SANTO DOMINGO.- President Luis Abinader swore in yesterday, Monday, the management committee of the Observatory of Environmental Policies and Protected Areas, a consultative, multi-sectoral and honorary body created by Decree 105-26.
The ceremony was held in the Hall of the Caryatids at the National Palace. The organization is conceived as an independent mechanism to ensure the protection, conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources, with a special emphasis on the country's protected areas, according to a statement from the President's office.
Decree No. 105-26 establishes the creation of a commission in charge of structuring and launching the Observatory, which will function as an overseer of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Mimarena) and other state agencies in environmental matters.
What the Observatory is looking for
Its purpose is to promote the generation of independent and publicly accessible environmental information , facilitate cooperation between public, academic and civil society institutions, and develop the institutional, regulatory and organizational proposal for its consolidation as a private non-profit entity, in accordance with Law No. 122-05.
The institutions that comprise it
The committee is made up of representatives from leading environmental organizations, such as:
The Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic.
The Jaragua Group.
The Green Action Foundation.
The Moscoso Puello Foundation.
Guakía Ambiente.
The Environmental Commission of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD).
The Cibao Ecological Society.
The Federation of Farmers Towards Progress.
The Foundation for Law, Defense and Environmental Education of the Dominican Republic (FUDDEA-RD).
In addition, it includes a representative from Mimarena and representatives from universities across the country that express interest in participating.
According to the decree, the committee has a period of 45 days from the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette to begin the incorporation process as a non-profit association, prepare and approve its statutes, define its financial sustainability model, establish an action plan and operating regulations.
Subsequently, it will have an additional 15 days to manage the necessary technical and economic resources with the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Mimarena).
For the start of operations of the Observatory, the Presidency of the Republic will make a special contribution of funds through the Ministry of Environment, based on a budget agreed between the managers and the institution.
Publicly accessible information
The decree emphasizes the principle of transparency and access to information, establishing that all information generated by the Observatory must be intended for public access, promoting citizen participation in environmental management.
During the swearing-in ceremony, the Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza; the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Paíno Henríquez; the member of the Environmental Commission of the UASD, Luis Carvajal; and the legal sub-consultant of the Executive Branch, Mairení Rivas, who proceeded to read the decree, were present.
Also in attendance were environmentalists, university rectors and representatives, as well as members of foundations, federations and environmental organizations that make up the committee.
This initiative reinforces the Government's commitment to participatory, transparent and sustainability-oriented environmental management, strengthening independent monitoring of public policies on the conservation of natural resources and protected areas.
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