D-8 Commissioners committed to achieve the objectives of the D-8

The Secretary (West and ICT), Ambassador Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh said that the D-8 as an economic organization have the responsibility to not only deal with intra-regional inequalities, but also inequities that are global in nature, through pro-active deliberations and associations while inaugurating the 44th Session of the D-8 Commission.

Bangladesh, as the current Chair of the D-8 organization, hosted the 44th Session of the D-8 Commission meeting on 08-09 November 2021 in Dhaka. Chaired by the D-8 Commissioner of Bangladesh and Director General (International Organizations) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Wahida Ahmed, the two-day long meeting was attended by the D-8 Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Ku Jaafar Bin Ku Shaari and Commissioners/delegates of the D-8 Member States.

The meeting focused on issues related to the six priority areas of cooperation of D-8- Trade, Agriculture and Food Security, Industrial Cooperation, Energy and Minerals, Transportation and Tourism. In his welcome remarks, the D-8 Secretary-General urged the D-8 Commissioners to focus and work on the implementation of the currently available mechanisms of the Organization such as the PTA and Visa and Customs agreements.

The Chairperson, and D-8 Commissioner of Bangladesh briefed the meeting about the lucrative incentives offered by the Government of Bangladesh to set up Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and invited the meeting to invest in Bangladesh.

The Commission welcomed her proposal to host the inaugural meeting of the relevant authorities of the Member States on the D-8 Special Economic Zones in 2022 in Bangladesh.

The D-8 Commissioners reviewed the Concept note drafted by Bangladesh on forming a Working Group to tackle the economic adversities of COVID-19 pandemic among the D-8 Member States, and committed to come up with pragmatic proposals to boost the vulnerable sectors under this adhoc Working Group.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the current Chair of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8). She assumed the Chairmanship of the D-8 from the President of Turkey on 08 April 2021 at the 10th D-8 Summit.