BERKELEY, California (13 de abril, 2004).- An executive from the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development emphasized the proactive role played by the Dominican Community living abroad in the economic development of the country.

Ms. María Elizabeth Rodríguez stressed the importance of the Global Foundation's initiative to strengthen and create new cooperation channel between the Dominican Diaspora and the homeland through the New York-Dominican Republic Strategic Alliance Project.

Rodríguez represented the Global Foundation and its founder and president, Dr. Leonel Fernández during the conference "The Diaspora and the Homeland Development," sponsored by the Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information Technology at the University of California, Berkeley. The Director of the NY-DR Strategic Alliance Project shared her experience through the presentation entitled: "The Dominican Diaspora and Homeland: Building Global Partnerships for Development."

The conference dealt specifically with the role of the diaspora in the development of the homeland.

"Contemporary diasporas, because of their skills, wealth, and transnational networks, have become a new engine for cooperation between the hostland and homeland," noted Dr. Michel Laguerre , Director of the Berkeley Center for Globalization and Information Technology.

Ms. Rodríguez and Mr. John R. Gagain Jr , Director of the NY-DR Task Force and Director of the Center for Globalización, respectively, represented Dr. Leonel Fernández, who was invited as keynote speaker of the event.

The country case studies presented during the conference included: Haiti, the Philippines, Mexico, Palestine, Morocco, Iran, India, Pakistan, and the Dominican Republic.

In addition to the presentation on the Dominican Republic, the other distinguished professors and researchers were: Dra. Minoo Moallem , San Francisco State University, California (Iran); Dr. Hatem Bazian , University of California at Berkeley (Palestine); Sr. Neil Ruiz , Massachussets Institute of Technology (Philippines); Dr. Aneesh Aneesh , Stanford University (India); Dr. Francois Pierre-Louis , Queens College (Haiti); Dr. Sam Cherribi , Emory College (Morocco); Dr. Rafael Alarcón , El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Mexico), among others.

For more information: http://bcgit.berkeley.edu/diaspora.html
Email: m.rodriguez@funglode.org

Ms. Rodriguez's presentation abstract:

Maria Elizabeth Rodriguez
Director, Dominican Republic-New York Task Force on Diaspora Development and Bilateral Relations
FUNGLODE

The Dominican Diaspora and the Homeland: Building Global Partnerships for Development

The Dominican Diaspora in the United States has played a proactive role in the economic development of its homeland. Close ties through different channels have been the norm. The remittances sent from abroad have served as one of the pillars of the Dominican economy, currently, representing 10% of GDP at 2.217 billion dollars in 2003. Likewise, a permanent communication between both communities through extensive travel and telephone calls, and active participation in politics are indicative factors that the Dominican Diaspora is very much in touch with its homeland. However, this trend will change in future generations, which will not have the same commitments, either financial or nostalgic, to safeguard the current levels of communications and economic support. Similarly, there are vast opportunities of exchange to be found in the areas of trade and investment, education, health, among others. Recognizing the importance of the Diaspora to the homeland development through its gained experience and know-how, valuable networks, and access to significant sources of technology and capital, the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, initiated a project, in early 2003, aimed at strategically bridging the Dominican Diaspora to the homeland. The Global Foundation, a Dominican think-tank founded by former President Dr. Leonel Fernández, advocates, as part of its mission, for the inclusion of the Dominican Diaspora in the national development agenda.

The project is structured democratically with the goal of promoting plurality and participation. The key actors are community leaders from the academic, civil society, political, and business sectors in the New York area, where over half of the Dominican population in the United States is found. The goal of this ongoing project is to produce the research, policy recommendations and Action Plan with pilot project proposals necessary to create effective links between both communities. The areas of focus, identified as key to the Dominican community¹s advancement, are: immigration and labor force, education, health, culture, remittances, trade and investment, technology, civic participation, and sports. All finding and products of this project will be shared with both communities in order to guarantee its impact and sustainability.