Government and political leaders open national dialogue with six simultaneous tables on the Haitian crisis

SANTO DOMINGO.– In an effort to address the multiple challenges arising from the Haitian situation, the Economic and Social Council (CES) officially opened this Thursday a national dialogue that will bring together key players from the political, economic, and social landscape of the Dominican Republic. The inaugural event, held at the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National Library, was attended by President Luis Abinader and former presidents Leonel Fernández, Hipólito Mejía, and Danilo Medina.

During his speech, the president of the CES, Rafael Toribio, announced that six working groups will be launched, operating simultaneously, with the purpose of analyzing the different dimensions of the impact of the Haitian crisis on the country. These thematic spaces will focus on migration, bilateral trade, border development, security, foreign policy, and labor issues.

Toribio explained that the central objective is to generate consensus and also to recognize dissents, which will be documented and sent to the President of the Republic and the former presidents who are accompanying the process. "We are calling for a structured dialogue that responds to the complexity of this regional situation, and that allows the country to make informed decisions with a vision of the State," he said.

One of the highlighted elements of the consultation mechanism will be citizen participation, including Dominicans residing abroad, who will be able to contribute their ideas and proposals through a digital platform enabled for this purpose.

The CES president defined this call as "a clear sign of institutionality, democratic maturity, and shared responsibility," highlighting that for the first time in the country's recent history, a space for concertation is articulated with the simultaneous inclusion of the government, former presidents, and the main social, business, and labor sectors.

In total, 45 advisors make up the CES, representing a plural sample of Dominican society. The operational methodology of the tables will be presented in the coming days, to give way to the formal start of the work, the results of which will be delivered to the corresponding authorities.

To conclude, Toribio called for national cohesion: “This process is not just a technical exercise in dialogue, it is also an invitation to build a new model of governance, where concertation prevails over conflict and the collective interest over individual agendas.”