All set for D-8 Summit in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – All is set for the D-8 summit in Pakistan, and Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has confirmed he will attend the eighth summit meeting of the Group of Eight Developing Coun

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – All is set for the D-8 summit in Pakistan, and Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has confirmed he will attend the eighth summit meeting of the Group of Eight Developing Countries (D8). The group comprises Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has asked Pakistan to put the Middle East crises on the agenda of the D-8 meeting.

According to Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, during the meeting Pakistan will assume the rotational presidency of the D8 until 2014.

Before the official inauguration of the summit, the D8 foreign ministers will hold a preparatory meeting presided over by Khar. The D8 group, with a population of one billion people, has a combined market value of one trillion dollars. The group is determined to boost its trade volume to US$500 billion by 2018.

Pakistan is hosting the 8th D-8 Summit and 15th Session of D-8 Council Ministers and 32nd Session of D-8 Commission from November 19-22, 2012. The establishment of D-8 was announced officially through the Istanbul Declaration of Summit of Heads of State/Government on June 15, 1997.

The objectives of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation are to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level, and improve standards of living.

D-8 is a global arrangement rather than a regional one, as the composition of its members reflects. The Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) is a forum with no adverse impact on bilateral and multi-lateral commitments of the member countries, emanating from their membership to other international or regional organizations.

Dr. Widi Agoes Pratikto from Indonesia is currently the Secretary General of the D-8 Organization with its Secretariat based in Istanbul-Turkey.

Idea Behind D-8 Establishment

The idea of cooperation among major Muslim developing countries was mooted by Dr. Necmettin Erbakan, the then Prime Minister of Turkey, during a seminar on “Cooperation in Development” which was held in Istanbul in October 1996. The group envisioned cooperation among countries stretching from Southeast Asia to Africa. Representatives from Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Pakistan attended the seminar. This conference was the first step towards the establishment of D-8, and it was only after a series of preparatory meetings that D-8 was set up officially and began its activities with the Istanbul Declaration issued at the end of the summit of Heads of State and Government held in Istanbul on June 15, 1997.

Dates of Meetings

32nd Session of the D-8 Commission:
November 20-21, 2012

15th Session of the Council of Ministers:
November 21, 2012

D-8 Summit:
November 22, 2012

Information on other Meetings and Events

D-8 Business Forum:
November 20, 2012

Meeting of Heads of Central Banks:
November 20-21, 2012

Meeting of Heads of Trade Promotion Organizations:
November 19, 2012

Trade Exhibition:
November 19-21, 2012

Business Forum (Interactive Seminar):
November 20, 2012

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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