UN General Assembly
2007

The fact is that the challenges of globalization are having a marked impact on countries like the Dominican Republic. What we are experiencing is the interdependent character of current international trends. What seems to be a distant or remote event nevertheless has a direct impact on the daily lives of our peoples. Another example that illustrates the undeniable interdependence of all nations on earth is climate change. That topic is not new to our discussions in this Organization, but with each year that passes we find ourselves closer to the predicted disasters. In the Dominican Republic, we are already experiencing the impact of climate change in various ways: an increase in the volatility and frequency of floods, droughts and hurricanes that destroy our ecosystem, our biodiversity and our infrastructures. Also, we are experiencing increased coastal erosion and loss of beaches as well as frequent bleaching of our coral reefs, thus reducing our marine biodiversity and making tourism less attractive. Given all those challenges presented by globalization, a country like the Dominican Republic asks itself: where is international solidarity, where is