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In this week’s edition of “This week in the Dominican Republic” we learn about an increase in the toll on the road to Samana, plans to recover and preserve Los Haitises National Park, an impending visit from Vice President Joe Biden and funds of US$1.5billion from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Vice President Joe Biden to meet President Danilo Medina
Vice President of the United States Joe Biden is expected to visit the Dominican Republic during the second week of March, during which time he will meet with Dominican President Danilo Medina.
Joe Biden who has been leading an effort by the Obama administration to increase engagement within Latin America will be discussing bilateral issues and regional cooperation with Dominican President Danilo Medina.
On the same trip Joe Biden will also be visiting Chile, where he will be leading the U.S delegation to the inauguration of incoming President of Chile Michelle Bachelet. Michelle Bachelet who has served as president of Chile once before, was elected with a landslide victory in December and will take office on March 11th.
Tolls increase on the highway to Samana
The total cost of travelling on the Northeastern Highway between Santo Domingo and Samana has now been increased to a total of RD$1,876 (US$43) roundtrip. An increase which is being called excessive by the Samana and Monte Plata Tourism Cluster.
This increase makes the tolls on this road the most expensive in the country, and fears are that it will cause a decrease in transit, as well as fewer tourists visiting the beautiful areas of Samana, Monte Plata and Nagua.
Plan to recover and preserve Los Haitises National Park
A plan has been launched by the Dominican Government to recover and preserve Los Haitises National Park in the northeast of the country – a beautiful area which is the island of Hispaniola’s only rainforest.
To ensure the protection of the area, a 3-year deadline to halt all human activity within the protected area, has been put in place.
A proposal to achieve this plan was presented to Danilo Medina earlier this week, and requires RD$2.4 billion in funding to roll out 43 initiatives which will ensure the indefinite protection of Los Haitises.
The principal plans include relocating the human population of the National Park to just outside of the park, as well as a stronger protection component with patrols.
The Los Haitises National Park boasts unrivalled biodiversity fed by 110 rivers and streams and the most rainfall in the entire island of Hispaniola.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) aims to finance with US$1.5 billion
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) this week announced plans to finance a number of projects within the Dominican Republic with a total of US$1.5 billion, to be spent over the next 3 years.
This credit forms part of its 2013-2016 work strategy, which focuses on productive development to increase productivity and business competitiveness; investment in human capital in sectors such as health, education and social protection, and macroeconomic stability and fiscal management, to spur sustainable economic growth.
According to Flora Montealegre, a representative of IDB, this projected funding will be the banks contribution to keeping the Dominican Republic’s multilateral debt at an average of 53% over the next 3 years.
An emphasis has been placed on the creation of quality jobs and less poverty.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean, with a strong commitment to achieve measurable results, increased integrity, transparency and accountability. While they are a regular bank in many ways, they are also unique in some key respects. Besides loans, they also provide grants, technical assistance and do research.
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