MONTHLY LUNCH JULY 2016

Distinguished Jake Kheel, Vice President of the Puntacana Group Foundation
Dear members of the Board of Directors and past presidents of AMCHAMDR

Authorities, executives and members of the Chamber, diplomatic representatives, members of the Elite Circle, representatives of the media, guests

Good afternoon.

The content of AMCHAMDR's recent monthly luncheon had a significant impact on national public opinion. The presentations made by Rafael Blanco, President of CONEP, were particularly resonant in areas that directly impact certain decision-making processes of utmost importance to the country.

In his speech, Mr. Blanco outlined several pillars that, in our view, are essential for strengthening democracy in the Dominican Republic: a new electoral law, a political party law, a fiscal responsibility law, and the creation of a system that guarantees the full independence and strengthening of the institutions responsible for implementing and regulating everything related to the electoral process and ensuring compliance with the laws, since rules alone are not enough.

AMCHAMDR endorses these pillars as the foundation for advancing toward a quality and sustainable democracy in our country. We understand that social and economic well-being is based on strong, transparent, accountable institutions that, consequently, provide stability. The package proposed by CONEP would strengthen these institutional aspects and increase citizen confidence in the system, while also legitimizing it.

And now that we're on the verge of a new Congress, talking about legitimacy makes special sense. The new authorities of the State's main branch, the Legislative Branch, must be aware that simply being elected isn't enough to feel legitimized. In fact, their race toward legitimization will begin on August 16, when they begin their legislative work.

The hope of the Dominican people lies in their ability to create and reform laws with transparency, through dialogue and by forging productive and respected consensus, so that, for example, the right to private property, such a fundamental issue for the market economy, becomes a bastion, not an obstacle, to our development.

The institutional framework with which congressmen conduct their work will also be of utmost importance. We must not rush or shorten the due process that a bill must follow if it is to adequately achieve the objective sought with its enactment. To do otherwise would be to move down a path that can only lead to flawed laws and social distrust, which precisely undermines the legitimacy of those who create them.

Therefore, when legislating, deputies and senators must bear in mind that their duty, their primary obligation, is to respect the law. Only in this way will they ensure that their legislative output and the effectiveness of the legislative branch are a credible reality. It is important for them to realize this, especially in the run-up to the inauguration of the new Congress, when we have noted intense legislative activity on highly sensitive issues for citizens in general and for all productive sectors of the country in particular. For these, legal security in the Dominican Republic is essential as a factor in the country's development. Its quality depends largely on our legislators, who must create a reliable and coherent system of laws, which will provide due legitimacy to the Legislative Branch, a pillar of Dominican democracy and guarantor of its sustainability.

And I'll take this opportunity to introduce our guest today, whose work focuses on the sustainability of our environment. Protecting it is a task that none of us who live in this country can neglect, because any productive effort we make, any social progress we achieve, any competitive success we attain will be in vain if our habitat deteriorates. And our institutions, all of them, play a leading role in preventing this. Those who comprise them have
to promote laws and regulations that prevent harm, and act in accordance with those established in them against those who violate them.

Jake Kheel is a leader in the field of sustainable development. For over ten years, he has addressed various social and environmental challenges in the Dominican Republic in his role as Vice President of Sustainability for Grupo Puntacana and Vice President of the Grupo Puntacana Foundation, successfully implementing sustainability programs that have earned the company numerous global sustainability awards.

In 2001, as a graduate student preparing his thesis, Jake saw firsthand the relentless deforestation in the Bahoruco Mountains and the potential conflict between Haiti and the Dominican Republic over this unique national park. This began a nearly two-decade-long interest in Bahoruco and its steady decline, which ultimately led him to conceive the film: Death by a Thousand Cuts.

Jake holds a Master's degree in Environmental Management from Cornell University and a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and Latin American Literature from Wesleyan University.

Many thanks to Jake for accepting our invitation, and to all of you for joining us. Good afternoon.