Socio-Economic Context
The Dominican Republic is an upper-middle-income country classified as a small island developing state. The country has maintained sustained economic growth over the past three decades. It has achieved significant progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including in reducing undernourishment and addressing nutrition issues. Nonetheless, food insecurity continues to affect an estimated 14 percent of the population and is particularly concentrated in poorer and more vulnerable parts of the country, including rural and disaster-prone areas, and among vulnerable groups such as woman-headed households.
As a country vulnerable to climate change, the Dominican Republic faces recurring micro-disasters such as torrential rains and floodings that are putting pressure on food systems. In addition, insufficient economic access to nutritious foods and diverse diets, especially among boys, girls, adolescents, and women, contributes to anaemia, overweight, and obesity due to the consumption of unhealthy food and is leading to the “triple burden” of malnutrition.
SSTC Engagement
The Dominican Republic actively engages in WFP-facilitated SSTC since its onset. In 2014, the Dominican Republic together with Haiti and Cuba launched the Caribbean Quadripartite Disaster Risk Reduction Process. This process was focused on identifying effective modalities in mitigating the impact of natural disasters at national and regional levels for South-South knowledge sharing and furthering cooperation between the three countries in disaster risk reduction.
Through partnerships with countries like Colombia and institutions such as FAO and WFP, the country has adopted and shared climate-smart agricultural practices—including the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and sustainable livestock methods—to enhance productivity, restore degraded lands and build resilience to climate change.
In recent years, the Dominican Republic has also supported SSTC efforts in nutrition, particularly with Caribbean countries. With WFP’s facilitation, exchanges have focused on school feeding models, food fortification strategies, and integrated nutrition policies targeting vulnerable populations. These efforts have strengthened regional collaboration and promoted the exchange of practical solutions to improve food security and nutrition outcomes.
The Dominican Republic has emerged as a reference for the countries of the Global South in Adaptive Social Protection (ASP), leveraging strong institutional frameworks like the SUPERATE programme, now called the Directorate of Social Development - SUPERATE and the Single Beneficiary System – SIUBEN, the national social registry. With support from WFP, the Dominican Republic has shared its expertise through SSTC initiatives with countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The country is actively exploring the establishment of a global knowledge hub on ASP and continues to engage in mutual learning with peers through WFP-facilitated SSTC platforms.
Technical Expertise & Capacities
Social Protection
Social Protection
To mitigate its high risks of climate-related shocks, the Dominican Republic has developed a strong adaptive social protection system, with a social registry coverage of over 80% of households and a network of specialized institutions that support the coordination and implementation of adaptative social protection programmes.
In 2021, an Emergency Bonus was created to mitigate the impact on families affected by an emergency through cash transfers. The same year, the Dominican Republic ’s social protection system entered a new phase by introducing SUPERATE, a comprehensive poverty-fighting strategy emphasizing skill-building and capacity enhancement for improved income and employability. SUPÉRATE is the Dominican Republic’s main conditional cash transfer program aimed at reducing poverty and promoting human development. It targets low-income families, especially women, and provides financial support along with access to training, employment opportunities, and social services. The program is designed to empower families to overcome poverty through education, health, and economic inclusion. SUPÉRATE works closely with SIUBEN to identify eligible households and is a central component of the country’s Adaptive Social Protection system, helping families build resilience to economic and climate-related shocks. Since July 2025, a change has been made, in recognition of the leadership of this institution in combating poverty, it has raised its level of institutionality by becoming a Directorate, now called the Directorate of Social Development - SUPERATE, by decree 356-25.
Furthermore, the Dominican Republic developed an Index of Vulnerability to Climatic Shock (IVACC in Spanish) linked to the Single Beneficiary System (SIUBEN). The main function of the SIUBEN, which covers about 80% of the population, is to identify, characterize, record, and prioritize families in poverty to inform the implementation and targeting of social policies. The IVACC uses SIUBEN data to calculate the probability that a given household may be affected by hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding based on a range of socioeconomic characteristics, including housing characteristics, estimated income, and proximity to a potentially hazardous natural element.
In addition to IVACC, the Dominican Republic developed a Basic Emergency Form (FIBE) and its related Impact Index. The FIBE is an instrument to collect household information from affected areas and determine the degree of affectation (high, moderate and low). The FIBE-RD Impact Index is the tool for evaluating, quantifying, characterizing, and prioritizing the impacts reported by households that have responded to FIBE.
Nutrition
Nutrition
The Dominican Republic has developed noteworthy initiatives to strengthen nutrition, particularly in early childhood, which can serve as examples of good practice. Within its public policy framework, the country has implemented actions to improve access to micronutrients through nutritious foods, especially those that are fortified or enriched. Among these efforts, the nationwide school feeding programs stand out as part of a broader strategy for comprehensive early childhood care.
Institutions Involved
- National Institute for Disaster Management of Mozambique
- Division for the Development of Arid and Semi-Arid Zones of Mozambique
- Directorate of Social Development - SUPERATE
- Social Subsidy Administrator of Dominican Republic (ADESS)
- Unified Beneficiary System of the Dominican Republic (SIUBEN)
SSTC Modalities
- Study visits
- Virtual trainings
- In-person trainings
- Knowledge product development
- Staff secondment
- In-field visit in recipient countries
- Technology transfer
Funding Opportunities
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) fosters intra- and inter-regional cooperation and research on social protection including through the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean and ad hoc regional projects.
Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) promotes SSTC within the region and with Portugal and Spain on different strategic areas, social protection being one of them.