In a rapidly evolving global landscape, where strategic partnerships are reshaping international trade and diplomacy, H.E. Renzo Herrera, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United Arab Emirates, has emerged as one of the leading voices advancing closer ties between Latin America and the Gulf.
With a clear vision centered on economic diplomacy, innovation, and sustainable development, Ambassador Herrera is championing an ambitious agenda that positions the Dominican Republic as a premier investment destination, a regional logistics hub, and a strategic gateway to the Americas. Under his leadership, bilateral relations with the UAE have expanded beyond traditional diplomacy, creating new opportunities in trade, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, government innovation, and cultural cooperation.
In this exclusive interview with LatinGulf.ae, Ambassador Herrera discusses the remarkable evolution of Dominican–UAE relations, the country’s long-term Meta RD 2036 development strategy, the significance of hosting the World Governments Summit Latin America & Caribbean 2026, and why he believes the Dominican Republic is uniquely positioned to become one of the Gulf’s most important strategic partners in the Western Hemisphere.
His message is clear: the future belongs to nations that build bridges, embrace innovation, and create opportunities through collaboration—and the Dominican Republic is ready to lead that journey.
In recent years, relations between the Dominican Republic and the United Arab Emirates have reached an unprecedented level of cooperation. From your perspective, what have been the main advances in this relationship, and what will be the Embassy’s priorities to further strengthen political, trade and investment ties between both countries?
We have succeeded in positioning the Dominican Republic as a strategic partner for the United Arab Emirates, highlighting our similarities as natural platforms for economic, trade, investment, and political connectivity within our respective regions. In our case, we are a key hub towards the Americas—North, Central and South—as well as Europe, thanks to our geographic location and a broad network of trade agreements, including DR CAFTA with the United States, agreements with Central America and CARICOM, and the EPA with the European Union.
In today’s global context, marked by nearshoring and the reconfiguration of supply chains, the Dominican Republic has consolidated itself as a regional logistics and distribution centre, and logistics is a central priority of our national development strategy.
Our port infrastructure, considered the second most important in the region after Panama, has been strengthened for more than two decades through investment and technology, with DP World playing a leading role. The company has recently announced an additional investment of more than US$900 million to continue expanding Caucedo Port, which shares strategic characteristics with Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
This is complemented by the development of an air hub. Punta Cana International Airport, the largest private airport in the world, is driving a strategic alliance with DP World and Emirates Airline to consolidate the country’s position as a regional air hub, integrating world class maritime and air logistics capabilities.
In this sense, we see the Dominican Republic and the United Arab Emirates as complementary poles in their respective regions, both focused on facilitating global trade. We do not define ourselves solely by the size of our populations, but by our role as access platforms: the Emirates as a gateway to millions of consumers in Asia and Africa, and the Dominican Republic as a connection point to millions in North, Central and South America, as well as Europe.
At the institutional level, we are advancing the conclusion of key agreements that will strengthen the bilateral framework, such as the convention to avoid double taxation and the agreement on the promotion and protection of investments. Likewise, we are exploring the negotiation of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), alongside initiatives in digitalization of the economy, renewable energy, and the development of high end tourism infrastructure.
Similarly, the United Arab Emirates are accompanying the Dominican Republic in achieving its goals towards 2036, aimed at doubling the size of the economy and consolidating sustainable and institutional development. Through the Government Experience Exchange Program (GEEP), we recently agreed in Santo Domingo on a cooperation plan covering 12 strategic projects, focused on adapting tools that have been central to the Emirates’ transformation within the span of one generation.
All these advances rest on the evolution of the Dominican Republic as one of the most dynamic economies in the region, moving from 17th position in Latin America in 1990 to 7th in 2024, which reinforces our appeal as a reliable, long term partner.
The Dominican Republic will host a regional edition of the World Governments Summit, 20 y 21 de November de 2026, an initiative that promotes governmental innovation and international cooperation. What does this event represent for the country, and what opportunities will it generate to strengthen relations with the United Arab Emirates and attract new investments and strategic alliances?
Hosting a regional edition of the World Governments Summit (WGS LAC) in the Dominican Republic represents strategic recognition of our country as a platform for dialogue and coordination between the United Arab Emirates and Latin America and the Caribbean. For us, it is a validation of our role as a natural bridge between both worlds, able to connect development, innovation, and governance agendas from a regional perspective.
The fact that the WGS has only taken place outside Dubai on two occasions, both in our region, and that the Dominican Republic has been chosen twice as the regional host, underscores the importance of Latin America and the Caribbean for the Emirates and their confidence in our institutional capacities and in the strength of our economies. It also confirms that our country is an ideal meeting point to address major issues on the global agenda: digital transformation of the State, innovation in public policy, sustainability, food security, and economic resilience.
