See document
Santo Domingo, R. D.- 2 de octubre de 2020 - The Chair of Sustainability "Alejandro E. Grullón E." of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra and the Popular Foundation, in collaboration with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), held the Dialogue on Corporate Social Responsibility: Territorial planning and ordering: The key to risk reduction in times of Covid-19.
The panel was made up of Dr. Maximiliano Puig Miller, executive vice president of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism; Major General (R) ERD Dr. Juan Manuel Méndez García, general director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE); Mrs. Nathalie Flores-González, Director of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; Dr. Esther Zeledón, director of the office for Sustainable Environmental and Economic Development of USAID, Mr. Jean Suriel, meteorological analyst, and as moderator Mr. Elías Dinzey, general manager of the Popular Foundation.
The words of welcome were given by Dr. Puig Miller, who defined this meeting as a fundamental space for reflection to broaden the articulation between the various actors in society. "From dialogue and exchange, the most appropriate and sustainable measures must emerge to overcome future challenges," said Puig Miller.
Mrs. Flores-González recognized that the Dominican Republic is a pioneer in institutional agreements for climate change; however, she indicated that it is time to apply these mechanisms with the commitment of all interested parties. In the same way, he highlighted the need to develop the mechanisms established in the Paris Agreement, within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, so that the Dominican private sector can invest in profitable projects of territorial ordering and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
On the other hand, Mr. Suriel, a well-known Dominican meteorologist, stressed that climate change is real, it is happening and it makes the planet increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic phenomena. In addition, he commented how atmospheric phenomena such as raging forest fires, global flooding, storm surges, hemisphere snowfall, droughts, and hurricane seasons are becoming more extreme and intense.
For his part, Dr. Méndez expressed that land management is key to risk reduction and response planning. In addition, he indicated that the importance of urban planning and territorial ordering is evident in times of crisis; and that each crisis brings the opportunity to rethink the ways and methods of intervening in the territory. Dr. Méndez concluded his presentation by saying that incorporating the issue of territorial planning at the national level, in a transversal way, would facilitate the exchange of knowledge of risks, adopting strategies to prevent the repetition of the same processes through new risk situations that could endanger the living conditions and resources of future generations, thus contributing to the achievement of a resilient and safer community.
Lastly, Dr. Zeledón, USAID official, presented how and why timely and effective strategic climate planning can contribute to designing sustainable strategies to reduce vulnerability and climate risk. She indicated that involving different stakeholders can efficiently benefit vulnerable and underserved populations in our communities. Ella Zeledón pointed out that USAID not only demonstrated that territorial planning and ordering is possible and achievable, but also that it can be effectively translated into action, for the benefit of the sustainable development of our countries.