May 2016 - Global Foundation for Democracy and Development

Monthly Archives: May 2016

Leonel Fernández Arrives in Paris with a Packed Agenda as EU-LAC Foundation President
This Monday former Dominican president Dr. Leonel Fernández arrived in Paris, France, where an extensive work agenda awaits him as President of the European Union–Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Foundation.

“If Seas Continue to Rise as Projected the Maldives Will Be Unlivable by 2100”, States Jon Bowermaster during GFDD/Funglode Special Presentation of Sink or Swim: Learning the Crawl in the Maldives
Seeking to educate New York City high school students about the impacts of climate change and incentivize them into action, GFDD/Funglode put together a special film screening and panel discussion at the United Nations today for students from the International School of Liberal Arts based in the Bronx and the High School for Excellence and Innovation based in Inwood. The film being screened was the environmental documentary Sink or Swim: Learning the Crawl in the Maldives
directed by Jon Bowermaster, which was followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker and the Ambassador of Fiji to the United Nations, H.E Mr. Peter Thomson. The event also included a guided tour of the UN, to provide students with the opportunity to learn more about the international organization.

Students from Liceo Científico Dr. Canela Lázaro Get Ready to Escalate Pico Duarte with the Documentary La Montaña
GFDD/Funglode and DREFF, through their program Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, presented on May 13 a special screening of the documentary La Montaña, which was attended by 60 students enrolled in their last year of studies at Liceo Científico Dr. Canela Lázaro, in the Hermanas Mirabal Province.

DREFF and Eco-Escuelas Take Environmental Documentaries to Academic Institutions
The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) and its program of Environmental Film Screenings – both GFDD initiative – supports the mission of IDADR program Eco-Schools, a project of international environmental certification awarded to schools that develop programs and projects for education and participation, where the children and friends of the school are involved in the implementation of environmental improvements in the institution and the community. For this
purpose, Environmental Film Screenings program presented the documentaries The Change, Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience, and Plastic Paradise in two academic institutions, on May 12.

Everybody Loves Salsa!
Before a packed auditorium, the Dominican documentary Yo Soy la Salsa was screened at the Ibero-American Film Showcase in Washington, DC. This event was organized by the Ibero-American Cultural Attaches Network in the nation’s capital, with the purpose of promoting the culture and heritage of the region.

UASD Environmental Law and Management Students Learn About Environmental Challenges and Best Practices in the Dominican Republic through the GFDD Short Value of Life
The Lawyers Association for the Protection of the Environment (INSAPROMA for its acronym in Spanish), in coordination with FUNIBER and within the framework of the DREFF’s program Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, screened at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD), GFDD/Funglode latest production Value of Life. Directed by Natasha Despotovic, the documentary features the importance of the natural value of the Dominican Republic and the main challenges
the country is facing to achieve socioeconomic sustainability, as well as some of the best practices being applied in the area.

Dominican Flavor Takes Over More than 8,000 Visitors during Passport DC 2016
Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) partnered one more yesterday with the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in the United States to present the very best of the Dominican Republic during the 2016 Around the World Embassy Tour, a signature annual event in Washington, DC part of the Passport DC initiative.

Music Performance, Special Guests and Dominican Pride at the Launch of “Lo Dominicano/All Things Dominican” in New Jersey
Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister institution Funglode presented their newest publication, Lo Dominicano/All Things Dominican, last night at the William V. Musto Cultural Center in Union City, New Jersey. A book that compiles 5 years of research and presents the essence of the Dominican Republic through fun facts, images and perhaps unknown information to the new generations and people from other
cultures.

GFDD and Funiber Join Efforts to Raise Awareness for a More Sustainable Planet
The Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (Funiber) organized yesterday the Conference “Effects of Climate Change Globally and in the Dominican Republic”, addressed to professionals in the environmental sector, and companies and professionals interested in issues related to the phenomenon of climate change and how to face it. As part of the activity, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), within the
framework of the program Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, presented their latest documentary, Value of Life. The short film shows how historically little value has been placed on natural capital when looking at growth equations and socioeconomic development, and highlights the most outstanding initiatives that public and private companies are developing to support sustainable development in the Dominican Republic.

All Things Dominican Launched in the Heart of Santiago de los Caballeros
Lo Dominicano/All Things Dominican, a unique GFDD/Funglode publication, was launched yesterday in Santiago de los Caballeros at the iconic Centro León before an avid and diverse public interested in learning about some of the less known and picturesque aspects of Dominicanness. The Director of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) in New York, Yamile Eusebio Paulino, said that "with this publication, directed by the Executive Director of GFDD, Natasha
Despotovic, we seek to reach to the heart of Dominicans who live in the country and abroad. It is a book that compiles many years of research and presents the essence of the Dominican Republic, capturing all the virtues of Dominicans and their land."