Bangladesh Proposes Creating D8 Food Fund
KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 (Xinhua) — The Developing 8 countries (D8) should seriously consider creating a D8 Food Fund to enhance their collective food security, Chief Adviser of Bangladeshi caretaker government Fakhruddin Ahmed said at the 6th D8 Summit held here on Tuesday.
"Against the backdrop of the current global food crisis, we should seriously consider creating a D8 Food Fund to enhance our collective food security," Ahmed said.
The unprecedented price hike of food-grains is disproportionately affecting the poor in many of our countries, he said.
"We need to develop mechanisms, not only to address short-term supply-side shocks but also strengthen cooperation to increase agricultural productivity," he said.
"This is a must to prevent hunger and malnutrition – one of the key priorities of the Millennium Development Goals," he added.
D8 comprises eight developing Muslim nations — Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, with an objective to improve the position of Muslim developing countries in the global world economy through the diversification of their economies by creating new opportunities via increased trade relations.
The D8 Secretariat is based in Istanbul, Turkey. The last D8 Summit was hosted by Indonesia in Bali on May 13, 2006.
