Japan donates US$1.4 million to the Dominican Republic to address the spread of sargasso

Barahona—Japan and the Dominican Republic signed an exchange of notes for non-refundable financial assistance of 200 million yen, equivalent to approximately US$1.4 million, to help the country deal with the spread of sargassum on its coasts.

This grant was made under the “Economic and Social Development Program” cooperation scheme.

The signing of the instrument was in charge of the Japanese Ambassador in the country, Takagi Masahiro, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez.

With the donation, the National Beach and Spa Cleaning Program of the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) will be able to acquire machinery and equipment to clean the beaches of 9 provinces of the country: San Cristóbal, Azua, Barahona, San Pedro de Macorís, La Altagracia, El Seibo, María Trinidad Sánchez, Samaná and Puerto Plata.

In his remarks following the signing, Ambassador Masahiro emphasized that “the project will contribute to human health, sustainable tourism growth, and the eco-friendly economic and social development of the Dominican Republic.

“This cooperation is yet another symbol of the strategic alliance between the two countries that share fundamental values. This alliance is getting stronger and stronger,” said the diplomat.

On his side, Minister Alvarez reiterated that sargasso “is a pest that suffocates ecosystems and destroys legitimate sources of economies,” whose adverse effects represent a threat to the economic, social, and cultural development of the country, particularly the activities of tourism, fishing, as well as the sustainability of marine biodiversity and the stability of marine and coastal ecosystems.

“For these reasons, having the support of a friendly nation and ally for development such as Japan, is of vital importance to generate feasible solutions to help us combat this ecological phenomenon. That is why I want to take advantage of this scenario to, on behalf of President Luis Abinader, myself and the sectors that are with us today, express our enormous gratitude to the government of Japan for its tireless efforts to cooperate with the Dominican Republic,” he said.