Istanbul (TDI): The Secretary General of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, participated in the Zero Waste Forum 2026 this week, advancing the bloc’s sustainability agenda and deepening institutional partnerships with key multilateral bodies.
The Secretary General was among the distinguished speakers at the High-Level Ministerial Session on “Energy Efficiency and Resource Management for a Sustainable Future,” jointly convened by Türkiye’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Zero Waste Foundation.
Chaired by Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, the session drew together ministers, senior policymakers, representatives of regional and international organizations, international financial institutions, academics, and private sector leaders to foster dialogue on sustainability, resource efficiency, and energy transition.
In his address, Ambassador Sohail paid tribute to First Lady Emine Erdoğan for her leadership of Türkiye’s Zero Waste Initiative, which has grown from a domestic program into a globally recognized movement endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly.
He also commended Minister Bayraktar for his work in advancing energy security, energy transition, and international energy cooperation.
The Secretary General used the platform to highlight the D-8’s recent efforts to embed sustainability more deeply into its cooperation frameworks, while proposing concrete initiatives to strengthen knowledge-sharing, innovative financing, technology cooperation, and partnerships across the Global South.
On the sidelines, the ambassador held a bilateral meeting with UNCTAD Secretary General Rebecca Grynspan, in which they reviewed the state of D-8–UNCTAD collaboration and explored opportunities to expand it.
Delighted to meet with UNCTAD Secretary General H.E. Rebecca Grynspan on the sidelines of the Zero Waste Forum 2026 in Istanbul. I highlighted the institutional evolution of the Developing-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and the ever-increasing weight and salience of our… pic.twitter.com/RGW1hjGyWN
— The Secretary-General of Developing-8 Organization (@D8SecGen) June 7, 2026
Ambassador Sohail expressed appreciation for the jointly developed “Guiding Principles for Investment Policy-making for the Countries of D-8 Organization” and proposed broadening cooperation to cover implementation of those principles alongside trade, investment facilitation, and digital transformation.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to develop a plan of action to translate these shared priorities into concrete steps.
The two officials also exchanged views on broader global challenges, including the role of international law and multilateral institutions, the perspectives of developing nations, and the evolving priorities of the Global South.
