The country holds its first National Oceans Forum to strengthen its ocean governance
Through this event, academia, the state, and civil society seek to establish a common agenda for ocean protection.
SANTO DOMINGO (Dominican Republic). –The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), held the First National Oceans Forum of the Dominican Republic, under the leadership of the Vice Ministry of Coastal and Marine Resources.
The activity was a multi-sectoral dialogue space that brought together representatives from the Government, academia, the private sector, international organizations, civil society organizations and specialists with the purpose of strengthening ocean governance and promoting the sustainable use of the country's marine resources.
The meeting was held at the INTEC campus under the theme "The Ocean as the Foundation of Sustainable Prosperity." This forum allowed the ocean to be placed at the center of the national agenda and advance the development of a strategic vision geared toward a future National Ocean Strategy.
The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Paíno Henríquez, stated that the forum marks an important step towards a more integrated management of the country's marine and coastal ecosystems.
"As an island nation, our future is closely linked to the health of our seas. This forum represents an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between different sectors and build a shared vision that promotes the conservation of our marine ecosystems and the development of a sustainable blue economy," the minister stated.
In her opening remarks, Rosario Arostegui, Vice-Rector for Researchon INTEC stated that Protecting the oceans requires knowledge, cooperation, and decisions based on scientific evidence. “Our university is committed to fostering spaces like this, where academia, the State, the private sector, and civil society can build a shared vision about the future of our marine resources and their contribution to the country's sustainable development.”
During the forum, it was highlighted that the ocean, which represents about 90% of the national territory, is a strategic asset for the sustainable development of the Dominican Republic.
For his part, José Ramón Reyes, Vice Minister of Coastal and Marine Resources, emphasized that this first forum represents the beginning of an ongoing effort to strengthen the country's ocean governance. "The progress achieved in the conservation of our marine ecosystems provides us with a solid foundation to continue building increasingly effective management. Now the challenge is to transform this space for dialogue into alliances, policies, and concrete actions that involve the government, academia, the private sector, civil society organizations, and coastal communities, because the future of the Dominican Republic is closely linked to the health of our oceans," he stated.
For his part, Jonathan Delance, national manager of the Ministry of Environment's 30x30 Program, presented an overview of the Dominican Republic's main progress in conserving coastal and marine resources, while also calling for strengthened efforts to address the challenges the country still faces as an island nation. He emphasized the need to continue strengthening conservation efforts, considering the fundamental role these ecosystems play in sustaining the national economy, especially for sectors such as tourism, fishing, and coastal communities.
The event analyzed the main challenges facing marine and coastal ecosystems, such as climate change, marine pollution, coastal erosion, and overfishing, as well as opportunities to promote a sustainable blue economy. The program included two specialized panels on ocean governance and the state of marine and coastal ecosystems, their challenges, and opportunities for sustainable development.
For her part, Ana María Díaz, UNDP Resident Representative, stated: “Strengthening the international ocean agenda presents an opportunity for the Dominican Republic to consolidate a strategic vision for its oceans and strengthen its governance capacities. Dialogue spaces like this Forum, along with initiatives such as the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, contribute to building the alliances, capacities, and consensus necessary to move toward integrated and sustainable ocean management. UNDP will continue to support the Ministry of Environment in this effort.”
As a result of the meeting, the participants agreed on the need to strengthen inter-institutional coordination, promote decisions based on scientific evidence, expand conservation efforts for marine-coastal ecosystems, and consolidate a national agenda that integrates the country's ocean priorities.
The First National Oceans Forum is expected to become an annual space for dialogue, collaboration, and consensus-building to strengthen ocean governance and promote new alliances for the conservation and sustainable development of the country. With this meeting, the Ministry of the Environment, led by Minister Paíno Henríquez, reaffirmed its commitment to ocean protection.