Dominican Republic

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. 

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.