Dominican Republic proposes stronger cooperation within Ibero-American Conference

Against the backdrop of the 30th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government underway in Madrid, Spain, Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó has formally tabled a forward-looking framework to deepen collaborative ties between the Ibero-American Conference and its network of observer nations and institutional partners. Unveiled during the dedicated Dialogue with Associate and Consultative Observers session of the high-level summit, the proposal zeroes in on five high-impact priority domains: cross-border academic mobility to foster talent exchange, coordinated action to advance regional food security, inclusive digital transformation initiatives, scalable disaster risk reduction strategies, and expanded social protection programs for vulnerable populations across the Ibero-American space. Bisonó emphasized that the new framework calls for more intentional, synchronized participation from all observer stakeholders in existing and upcoming collective cooperation projects, alongside streamlined, regular communication channels between core Ibero-American member states and observer entities. This alignment is designed to ensure all joint activities directly advance the consensus agreements formally adopted by heads of state during the summit proceedings. The Dominican diplomatic chief also extended an official, warm welcome to four recently admitted new members of the observer community: Angola, India, and Türkiye, which have joined as Associate Observers, and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), which has secured Consultative Observer status. The broader observer dialogue session is structured to break down geographic and institutional silos, extending collaborative pathways between the 22 formal Ibero-American Community member states and global partners that bring diverse expertise, resources, and regional perspectives to shared challenges. Bisonó’s presence at the Madrid summit forms a core pillar of the Dominican Republic’s broader official diplomatic agenda in Spain, which also prioritizes advancing bilateral cooperation frameworks, attracting targeted foreign direct investment, and expanding mutually beneficial trade ties, while elevating the nation’s profile as a proactive, influential broker of inclusive dialogue across the Ibero-American bloc.