Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez gave a talk at Georgetown University on occasion of Dominican Week in the United States. In his keynote speech, “Dominican Republic: A Shining Star in a Troubled Region,” Alvarez emphasized the country’s democratic success and stability, leading to high economic growth.
Alvarez spoke of the series of reforms underway to strengthen democratic institutions and the independence of the judiciary.
Álvarez stressed that the country must implement a strategy that will allow it to gain visibility to integrate into global supply chains.
Participating as guest speaker on the first day of the celebration of the 29th edition of the Dominican Week in the United States, Alvarez highlighted the competitive advantages that the country has for US companies to manufacture here.
“The United States is the destination for 70% of Dominican exports. We can integrate into global supply chains because of our geographic location, free zone industry and the ability to produce and supply goods quickly, but we must focus on presenting and positioning our advantages,” he said after noting that the Dominican Republic has maintained its democratic stability and economic growth over the years.
Alvarez said that Covid-19 has worsened the crisis of democracy in Latin America, which has joined the structural challenges that already existed in the region.
During the talk, Alvarez highlighted the success of the vaccination plan in the Dominican Republic, where 57% of the adult population is fully vaccinated.
He mentioned that thanks to the advances, the US State Department lowered the travel advisory alert to level 2. Likewise, tourists from Russia and Canada have made the country their preferred sun destination.
During the presentation, Roberto Herrera, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Dominican Republic, the organizer of the event, highlighted the progress made to position the country as a nearshore platform.
“We need policies for a transformative recovery with an emphasis on investment. Industrial and technological policies to boost the growth of more technology-intensive sectors that generate quality jobs. Nearshore is an excellent strategy to achieve this,” said Herrera.
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N Digital
El Nuevo Diario
29 September 2021