Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged members of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8), which comprises eight Muslim-majority countries, to play a major role in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering the global economy, particularly through expanding vaccine production capacity.

The President also called for efforts to boost the equal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as well as concerted efforts from the D-8 in rebuilding the global economy. In order to facilitate trade within the D-8, trade barriers must be minimised, he said.

Widodo emphasised the need to develop digital technology and artificial intelligence, saying that in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, D-8 member states should utilise these trends to keep up with robust changes in the world.

He stressed the importance of investing in the D-8’s young population, which totals around 323 million people, or 27.3 percent of the total population.

The D-8 is an organisation for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey./.
VNA