D-8 chief urges sustainable investment at UNCTAD forum in Doha

D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood took part in the 9th World Investment Forum (WIF) 2026 in Doha, Qatar, held from October 25 to 27 under the theme “Investing in the Future.” Hosted by the State of Qatar in partnership with the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the forum drew more than 5,000 participants, including government leaders, ministers, heads of international and regional organizations, investors, financial institutions, academics and media, with over 400 speakers across more than 80 sessions. The Secretary-General attended at UNCTAD’s invitation, joining the opening ceremony and speaking on three high-level panels.

Three panels, one message on sustainable investment

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood spoke in sessions on investment facilitation and partnerships for sustainable development, international investment agreement reform, and investing “beyond GDP” for sustainable and inclusive progress. He stressed the need to mobilise investment for inclusive growth. On facilitation, he listed the D-8’s priorities as green and digital transformation, SME development and regional connectivity, and pointed to room for cooperation among investment promotion agencies.

Call to modernise investment treaties

Welcoming UNCTAD’s launch of its Guiding Principles for International Investment Agreements Reform, the Secretary-General recalled the D8-UNCTAD Guiding Principles for Investment Policymaking for D-8 Countries, developed in 2020. He underlined the importance of updating investment treaties while preserving legal certainty, investor protection and the national regulatory space needed for sustainable development. In the “beyond GDP” plenary, he argued for stronger South-South cooperation that builds well-being, equity, inclusion and sustainability into development and investment decisions. He also proposed joint pilot programmes in education, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and entrepreneurship to measure investment’s long-term effect on employment, innovation and opportunities for future generations.

Talks with Pakistan and Egypt on trade goals

On the sidelines, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood met Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan. He credited the minister with contributing to the outcomes of the 4th D-8 Trade Ministers Council Meeting in Cairo in 2025, which ended with the signing of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) and a decision to base the permanent secretariat of the D-8 Chamber of Commerce and Industry (D-8 CCI) in Istanbul, under the auspices of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB). The two discussed the US$500 billion intra-D-8 trade target for 2030 under the D-8 Decennial Roadmap (2020-2030) and faster implementation of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). The Secretary-General also welcomed the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FPCCI) interest in hosting a D-8 Business Expo in Pakistan, following its recent event in Karachi on economic integration among D-8 countries.

He also met Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, praising Egypt’s chairmanship of the D-8, its hosting of the 11th D-8 Summit and the 4th Trade Ministers Council Meeting, and its ratification of the PTA, which completed ratification by all original signatories. Minister Saleh pointed to the need to cut non-tariff barriers, expand PTA training and awareness programmes across member states, and better integrate financial services to ease intra-D-8 trade. The talks also covered ongoing D-8 deliberations on widening the PTA into a comprehensive economic partnership.

Digital and trade partnerships with ITU and ICDT

The Secretary-General met Latifa El Bouabdellaoui, Director-General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT), to discuss joint trade promotion, business forums, private-sector engagement and capacity-building, including a possible structured cooperation framework between the two bodies. With International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas, he discussed cooperation on digital connectivity, ICT infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital inclusion, technological capacity-building and tech entrepreneurship for youth, along with possible joint programmes and technical assistance. He also held talks with representatives of international organisations, development institutions and investors on trade, investment and sustainable development cooperation.