Jakarta (VNA) – The D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia (HEI) 2026 is being held in Jakarta to promote halal economic cooperation among member countries of the Developing Eight (D-8) Organisation for Economic Cooperation while affirming Indonesia's ambition to become a global halal economic hub.
The five-day event, which runs from July 8 to 12, is one of the key activities during Indonesia's 2026–2027 chairmanship of the D-8.
In his opening remarks, Indonesian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anis Matta said promoting the D-8 Halal Economic Initiative is a concrete step towards strengthening Indonesia's economic integration with the Islamic world amid a volatile global economy. He added that the halal economy will become a new driver of Indonesia's economic growth and export expansion.
Under the theme "Strengthening D-8 Halal Economy Through International Cooperation," the exhibition brings together businesses, investors and policymakers from the food, beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, fashion, tourism, finance and digital services sectors, aiming to strengthen the halal value chain and expand access to international markets. Participating businesses come not only from D-8 member countries but also from other nations, including the Netherlands, India, Jordan, Uzbekistan, France and Palestine.
The organisers expect the exhibition to contribute to the goal of increasing intra-bloc trade to 500 billion USD by 2030 through stronger business connections, greater investment, technology transfer and the development of halal supply chains.
Established in 1997, the D-8 initially comprised eight major developing Muslim countries, namely Egypt, Türkiye, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh. At the 11th D-8 Summit in Egypt in 2024, Azerbaijan joined the organisation as the 9th member./.