The World Governments Summit (WGS LAC) in the Dominican Republic represents strategic recognition of our country as a platform for dialogue and coordination between the United Arab Emirates and Latin America and the Caribbean.
This event opens concrete opportunities on three levels. First, politically, it deepens high level dialogue between government leaders from the Emirates and the region, creating a structured space to align visions and build common positions in multilateral fora. Second, economically, it provides a platform to showcase projects, priority sectors, and regulatory frameworks to Emirati and global investors, particularly in logistics, renewable energy, tourism, infrastructure, and the digital economy. Third, on the technical level, it facilitates the exchange of experiences on public service delivery, digital government, and policy management—areas in which the Emirates have developed globally recognized practices that the Dominican Republic aims to adapt and scale.
For our bilateral relationship with the United Arab Emirates, WGS LAC acts as a catalyst. It allows us to consolidate initiatives already underway—such as government exchange programs, digital transformation projects, and partnerships in logistics and energy—while identifying new areas of cooperation that can evolve into strategic alliances and investment vehicles. For the region, it sends a clear signal that the Emirates see Latin America and the Caribbean as a long term partner, with WGS LAC as one of the most visible instruments for structuring that relationship.
In October 2026, the Dominican Republic will host a series of IRENA meetings alongside the OLADE Ministerial Meeting, including a Regional Investment Forum, a high-level global forum on the energy transition, and discussions on projects linked to sargassum. What does this leadership role mean for the country, and what opportunities does it create to attract investment, strengthen strategic alliances, and position the Dominican Republic as a regional reference in the energy agenda?
Hosting these meetings in the Dominican Republic underscores the country’s growing role in the regional energy conversation and its ability to bring together governments, investors, multilateral institutions, and development partners around a common agenda. It also reflects the confidence placed in our country in leading a process that is not only political, but also practical and forward-looking, with tangible benefits for the region.
The Regional Investment Forum, scheduled for October 7 and 8, will be a key space to showcase priority projects from the Dominican Republic and other countries in Central America and the Caribbean, while connecting project developers with investors and financing institutions. At a time when the region is seeking to accelerate renewable energy deployment, create stronger enabling environments, and mobilize capital at scale, this forum can help turn ideas into concrete partnerships.
The High-Level Forum on the Energy Transition, to be held on October 9, will bring ministers and key stakeholders together to exchange views on one of the most important issues of our time: how to move toward cleaner, more resilient, and more secure energy systems. At the same time, the discussions on sargassum will highlight an increasingly relevant challenge for the Caribbean, while also opening the door to innovative solutions that combine environmental sustainability with economic opportunity.
This will also be the appropriate moment to introduce PARLAC, the Partnership for the Advancement of Renewable Energy in Latin America and the Caribbean, which aims to strengthen regional cooperation and accelerate the expansion of renewable energy across the region. Taken together, these meetings reinforce the Dominican Republic’s position as a convening power and a trusted partner in advancing the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Recently, you presented your Letters of Credence to the President of the Republic of Seychelles, becoming concurrently accredited as Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to that country. What does this new responsibility mean, and what opportunities do you see to foster cooperation between the Dominican Republic, Seychelles and the United Arab Emirates in areas such as trade, tourism, the blue economy and sustainable development?
My accreditation as concurrent Ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles is a logical step within the Dominican Republic’s strategy to strengthen its international relations and build strategic alliances in key regions of the world. For us, Eastern Africa, and particularly the island States of the Indian Ocean, are especially important because we share cooperation spaces and institutional memberships that link us naturally.
Seychelles and the Dominican Republic are both part of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States within the framework of cooperation with the European Union, and we also share the status of small island developing States, with similar characteristics and common vulnerabilities in the face of climate change. In addition, we work together in fora such as IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, where the Dominican Republic currently holds the presidency, providing us with a privileged platform to articulate joint agendas on energy transition and sustainability.
In this context, during my official visit to Seychelles we identified the need to move forward with a cooperation agreement that would allow us to share experiences in sectors where both countries have complementary strengths. In tourism, we are facilitating closer ties between our hotel and restaurant associations, with the aim of working together and, with government support, exchanging best practices in coral reef restoration, mangrove protection, tourism training, and the promotion of mutual investment in high value infrastructure and products.
IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, where the Dominican Republic currently holds the presidency, providing us with a privileged platform to articulate joint agendas on energy transition and sustainability.
