2003 – Page 305

Sonia Pierre was awarded the World Prize for Human Rights for her role as a defender of the rights of women of Haitian ancestry in the Dominican Republic. The director of the Dominican-Haitian Woman?s Movement will receive her prize in New York this coming April. Pierre, who was born in the Dominican Republic of Haitian …

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In his address to the nation Sunday evening, President Hipolito Mejia asked citizens to again tighten their belts, and announced a temporary 10-percent additional surcharge on all imported items, with the exception of raw materials, capital goods, medicines, and food products. The additional surcharge is expected to be enforced for the next three months. Mejia …

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Generally speaking, representatives of the business community have been critical of government measures that give priority to macroeconomic stability and the stability of the exchange rate versus creating an adequate climate for the productive sectors. Ignacio Mendez of the Federacion de Asociaciones Industriales (FAI) says that the measures announced last week by the Monetary Board …

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Listin Diario carries the RNN TV debate that followed the televised speech of the President on Sunday evening. Lisandro Macarrulla, president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic, commented that in his speech the President focused solely on the external elements of the present crisis while ignoring the local problems. "I believe that …

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The price of crude oil on the world petroleum market has recently risen to US$35 per barrel. When Mejia took office in August 2000, a barrel of petroleum cost US$14. On Saturday, oil prices in the Dominican Republic increased sharply, in line with the impact the threat of war is having on the world petroleum …

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The Smith & Enron generation plant was back on the electricity grid network yesterday, producing 100 megawatts of a possible 180. Finance Minister Jose Lois Malkum and Cesar Sanchez, administrator of the Dominican Electricity Corporation (CDEE), announced that an agreement had been reached to resolve the fuel supply problems responsible for the shutdown. Malkum also …

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The Central Bank reports the Consumer Price Index for January increased 3.29 percent, representing the greatest surge of the past 28 months. Inflation for 2002 was 10.51 percent, marking the first double-digit inflation rate since 1994 when it registered at 14.3 percent.

El Caribe newspaper reports that the arrival of tourists increased a solid 35.9 percent in January, compared to figures for January 2002. Arrivals of non-resident foreigners were tabulated at 256,738 –67,876 more than those registered in January 2002. Destinations for non-resident air arrivals were: Punta Cana: 119,960; Puerto Plata: 56,229; Las Americas (Santo Domingo): 45,817; …

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British Foreign Office Minister Valerie Amos is expected to arrive on Tuesday, 18 February to head a mission of UK businesspeople interested in developing trade with the Dominican Republic. British Ambassador Andy Ashcroft said that Amos is the highest-ranking British government official to visit the country since diplomatic relations were reestablished in 1995. Ashcroft appeared …

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The Inter American Development Bank has nearly US$500,000 available in non-reimbursable cooperation for programs that promote corporate social responsibility within the Dominican Republic. The National Council of Business (CONEP) will manage the program, which will begin with a RD$5-million fund for three business initiatives intended to create a general awareness among corporations in the Dominican …

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