The Ministry of Economy and Planning announced that the Dominican Republic and Chile have deepened their bilateral relationship through the signing of four new cooperation projects, as announced during the Sixth Joint Commission on Technical and Scientific Cooperation meeting held in Chile. These initiatives, set to be implemented between 2025 and 2026, will focus on environmental protection, gender-inclusive education, and institutional strengthening in the irrigation sector.
A fourth project, still under development, will involve the Dominican Republic sharing its expertise in cultural heritage conservation, according to Clara María Aquino Smester, director general of Bilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development.
The latest agreement builds upon previous collaborations between the two nations. In 2021, the fifth joint commission meeting resulted in the approval of a cooperation program for 2021-2023. This time, the sixth program places a greater emphasis on South-South cooperation, with the Dominican Republic contributing significantly to Chile’s capacity-building efforts.
Key projects agreed upon include:
• Gender-inclusive education: The Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario (ITSC) will collaborate with Chile’s Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences to integrate a gender perspective into academic curricula and arts and culture programs.
• Irrigation and agricultural sustainability: The Dominican Republic’s National Irrigation Modernization Program will partner with Chile’s National Commission on Irrigation to enhance technical and operational capacities in irrigation management.
• Water resource management: The Dominican Republic’s National Geographic Institute will work with Chile’s Austral University to strengthen institutional and community capacities for managing and protecting water resources, particularly in wetland areas.
• Cultural heritage conservation: The Dominican Ministry of Tourism is exploring a project to support Chile’s efforts in preserving its cultural heritage.
Looking back
The meeting also provided an opportunity to evaluate the progress of projects initiated under the 2021-2024 cooperation program. These included initiatives to strengthen transparency in data management, improve irrigation management, enhance teaching capacities at higher education institutions, and bolster mining sector oversight.
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Ministry of Economy
18 December 2024