DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Law and Practice Contributed by: Guillermo Estrella Ramia, Yamel Llenas Lajud, Mariela Santos Jiménez and Valentina Gallo Botero, Estrella & Tupete
• Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer; and • Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. These treaties guide national environmental policy and reinforce alignment with global commitments on cli- mate change mitigation and adaptation.
The National Council for Climate Change and the Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL) co- ordinates national climate change policy, oversees the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contri- bution (NDC 2022–2030), and represents the country before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In the area of water resources, the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI) administers the use and allocation of surface and groundwater, while the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewerage (INAPA) and various Aqueduct and Sewerage Corpo- rations (CAASD, CORAASAN, CORAAPPLATA, among others) operate in water treatment and sanitation, in co-ordination with MIMARENA. The above-mentioned are complemented by the fol- lowing. • The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), the Min- istry of Agriculture, and the Dominican Council for Fisheries and Aquaculture (CODOPESCA) perform environmental functions related to the sustainable management of mining, soils and marine resourc- es. • In planning and development, the Ministry of Econ- omy, Planning, and Development (MEPyD) pro- motes the integration of environmental and social criteria, including the Green and Social Taxonomy (2023), while the General Directorate of Public- Private Partnerships (DGAPP) and the Ministry of Finance incorporate environmental assessments and ESG criteria into public investment projects. • The National Statistics Office (ONE) manages the National Environmental Information System (SINARE), and municipalities oversee local waste management and land-use planning services under Law No 176-07. 2.2 Co-Operation In the Dominican Republic, mechanisms for environ- mental co-operation are grounded in Law No 64-00 on the Environment and Natural Resources, which promotes shared, preventative and participatory man- agement of natural resources. The main instrument is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) pro- cess, through which project developers engage with
2. Enforcement Authorities and Mechanisms 2.1 Regulatory Authorities
The environmental institutional framework of the Dominican Republic was restructured by Law No 64-00, which created what is now the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MIMARENA) as the sector’s governing authority. MIMARENA operates through six specialised Vice-Ministries: • Environmental Management; • Forest Resources; • Soil and Water; • Coastal and Marine Resources; These are complemented by specialised technical directorates, which ensure the enforcement of sec- toral policies, regulatory compliance and continuous technical oversight. For example: • Environmental Supervision and Control; • Environmental Assessment; • Climate Change; and • Biodiversity. • Protected Areas and Biodiversity; and • Climate Change and Sustainability. In the area of environmental prosecution and justice, the Office of the Prosecutor for the Defence of the Environment and Natural Resources (PEDMA), under the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, represents the public interest and directs criminal pro- ceedings against environmental violations. Its work is complemented by the National Environmental Protec- tion Service (SENPA), a specialised body attached to the Ministry of Defence, which carries out inspection and surveillance operations to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
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