Next week will mark a landmark milestone for public and cross-sector dialogue in the Dominican Republic, as GALA Media Group prepares to launch the very first edition of the Punta Cana Forum 2026. This exclusive, invitation-only gathering will bring together a diverse cross-section of the nation’s most influential voices: sitting government officials, senior political leaders, top corporate executives, veteran media professionals and prominent public opinion shapers, all convening to unpack the most pressing challenges and untapped opportunities facing the Caribbean nation today.
Organized around the forward-looking theme “The Country That Is Coming,” the 2026 forum centers its discussions on five core priority areas: sustained economic development, large-scale infrastructure expansion, attracting and retaining foreign and domestic investment, strengthening national public institutions, and elevating the perspectives of the Dominican Republic’s rising generation of political leadership.
The event will open with two in-depth thematic panels covering the foundational pillars of long-term national progress, before wrapping up with a spotlight on youth political leadership featuring a book launch and a targeted roundtable discussion.
The first panel, titled “Infrastructure and Investment: Engines of Dominican Economic Development,” will be led by moderator Nairobi Viloria. Confirmed panelists include Public Works Minister Jean Luis Rodríguez, Hostos Rizik, director of national highway authority RD Vial, Milagros De Camps Germán, Sustainability Director for regional energy leader InterEnergy Group, and prominent economist Richard Medina. During this session, participants will dive into the long-term policy frameworks and capital investments required to maintain steady, inclusive economic growth, draw new international capital flows to the country, and develop infrastructure projects aligned with multi-decade national development goals.
The second panel shifts focus to the regulatory environment, with the theme “Legislation and Legal Security: Foundations for Investment and Development.” Veteran journalist Roberto Cavada will moderate the discussion, which brings together a roster of legal and policy experts including Yorlin Vázquez, Charles Mariotti Jr., Carmen Ligia Barceló González, Liz Mieses, Rogelio Antonio Genao and Natanael Concepción. Attendees will tackle long-delayed legislative reforms and examine what legal safeguards are needed to boost investor confidence, reinforce institutional stability, and strengthen the rule of law across the country.
To close the full day of dialogue, the forum will host the official launch of *Young Politician*, a new book by author Andrés Vander Horst. Dominican Republic Culture Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo will introduce the book ahead of a moderated roundtable conversation centered on the next wave of Dominican political leadership. Award-winning journalist and author José Luis Taveras will lead the discussion, which features rising political figures Omar Fernández, Juan Garrigó, Gloria Reyes and Johnny Pujols. The conversation will explore how this new generation of leaders is reimagining governance in a rapidly changing political landscape, one increasingly shaped by social media, artificial intelligence, and the rise of new political actors outside the traditional party system.
In a statement ahead of the event, GALA Media Group emphasized that the Punta Cana Forum was created to fill a critical gap in national public life: a structured, neutral space for open dialogue, critical analysis, and collaborative problem-solving focused on the Dominican Republic’s economic, political and social future. The inaugural 2026 edition has secured backing from four major Dominican groups, with Grupo Puntacana, Grupo Dupla, CEPM and United Petroleum all stepping in as official sponsors of the event.