The Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) has organized a New Year luncheon for residents D-8 Ambassadors and representatives of media organizations in Türkiye in Ankara on 29 January 2024. The well-attended luncheon was co-hosted by the D-8 Secretariat and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Türkiye, to strategize and set agenda for the Organization in the year 2024.

In his address, Ambassador Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, the D-8 Secretary-General, highlighted significant achievements recorded in the last two years, since he assumed duty as the Secretary General of the D-8 Organization. He said that the past two years have been quite eventful, as notable advancements have been made in the areas of sectoral cooperation and in external relations. Among the key achievements are; the finalization of the protocols for the Dispute Settlement Mechanism and the Trade facilitation Strategy of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement (D-8 PTA).  He added that the final endorsement of the D-8 PTA would be made during the forthcoming 3^rd D-8 Trade Ministers meeting this year.

Speaking further, the Secretary General called for active engagement from member states to overcome challenges encountered in the previous year, emphasizing the importance of timely meetings to advance the organization’s goals. He called on member states of the D-8 to redouble their efforts and ensure that attendance at meetings is regular and quorum are formed, as expected, this year.

Ambassador Imam expressed satisfaction with the visibility of the organization in the last two years both within the member states and globally, too. He added that the D-8 was now being invited to high profile conferences and meetings worldwide.

While talking about the expected activities and events for the year, Ambassador Imam announced that the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt will assume the Chairmanship of the D-8 Organization this year.  The organization wide implementation of the D-8 PTA will also come up

in the year, including the Food and Cultural Expo festival to mark the 27^th anniversary of the establishment of the D-8 Organization in June 2024 as well as the hosting of ministerial meetings on energy, agriculture, and industry, amongst others, by member countries.

The Secretary General expressed his gratitude for support and cooperation of member states in the previous year and the media partners. He urged for a more robust and sustained coverage of the D-8 Organization activities by the media partners, in the years ahead.

Earlier, Ambassador M. Amanul Haq, the Bangladeshi Envoy to Ankara, underscored the remarkable progress that have been recorded under the D-8 framework, since the organization was founded 26 years ago, while emphasizing more collaboration for shared prosperity among member states of the organization

Ambassador Amanul Haq, who represented Bangladesh, as the current Chair of the D-8, also highlighted some achievements under Bangladesh’s pivotal role as the D-8 Chair since 2021. He mentioned the successful hosting of the 20^th D-8 Council of Ministers meeting and the three Sessions of the D-8 Commissions held in 2022 and 2023, thus affirming the commitment and the dedication of his country to the ideals, goals and objectives of D-8 organization. Ambassador Amanul Haq also underscored Bangladesh’s commitment to organize the Senior Officials Meeting for the trade cooperation in Dhaka next month, which will precede the Trade Ministers’ Council in 2024. He expressed confidence in the productivity of upcoming engagements and the potential for D-8 member countries to leverage a united front in international trade negotiations to secure better deals for their economies.

Also speaking, the D-8 Commissioner of Türkiye, Ambassador Esen Altuğ, reiterated Türkiye’s staunch commitment to continue to support the D-8 Organization, which stemmed from its establishment 27 years ago.  She emphasized on the need for unity and cohesiveness among member states of the D-8 in order to achieve the Organization’s shared goals and objectives.

The D-8 Organization is an inter-governmental organization whose members are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Türkiye. Founded in 1997 as an economic organization, the D-8 focused its activities within the economic realms, including trade, industry, small and medium enterprises, tourism, and energy.