There is also significant room for cooperation in human capital development. The Dominican Republic hosts well regarded medical schools, where students from various countries, including the United States, pursue programs taught in English that enable them to sit for the corresponding exams and practice medicine in line with international standards. This academic capacity opens the door to joint training and exchange programs with Seychelles in key areas such as health, climate risk management, and the blue economy.
Finally, we see a clear opportunity to build triangular cooperation with the United Arab Emirates on blue economy and coastal resilience. The Emirates are already working directly with the Dominican Republic on coral reef and mangrove restoration projects, and our intention is to bring Seychelles into this collaboration network, combining its experience in marine conservation, the Emirates’ financing and technological capacity, and the Dominican Republic’s vocation to act as a bridge between island regions in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. This new responsibility therefore not only expands our diplomatic map but also creates a concrete space for alliances that integrate trade, tourism, the blue economy, and sustainable development for the benefit of all three countries.
The United Arab Emirates have consolidated themselves as one of the world’s leading centers for trade, logistics and investment. Which sectors do you consider a priority to increase the participation of Emirati companies in the Dominican Republic, and what competitive advantages does the country offer to international investors?
The United Arab Emirates have become a global benchmark in trade, logistics, and investment, and already have a highly significant presence in the Dominican Republic’s logistics sector. DP World leads operations at Caucedo Port, one of the Caribbean’s main container hubs, and together with Punta Cana International Airport and Emirates they are developing an integrated cargo and air connectivity platform that reinforces our role as a regional distribution center towards North, Central and South America, and Europe.
Along these lines, we see the participation of Emirati companies in the modernization and expansion of other logistics assets as a strategic priority, such as Manzanillo Port in the north of the country, the deepest natural draft port on the island, which offers extraordinary potential to reduce transit times and costs to the U.S. East Coast and other markets. The Emirates’ experience in developing ports, free zones, and multimodal platforms can find in the Dominican Republic an ideal environment to replicate successful models and scale their presence in the region.
A particularly important area of convergence is our free zone sector, which has long been one of the main engines of Dominican export growth, industrial diversification, and job creation. The model has much in common with the successful free zone ecosystem developed in the United Arab Emirates, where special economic zones have played a central role in attracting investment, facilitating trade, and connecting companies to global value chains. This shared vision creates a natural platform for deeper cooperation between both countries’ free zone sectors, with clear potential for joint initiatives, knowledge exchange, and investment promotion.
We see the participation of Emirati companies in the modernization and expansion of other logistics assets as a strategic priority, such as Manzanillo Port in the north of the country, the deepest natural draft port on the island.
That convergence was recently reflected in the decision taken by the World Free Zones Organization during its meeting in Panama to select the Dominican Republic as the host of its next global gathering in 2027. This is a strong endorsement of the country’s standing as a regional reference point in free zone development and confirms the growing international recognition of our investment climate, logistics capabilities, and institutional framework.
A second priority sector is mining and the processing of strategic minerals. The Dominican Republic is a significant gold producer: Pueblo Viejo mine, operated by a Barrick–Newmont joint venture, is one of the largest in Latin America and among the major gold operations in the world. Added to this is growing interest in our rare earths and other critical minerals for the energy and technological transition, where Emirati financial and technological capabilities can play a key role in responsible exploration, value chain development, and diversification of the Dominican export base.
A third avenue of opportunity lies in tourism, energy, and the green economy. We are the leading tourism destination in the Caribbean, with a diversified offering that combines world-class resorts, urban and cultural tourism, and nature-based experiences, supported by an attractive incentive framework for investment in hotels, infrastructure, and high-end tourism products. In parallel, the Dominican Republic has been recognized as one of the most dynamic countries in investment for the energy transition, with renewable energy and storage projects that require long-term strategic partners—an area in which Emirati companies have proven experience.
All these opportunities rest on clear competitive advantages for international investors.
The Dominican Republic offers macroeconomic stability, sustained growth—with several consecutive years of strong foreign direct investment and outstanding export performance—a legal framework favorable to investment, equal treatment for foreign investors, and a political environment marked by regular elections every four years and the construction of consensus among current leaders and former presidents on major national issues. Coupled with a long-term vision embodied in our goals towards 2036, aimed at doubling the size of the economy and consolidating modern institutions in the service of development, this provides certainty about the country’s strategic direction.
For all these reasons, we see logistics, ports and airports, mining and strategic minerals, high-value tourism, renewable energy, the green economy, and free zones as the sectors where Emirati companies can expand their presence and turn the Dominican Republic into a complementary platform to Dubai and the Emirates to project themselves across the Western Hemisphere.
