This October, the Dominican Republic is set to welcome policymakers, experts, and industry leaders from across the globe for the 15th Ordinary Meeting of the Ibero-American and Caribbean Network for Regulatory Improvement, scheduled to take place on the 15th and 16th. The gathering, which will bring together more than 20 national delegations alongside representatives from leading international institutions, marks a key collaborative moment for advancing more effective, modern regulatory frameworks across regions.
Organized by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Administration (MAP) and hosted at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), the meeting is designed as an open collaborative platform. Attendees will use the space to share on-the-ground experiences, test practical strategies, and co-develop solutions that strengthen national regulatory improvement systems worldwide. Unlike many closed diplomatic forums, this gathering blends in-person and virtual participation to accommodate global attendees, with delegations from major economies across Latin America, Europe, and Asia joining the discussion. Representing participating nations are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Germany, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom, alongside independent experts from leading international bodies and private sector stakeholders.
The agenda for the two-day event covers a range of pressing, timely topics at the intersection of governance and innovation. Core discussion themes include the intersection of artificial intelligence and regulatory reform, administrative simplification for small and medium enterprises, evidence-based policy design, cross-agency regulatory coherence, subnational governance of regulatory frameworks, and robust methods for measuring the real-world impact of regulatory changes. To foster interactive engagement, the program structure moves beyond traditional speeches, incorporating keynote addresses from leading global experts, panel discussions with cross-sector representatives, targeted technical working sessions, and hands-on practical workshops for attendees to dive into specific challenges.
The meeting receives technical backing from two of the world’s leading development and policy institutions: the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This high-level support underscores the global significance of the discussions set to take place. For the Dominican Republic, hosting the event comes as it takes on the role of coordinating country for the Ibero-American Network for 2026, positioning the nation as a leading voice in regional regulatory reform.
One of the key highlights of the opening sessions will be a presentation by Dominican Republic Public Administration Minister Sigmund Freund. He will launch the Dominican Republic chapter of *Regulatory Improvement in Latin America*, the first-ever collective regional publication that systematically analyzes regulatory improvement policies across every major economy in Latin America. Beyond publication launches, the meeting will center on a core practical goal: helping nations craft strategies to cut red tape, simplify routine procedures, permits, and licensing requirements, all while preventing the accumulation of unnecessary new regulatory burdens that slow economic growth and hinder public service delivery.