Member States Back Regional Cooperation to Scale Sustainable MSME Growth and Healthcare Travel
Spokesman Report
ISLAMABAD: The Developing-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8) convened a special webinar on “Green MSMEs and Medical Tourism: Opportunities for MSME Development” to mark International MSME Day. Over 40 participants from D-8 Member States joined, including ministries of foreign affairs, health, tourism, energy, SME bodies, chambers, and business support institutions.
H.E. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, D-8 Secretary-General, called MSMEs the “engine of growth” and backbone of D-8 economies, driving jobs, innovation, and the SDGs. He said the green transition offers MSMEs new avenues to raise productivity, resource efficiency, competitiveness, and investment. He highlighted green entrepreneurship and medical tourism as sectors that can integrate MSMEs into regional and global value chains, and thanked SME Corp. Malaysia for expert inputs.
Technical sessions featured Ms. Michelle Tee of Wakili Venture Berhad on circular practices, AI-enabled inventory, and sustainable procurement, and Mr. Lokman Izam of MHTC on Malaysia’s healthcare travel ecosystem and MSME opportunities in hospitality, transport, wellness, and digital services.
KOSGEB’s Mr. Emre Gürleyik outlined Türkiye’s 2024-2028 green MSME plan and flagged finance as a key barrier. Azerbaijan’s KOBIA introduced the Baku Climate Coalition for SMEs Green Transition post-COP29. Bangladesh shared sustainable supply chain models, while Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism noted GSTC-aligned certification and 1.4 million health tourists generating $3.3 billion in 2025.
Participants affirmed finance, technology, and certification gaps, and committed to deeper cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and the Baku Coalition to build resilient, competitive, and sustainable MSMEs across D-8.
