During an official working trip to Spain, Dominican Republic Vice President Raquel Peña has formally confirmed the Caribbean nation’s participation in the 30th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, set to take place in Madrid from November 4 to 5, 2026. The confirmation came during a scheduled bilateral meeting with Narciso Casado, who holds dual roles as Director of Relations with Ibero-America at Spain’s Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) and Permanent Secretary of the Ibero-American Business Council (CEIB).
This meeting was a core component of Peña’s official agenda in Spain, which centers on deepening existing bilateral cooperation and expanding economic ties between the two countries. Beyond confirming summit participation, the pair held in-depth discussions around a potential pilot rollout of the 4T Model in the Dominican Republic. This public-private partnership initiative is specifically crafted to lift up micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) by improving their competitiveness, boosting productivity, and expanding their access to both domestic and international markets.
Per an official statement from the Dominican Vice Presidency, the 4T initiative is positioned to deliver meaningful strengthening to the MSME sector, a cornerstone of the Dominican economy that drives massive job creation and sustains broad-based national economic growth. The framework of the 4T Model is built on four foundational pillars: Talent, Territory, Transformation, and Traction, and it prioritizes aligned collaboration between government entities and private sector stakeholders to accelerate inclusive business development across the country.
In addition to her economic and diplomatic engagements, Peña’s Spanish itinerary included a formal visit to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), one of the most influential institutions governing the Spanish language globally. During the tour, she met with Juan Luis Cebrián, a sitting RAE member and the founding journalist of Spain’s leading national newspaper El País. Accompanied by Dominican Ambassador to Spain Tony Raful and Dominican Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó, Peña toured the academy’s centuries-old historic library, using the occasion to underscore the deep cultural and linguistic bonds that connect the Dominican Republic to the broader Spanish-speaking global community.