SANTO DOMINGO. – President Luis Abinader received the document “Strengthening social protection to eradicate poverty and advance towards inclusive social development in the Dominican Republic ,” prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in coordination with the Supérate Social Development Directorate , as part of the technical support provided to the Dominican Government for the strengthening of its social protection system.
During the presentation, ECLAC highlighted that the Dominican Republic has maintained an average economic growth of 5% over the last decade , more than double the regional average. Similarly, it has managed to reduce poverty to 18.2% and extreme poverty to 4.9%, also achieving the lowest inequality index (Gini coefficient) in Latin America in 2023 (0.39).
The meeting where the aforementioned document was delivered included the participation of the general director of the Directorate of Social Development Supérate, Gloria Reyes ; the director of the Social Development Division of ECLAC, Alberto Arenas de Mesa ; the Minister of Labor, Eddy Olivares ; the representative of International Cooperation and former Minister of Health and Solidarity of France, Marisol Touraine ; and the coordinator of Economic Inclusion of Supérate, Naomi Arboleda.
The document proposes three strategic lines of public policy to consolidate these advances:
1. Expand and strengthen the social protection system towards a universal, comprehensive, sustainable and resilient model.
2. Promote active employment and labor inclusion , with special attention to young people, women and informal workers.
3. Strengthen social institutions, moving towards a Framework Law for Social Protection and better intersectoral coordination.
Director General Gloria Reyes noted that the report is a key tool for public policy decision-making , reflecting the evolution of the Dominican system and the opportunities for social investment to reduce inequality and poverty gaps.
President Abinader thanked ECLAC for its technical support and reaffirmed the Government's commitment to strengthening social protection as a pillar of human development, economic inclusion and social mobility in the Dominican Republic.
This dialogue is part of the High-Level Seminar “Strengthening the social protection system and labor inclusion in the Dominican Republic ”, jointly organized by ECLAC , the Directorate of Social Development Supérate , the Ministry of Labor and the German cooperation (GIZ/BMZ) , with the support of the United Nations System.
