Dominican Week starts with events highlight dominicanity

Washington, DC.- With the raising of the Dominican flag in the residence of the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic in the United States, the twenty-seventh edition of the Dominican Week began, an event where both Ambassador José Tomás Pérez, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), Ramón Ortega, and Roberto Herrera, president of the Dominican Week, agreed to encourage the promotion of the business climate and investments to impact development and competitiveness between the two countries.

In his inaugural address, Ambassador Perez said that relations with the United States, the main trading partner of the Dominican Republic, live “his best moment, characterized by cooperation, friendship and mutual respect.”

For its part, Ortega highlighted the role of AMCHAMDR in promoting trade and investment, as well as strengthening the business climate between the Dominican Republic and the United States. He also reaffirmed the commitment to represent membership in decision-making spaces.

While Herrera revealed that in this edition of Dominican Week the Ministry of Tourism and the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES), will present the efforts made by the country to strengthen tourism security.

He said the meeting, organized by the Ministry of Tourism and ASONHORES, will be attended by Apple Leisure Group president Alex Zozaya, with the Director of Private Capital of the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), Jerry Livingston, and the president and CEO from Playa Resorts, Bruce Wardinski, and the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Robin Bernstein.

After the inauguration, the delegation went to the headquarters of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to participate in the discussion “Education and Technological Innovation: Social Transformation and Economic Development with Equity”, where the challenges, opportunities and the main characteristics of the educational reform process that the Dominican Republic is experiencing, considering the exponential technologies that are revolutionizing the Region.

The meeting was attended by the president of the ICT Committee of AMCHAMDR, María Waleska Álvarez, who served as moderator; César Dargam, executive vice president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP); Zoraima Cuello, Deputy Minister of the Presidency of the Dominican Republic; Nelson Guillén, President of the Board of Directors of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications, among other figures in the public, private and academic sectors.

Subsequently, the delegation visited the facilities of the Gallup polling firm, where the measurements collected in the Dominican Republic were presented during the last ten years. Emily Massel, representative of the Gallup polling firm, explained to the delegation the methodology used by Gallup to track opinions worldwide.

Massel explained how Gallup analyzes the trends of the crucial global problems that affect people’s lives, around a welfare scheme that is composed according to the career of individuals, their relationships at social, financial level, their integration with the community and on a physical level.

The day concluded with a welcome dinner to the members of the delegation and special guests, held at the residence of the ambassador of the Dominican Republic in Washington and which was based on the “Ancestral Flavors”, a project launched by Initia that rescues the gastronomic heritage Dominican from the hand of 18 chefs, who were inspired by emblematic dishes of Creole cuisine.

As is tradition in the Dominican Week, recognition was given to Julissa Manreco, a Dominican who has raised the Dominican Republic in the United States. Manreco serves as Undersecretary of External Affairs Communications at the Smithsonian Institute, where he oversees the offices of Public Affairs, Government Relations and Visitor Services and protocol.

Dominican Week 2019 is made thanks to the support of the Dominican Embassy in the United States of America, as well as the companies that make up our Elite Circle: Barrick Pueblo Viejo, Citi, Claro, Haina International Terminals, Pasteurizer Rica, Squire Patton Boggs, Initiates, Martí, Bepensa, Peña Defilló Group, Humano Seguros and Grupo Punta Cana.

Also sponsoring the event are: Banco Popular, Visa, Pellerano Nadal Law & Consulting, Compañía de Electricidad de San Pedro de Macorís (CESPM), Línea Clave, Banco BHD León, LendingPoint, Consejo Nacional de la Empresa Privada (CONEP), Latin American Free Zone, Viva Wyndham Resorts, Delta and OMG. While Seabord Marine, Procigar, the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and MSMEs participate as collaborators of Dominican Week.