The Dominican government has announced that Santo Domingo will host the First International Forum on Rare Earth Elements on 27 May 2026 with a follow-up site visit to Dominican Republic’s Pedernales province, site of a large area with the critical minerals.
The event is significant because it represents a shift toward “responsible mining” and seeks to turn diplomatic interest into “concrete commitments for technological transfer”. The Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex) is acting as the central hub for this effort, bridging the gap between local mineral resources and international technical partners.
On 27 May 2026. The event will be held at the Convention Center of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex). Mirex is serving as the primary coordinator and venue for this strategic initiative.
On 28 May, the day following the symposium, international experts and delegation representatives will conduct a field visit to the actual mining deposits in Pedernales to evaluate the project’s potential firsthand.
The symposium aims to position the Dominican Republic within the global geopolitical conversation regarding the supply chains of these critical minerals. By hosting this high-level dialogue, the government seeks to attract international investment, technical partners, and strengthen ties with multilateral organizations. The forum is designed to convert current diplomatic interest into concrete commitments for technological transfer and cooperation.
Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos, highlighted that the event follows the country’s recent participation in a Ministerial Meeting on Critical Minerals held in Washington D.C., where the Dominican Republic was recognized as a relevant actor in the global strategy to diversify supply chains. The forum will also showcase progress made at the Ávila Mining Fiscal Reserve in Pedernales, where exploration projects have been underway for years.
In 2024, President Luis Abinader issued Decree 453-24 that created the state-owned company Empresa Minera Dominicana (Emidom) to play a central role in managing the exploration and exploitation of these strategic resources in Pedernales.
The Abinader administration is also investing heavily in large hotel and airport construction as it turns the same Pedernales into an emerging tourism destination. The exploitation of rare earth lands is controversial because this activity is known to be very contaminating.
The event seeks to gather national and international experts, academic figures, and mining sector leaders to promote a model of responsible mining. Rare earth elements mining in the United States is rare. Given the highly contaminating nature of the extraction operations, the US has relied heavily on foreign supply chains. A search online reveals the existance of only the Mountain Pass Mine in California that is located in the Mojave Desert.
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Presidency
Listin Diario
26 February 2026