The D-8 Summit Thursday adopted a declaration, saying the member countries will work together to achieve food security, mitigate the impact of natural disasters and counter all forms of extremism which undermine economic progress and negatively affect the livelihood of the people, Xinhua reported.
The 35-point 'Islamabad Declaration' signed by the leaders of the D-8 or Developing Eight leaders, was issued at the conclusion of the day-long summit in the Pakistani capital.
"Recognizing the uncertain prospects for rapid and sustainable global economic recovery and growth, we resolve to further strengthen intra D-8 cooperation to counter the adverse fall-out of the economic crisis," the Declaration said.
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said the D-8 Summit was the acknowledgment of the member states attached to their relations with Pakistan. He said it was a very wonderful and successful Conference held after eight years of any big event like SAARC Summit.
The Foreign Secretary said Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi was supposed to come but due to important developments taken place in Gaza, he could not make it.
"Likewise, we renew our strong faith in multilateralism, in particular under United Nations system. Accordingly, we commit our nations to active participation, effective coordination and cooperation with all regional and international multilateral institutions to maximize the realization of our common interests, as well as those of the Global South," according to the declaration.
The declaration took note with concern of the consequences of the coercive economic measures on the livelihood of the people, adding that the member countries are mindful of the impact of globalization and its effects on societies.
"To address these challenges, we pledge to pursue national development through inclusiveness, dialogue, and democratic values, particularly by promoting social justice, good governance and empowerment of women. We also underline the importance of collaboration in the fields of sharing best practices, lessons learned and knowledge on democracy and good governance in order to build a solid foundation for peace and development," the declaration said.
The Declaration underlined the critical importance of harnessing sources of energy in the member countries, which is the backbone for economic growth and development and place special emphasis on investment in the energy sector through public-private partnerships.
"We are firmly committed to creating a framework of cooperation in energy field to achieve long-term energy security in our countries. We reaffirm our commitment to broaden and deepen cooperation in this critical area and stress the importance of collaborative efforts on capacity-building, transfer of technology, exploration of new energy sources, development of alternative fuels, including renewable sources of energy, as well as research, development and production of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes", the declaration said