Starting October 17 through 22, 2026, the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic will bring a landmark cross-sector event, Dominican Week in France (SD26), to the heart of Paris. This multi-focal gathering will unite senior government representatives, private business leaders, and global investment stakeholders to advance economic, commercial and cultural connections between the Dominican Republic and France. Coinciding with SIAL Paris 2026, one of the planet’s most prominent food industry trade exhibitions, SD26 is jointly developed by three host institutions: the Dominican Embassy in France, the Dominican Republic’s investment and export promotion agency ProDominicana, and the Franco-Dominican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFD).
SD26’s agenda is structured around three core pillars that align with the countries’ shared strategic priorities: economic and trade diplomacy, political and parliamentary exchange, and cultural diplomacy. The initiative builds directly on the momentum of recent high-level diplomatic engagement, growing out of official meetings between Dominican President Luis Abinader and French President Emmanuel Macron that set the stage for deeper bilateral cooperation.
Three industry-specific forums will lead the economic and investment track of SD26, each targeting a high-growth segment of the Dominican economy. The opening forum, titled “Dominican Republic: Strategic Platform in the Caribbean”, will center the country’s competitive advantages in free trade zones, advanced manufacturing, cross-regional logistics, and untapped investment openings, followed by structured one-on-one business-to-business networking sessions. A second forum, the “Green Light” initiative, will turn focus to renewable energy development and climate-aligned investment opportunities, while the third panel “Digital Dominican Republic” will explore the country’s expanding tech ecosystem, covering emerging innovation, fintech development, and modern cybersecurity strategy.
Beyond these thematic forums, the event packs a full schedule of commercial engagement activities: tailored B2B matching sessions, a targeted buyer-exporter partnership program for the food and agriculture sector, and a dedicated ProDominicana exhibition pavilion within the SIAL Paris 2026 venue. These components are designed to give Dominican exporters a high-visibility space to showcase their goods to European buyers and forge new long-term commercial partnerships. On the political and diplomatic side, the agenda includes an official working visit to the French National Assembly and collaborative policy working sessions hosted at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris.
The cultural track of SD26 will bring Dominican art and creative talent to Paris’ cultural landscape. A major new exhibition, “The Dominican Worlds of José Castillo”, will open at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine, and event organizers will formally launch the Dominican Republic X International Arts City Artist Residency Program to support cross-cultural creative exchange between the two nations.
Overall, SD26 is positioned as a transformative platform to expand Dominican exports, increase foreign direct investment inflows from France, and broaden bilateral business ties, while growing the country’s profile and market access across the European Union.