D-8 Secretary General emphasizes indispensable roles of diplomacy, sustainability at Eurasian Economic Summit

Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, on Tuesday emphasized the indispensable roles of diplomacy and sustainability in addressing growing global challenges during the 29th Eurasian Economic Summit held in Istanbul

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2026) Secretary-General of the Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, on Tuesday emphasized the indispensable roles of diplomacy and sustainability in addressing growing global challenges during the 29th Eurasian Economic Summit held in Istanbul.

Addressing the inaugural session of the three-day summit organized by the Marmara Group Foundation under the theme “Global Responsibility,” Ambassador Sohail said the world was facing increasingly complex geopolitical and geo-economic challenges, including wars and armed conflicts, erosion of international law and multilateralism, disruptions in global trade and supply chains, climate change, food insecurity and water scarcity.

The summit brings together high-level political leaders, diplomats, policymakers, academics, business representatives, and members of civil society.” The Summit is primarily focusing on issues of global peace as well as environmental challenges, including the depletion of water and greenery.

In the inaugural session, messages from the President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan; the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev; and Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Aziz Sancar, were read out. The program also comprised opening remarks by distinguished international guests and senior representatives of regional and international organizations, including the D-8 Secretary-General.

In his address, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood commended the Marmara Group Foundation and its President, Dr Akkan Suver, for painstakingly building a formidable international platform (Eurasian Economic Summit) for strategic dialogue, intellectual engagement, and bridge-building among nations and peoples across Europe, Asia, the middle East, and beyond.

To effectively tackle these multiple crises, the Secretary-General stressed, the need for sustained peace

and stability, dialogue and diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, regional solidarity, and sustainable development partnerships were greater than ever before.

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In this context, the Secretary-General also highlighted the compelling relevance of the D-8 Organization’s six founding principles -- peace, dialogue, cooperation, justice, equality, and democracy -- in addressing the current global challenges. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood added that the D-8, representing a population of 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP exceeding USD 5 trillion, was working to promote cooperation among its Member States in areas including trade facilitation, investment, agriculture, energy, green transition, digital transformation, and innovation-driven growth.

The Secretary-General stressed three key messages central to the Summit’s theme. First, the imperative of sustainable and inclusive economic growth to tackle widening development gaps, economic vulnerabilities and unequal access to finance, technology and resilient infrastructure.

Second, the urgency to ensure water security, climate sustainability and green economic transformation, warning that environmental degradation and water scarcity pose serious threats to global stability, food security and long-term development. Third, the indispensable role of innovation, connectivity and enhanced economic collaboration, noting that increased regional partnerships, digital transformation, and technology-sharing, including through greater South-South cooperation, are key to building resilience and fostering sustainable prosperity in an increasingly interconnected world.

On the sidelines of the Summit, the Secretary-General engaged with several high-level participants and

exchanged views on regional and global developments, economic cooperation, and prospects for strengthening partnerships among countries of the ‘Global South.’

The detailed program of the 3-day Summit features a series of high-level sessions on global peace, energy

and economy in the evolving international landscape, climate change and sustainability, water security,

and democracy, women, and the future of peace.