Understanding covering a wide range of areas of development-related activities, with special emphasis on agriculture and food security. In this special meeting in Istanbul, and at the margins of the Ministerial Meeting, D-8 has also signed M.O.U. with ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization).

Outcomes of the Task Force on Standardization of the 4th Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation 26-27 January 2015, Tehran, Iran are as follows:

• Harmonization of standards among the D-8 Member States through adopting International standards such as ISO, IEC, OIC/SMIIC, etc. with their national standards and communicate harmonization with other D-8 Member States.
• Preparation of a five year Strategy Plan on Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology activities at D-8 level. TSE, EOS and ISIRI are volunteer organizations to prepare the first draft and open to any other volunteers.
• Encouraging all D-8 Member States to adopt the existing OIC/SMIIC Halal Standards as their national standards.
• Promoting mutual recognition of Halal certificates among the D-8 Member States based on OIC/SMIIC standards through peer evaluation of the D-8 Member States Accreditation Bodies.
• Achieving laboratory uniformity testing among the D-8 member states through organizing D-8 Proficiency Testing Programmes that enable laboratories assuring their quality of test results.
• Encouraging the D-8 Member States to share their experiences in form of Capacity Building Programmes in the fields in which they have more experiences and as well as new emerging issues such as new fields in the management systems.
• Inviting the national Standardization, Metrology and Accreditation bodies of D-8 Member States who have not yet become member of SMIIC to join and actively participate in relevant meetings.
• Supporting each other at regional and International Standardization, Metrology and Accreditation organizations activities.

Outcomes of the Task Force on Standardization and Accreditation of the 5th Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation held on 09- 11 May 2016  in Cairo, Egypt are as follows:

• • TSE representative submitted a proposal of mentioned draft strategy plan to be circulated among D-8 Members States for further discussion. Chairman recommended submission of the proposal to D-8 Secretariat to be circulated to the Member States who did not attend the meeting;
  • Encourage Member States to perform inter-laboratory comparisons among testing and calibration laboratories of Member States;
  • Encouraging Member States’ producers to obtain CE marking from other Member States who have notified bodies for the purpose of exporting their products to EU countries;
  • Cooperation among Member States in the field of Information Technology (IT) and Cyber Security Training, Test and Certification activities;
  • Exchange of information about Proficiency of testing and calibration system;
  • Inviting Member Sates (Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nigeria) to become a member of SMIIC;
  • Seeking international cooperation between international organizations such as ISO, IEC and SMIIC;
  • Sharing of experience of Malaysia on standard system for Education;

Outcomes of the Task Force on Standardization adn Accreditation of the 6th Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation held on 14- 16 November 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria are as follows:

• • Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) representative submitted a proposal of mentioned draft
  strategic plan to be circulated among D-8 Member States for further discussion. Chairman
  recommended submission of the proposal to D-8 Secretariat to be circulated to the Member
  States who did not attend the meeting;
  • Turkey to provide members with information regarding proficiency testing for calibration
  laboratories, the costing and possibility of subsidizing the costs.
  • Exchange of information about proficiency of testing and calibration system. All member
  states agreed that henceforth they should be invited to participate in programs on
  Standardization, Accreditation and Metrology.
  • TSE reminded Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nigeria via invitation letters for SMIIC
  (Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries) membership.
  • Sharing of experience of Malaysia on standard system for Education- Member states
  expressed interest in Malaysia’s education on Standards on which they can collaborate with
  Malaysia. However more information is required from the D8 Secretariat regarding
  Malaysia’s education on Standards.
  • Member States were invited to visit the TSE Quality Campus.
  • TSE is ready to provide Halal Certification assistance for D-8 Member Countries.
  • Members were encouraged to pursue the SMIIC Statute to know what they stand to gain
  from membership.