In an international context marked by technological transformation and economic diversification, what role does economic diplomacy play in your agenda, and what initiatives is the Embassy promoting to bring the private sector closer, foster bilateral trade, and create new business opportunities between both nations?
In my experience, the core role of an ambassador is to be a bridge builder between institutions, States, and people. For a medium sized country with limited resources such as the Dominican Republic, economic diplomacy means using every relationship opportunity intelligently to connect governments, business chambers, and private sector actors, and to transform those connections into trade, investment, and concrete projects.
From a relatively small embassy, our priority is to facilitate interaction among key stakeholders: ministries, chambers of commerce, investment promotion agencies, and civil society organizations in both the Dominican Republic and the Emirates. In practice, this translates into identifying opportunities, opening doors, and accompanying companies in their first steps into each other’s markets—from initial information and contacts to the design of visit agendas and the structuring of partnerships.
In my experience, the core role of an ambassador is to be a bridge builder between institutions, States, and people
A recent example is the work carried out in Ras Al Khaimah, in the context of a meeting with GRULAC and the local leadership. Ahead of that encounter, we encouraged the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santiago de los Caballeros, in the northern Cibao region—the most dynamic economic and cultural area in the Dominican Republic, which includes Santiago and Puerto Plata. That agreement has already led to a planned visit by a business delegation from Ras Al Khaimah to our country to explore opportunities for strategic alliances and investments between the private sectors of both sides.
The economic diplomacy we practice is not limited to strict commercial matters; we complement it with cultural and person to person diplomacy, because we understand that human and cultural ties close the circle of State to State relations. In this sense, we have brought together the Ministers of Culture of both countries to design an action plan that will fully implement the memorandum of understanding signed in 2018. We are working for the United Arab Emirates to be the guest of honor, in the new future, of our annual International Book Fair, creating a space where publishers, authors, and cultural managers can meet, while opening a channel to translate Dominican and Emirati works into Spanish and Arabic, bringing our societies closer together.
Another initiative underway is the creation of an Arab culture and language center in the Dominican Republic, reflecting the historic presence of a significant Arab community in our country and the ties that unite us, including the Lebanese origin of our President, Luis Abinader. Such projects strengthen the human and cultural foundations upon which deeper, long term economic relations can be built.
Finally, economic diplomacy is also expressed in our technical and environmental cooperation agenda. We are working with Dominican institutions such as the Punta Cana Foundation and with Emirati bodies, in particular the Abu Dhabi Environment Department and IRENA, to promote joint projects on coral reef recovery, mangrove protection, and responses to the threat of Sargassum in the Caribbean. These projects combine investment, technological innovation, and the blue economy, creating business opportunities in sustainable tourism, coastal management, and environmental solutions, while reinforcing the relationship between our countries.
Taken together, these initiatives show that economic diplomacy occupies a central place in our agenda: it connects the public and private sectors, links trade and investment with culture and sustainability, and turns the relationship between the Dominican Republic and the United Arab Emirates into an increasingly broad platform for business opportunities and shared development.
Finally, what message would you like to convey to business leaders, investors, government authorities and Gulf decision makers who follow LatinGulf.ae regarding the opportunities offered by the Dominican Republic as an investment destination, logistics platform and gateway to the Caribbean and Latin American markets?
I invite you to come and be part of the Dominican Republic’s journey towards transformation within the time frame of a generation, accompanying our roadmap “Meta RD 2036”. Do not wait until the process is complete, and the country has become a destination that everyone wants to enter; we encourage you to build this path together with us, from now on, as strategic partners at the moment of greatest dynamism.
Today, the Dominican Republic offers a stable environment, fully integrated into the global economy, with many years of proven macroeconomic stability, legal security, and democratic continuity, and with a clear, long term vision for the future.
This is precisely what discerning investors look for: well defined rules of the game, a predictable horizon, and a country that sees investment as an ally of development rather than a transient resource.
On top of that, our main asset is our people: a talented, hard working, and joyful society that combines a strong work ethic with the wisdom of living well, and a geographic location that makes us a natural logistics platform and gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, North and South America. We are already using and adapting tools that the United Arab Emirates successfully applied in their own generational transformation, and we benefit from their support through initiatives such as GEEP, which lends solidity and credibility to our change agenda.
My message, ultimately, is that you should not see the Dominican Republic only as an investment destination, but as a success story in the making, with vision, leadership, and openness to Gulf partners who want to be at the forefront of this process. As we say in my country: “those who get on board early, arrive in a better position”. This is the right moment to join us on this path of transformation and share in the benefits of the good things that are coming.
©LATINGULF.AE – 2026
