ROME — In a landmark ceremony held at the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the Italian capital, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader and First Lady Raquel Arbaje formally opened the newly built Dominican Republic Hall, a permanent physical space that underscores the Caribbean nation’s longstanding pledge to combat global hunger, boost nutritional outcomes, and advance universal food security.
Addressing attendees at the opening event, President Abinader framed the new hall as more than just a venue: he positioned it as a tangible symbol of the Dominican Republic’s unwavering dedication to FAO’s global Zero Hunger initiative and the upholding of fundamental human dignity. Abinader emphasized that the space will serve as an enduring reminder for all Dominican stakeholders of the nation’s ongoing responsibility to sustain progress in hunger reduction and lift living standards for communities across the country and beyond its borders.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu offered a warm welcome to the Dominican delegation and praised the establishment of the dedicated hall. Qu noted that securing a permanent branded space at FAO’s global headquarters is a distinct privilege, one that significantly amplifies the Dominican Republic’s institutional presence and deepens its active participation in FAO’s global governance and programmatic work. He further shared his expectation that the hall will become a hub for productive collaboration, hosting policy seminars, technical workshops, stakeholder convenings, and other impactful events centered on food systems transformation.
Beyond the hall inauguration, the new space adds a permanent physical anchor for the Dominican Republic’s engagement with FAO, a role that aligns with the organization’s mission to bring member states together to address shared food security challenges. As a complementary component of President Abinader’s official working agenda in Rome, the Dominican leader also presented a one-of-a-kind sculpture created by prominent Dominican artist Juan Trinidad to the FAO Museum. This cultural donation places a spotlight on the Dominican Republic’s rich artistic and cultural heritage on the global multilateral stage, bridging food security action with cultural exchange.
Trinidad himself shared that the opportunity to donate his work to the FAO Museum marked a meaningful milestone for Dominican creative expression, opening a new pathway to showcase the depth and diversity of the country’s art and culture to an international audience of policymakers, development practitioners, and visitors from around the world.
The formal opening of the hall concluded with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony. In an official statement following the event, the Dominican government reaffirmed that the space will stand as a lasting legacy of the nation’s commitment to advancing food security, improved nutrition, and enhanced well-being for both its own population and global communities working toward the same goals.