Institutional Framework
Currently, the Dominican institutional apparatus does not have a body specifically dedicated to population and development issues. However, since March 2017, a provisional mechanism for the implementation and follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus has been instituted; this mechanism, called the National Coordination Committee, is permanently headed by the National Statistics Office (NSO). In addition to the NSO, five other government agencies are part of the coordination mechanism. Among the issues addressed by the Committee are the inclusion of population dynamics in the development of policies and programs, as well as the economy, development and international cooperation. Other priority areas in the work of the mechanism are equality and gender issues, the fight against gender violence, as well as comprehensive care of women; furthermore, youth care is also prioritized, mainly in order to provide opportunities to the most vulnerable persons. Finally, the Committee's work also focuses on assistance to the Dominican diaspora and on sexual and reproductive health, with special consideration of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
An important challenge for the Committee is to increase the level of visibility of its work, given the ad hoc and provisional nature of its work, which translates into a perception of low activity. In addition, it also needs to design a strategy to clearly show more the progress made in terms of public policies in the fulfillment of the prioritized measures and how these are aligned with national planning.
Participation
Civil society organizations participate in the National Coordination Committee on a provisional and consultative basis. These organizations make contributions on different topics, among which the right to health as a whole, including sexual and reproductive health, is highlighted. This topic is approached from different perspectives such as: education; family planning; care for people living in critical poverty; inclusive and differentiated care for people with disabilities, particularly women. Furthermore, the valorization of culture, the defense of rights and the demand for equitable development, based on the identity of Afro-descendant people, constitute other approaches of the participating organizations. With respect to the academic sphere, participation is both provisional and consultative; the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) and the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) contribute to the issues of sustainable development, human rights, social justice and gender equity. Finally, UNFPA participates on a permanent and consultative basis, advising on gender equity and equality, prevention of domestic violence, responsible parenthood, safe motherhood, strengthening of the National Statistical System, collection and analysis of socio-demographic data, training and education.
The information on Institutionality comes from the regional survey for the update of the Virtual Platform for the follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, implemented by the technical secretariat in 2023.