Leonel Fernández: “The Major Challenge Currently Facing the Dominican Republic and the Entire Region is Achieving Increased Productivity”

The ex-president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández, stated that the main challenge currently facing his country as well as the rest of the region is "boosting productivity" by incorporating more technology, innovation and trained human resources in order to make progress "toward a process of sustainable development."

During the presentation "Conversando con CAF" (Conversing with CAF), along with Enrique García, Executive President of CAF - Development Bank of Latin America, Fernández underscored the booming Dominican agriculture industry, but he also expressed the need for more technology in order to "take it to the next level." 

"The major challenge currently facing the Dominican Republic and the entire region is boosting productivity in order to make progress toward a process of sustainable development," stated Fernández, who served as president of his country from 1996 to 2000, and then for two back-to-back terms from 2004 to 2012.

"In the Dominican Republic it could be said that we have food security because we produce 80% of what we consume. So the challenge now is to increase productivity in order to be able to export to the rest of the region. This could be accomplished with more technology, innovation and development of human resources to implement applied science in our countries," stated the ex-president.

The application of biotechnology, agricultural production under a controlled climate system and the development of new seeds for certain products allowing for improved agricultural quality and productivity are, in his opinion, several of the ways in which this necessary productivity boost could be brought about.

The head of the CAF agreed in that these are challenges facing not only the Dominican Republic, but also the entire region, while also indicating that addressing them requires the adoption of a long-term agenda.

"If a long-term agenda is not adopted which clearly addresses the fact that Latin America must change its fundamental model of traditional comparative advantages based on the prices of raw materials and basic exports, in favor a model of comparative advantage with increased value added, we will never make any new progress," asserted García. "To do this we need to implement fundamental changes with regard to education, infrastructure and institutionality. There aren't changes that can be made in three years, which is why long-term agendas and consensus are necessary," he contended. 

During the presentation, both discussed the world and regional economic situation and emphasized the achievements and challenges of the free trade agreements implemented in recent years.

Fernández stressed the "more balanced" nature of agreements that envisage the principle of reciprocity, such as the one entered into between his country and the United States, as they ensure smaller-scale economies are not negatively affected. "It is understood that the starting point is unequal, that our economies are not on the same level, and, as such, we must examine it product by product," stated the ex-president.

In this sense, both agreed on the importance of developing a mechanism for global governance, which places collective interest above the individual interests of each country, in order to overcome this type of challenge in the present age.

"If there isn't a more global institutional framework, there are definitively more risks, because in many recent trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, there are winners but there are also losers. If big players such as Brazil or China are left out, immediate actions and reactions are produced. For this reason, I believe that the discussion involves how to reestablish the concept of more global governance in all issues with a comprehensive vision; seek out broader coordination mechanisms," asserted García.

Fernández stated that having global and regional institutions to guarantee global governance is key to addressing issues such as collective security, protection of democracy, defense of human rights and the issue of migration; pointing out, in addition, the efforts being made by his country in regard to the latter. 

García expressed that the issue of immigration is a concern that is "very serious and that involves human and geopolitical aspects, and that has consequences." Thus, he stated that it "warrants being one of the topics included in a more global governance, as it is very difficult to focus on at a strictly national level."