the context of rapid advances, technology and artificial intelligence. All these issues have been included in the program, on the platform. What I would like to discuss are some approaches I've been involved with, which aren't so much these particular problems, but more than anything, taking the wonderful ideas being generated through the meta-process, so that these ideas can be iteratively tested, monitored, their impact assessed, learned from, and then feedback given to create policies, to refine this iteratively. On some occasions I have been involved in testing multiple ideas so that we can discuss them. Sometimes these ideas work well and can be scaled up based on their original design. In other cases, there are potential opportunities for modification to increase these benefits or to avoid unintended consequences if these emerge through the evaluation. Of course, there are some cases where assessments create fundamental problems and we have to go back and outline this on the blackboard. I want to say a few words about the approach in general, but specifically I want to outline the work that the Ministry of Education has been doing to implement this approach and evaluate certain programs. The laboratory I lead at the University of Chicago, in conjunction with researchers from Columbia University, has had the opportunity to work with the Ministry of Education, engaging in this process of continuous refinement and evaluation. But I'm going to use those examples in the education sector; some of you may be interested in education, and many of you are involved in other sectors. I will use this as an example that can be applied to many other sectors that have been identified as issues of importance through the Meta RD 2036 program. I want to discuss the approach. As noted, different ideas have been tested in global development based on beliefs and logical inferences of what might work, but of course some of these succeed and others do not. One way to accelerate this learning process so we can focus on investment is to rigorously test approaches, as can be done in the medical sector in clinical trials, or as is done in other companies like Google and Amazon, which are constantly testing different products. And this approach involves comparing the treatment group or different treatment groups, who receive a new program or let's say a new trial of an existing product, which is something, let's say, a similar comparison that someone has not participated in the program, who may do so perhaps later, or are different approaches with other groups. So, this approach, as I already indicated, is being used by the sector. For example, the iterative flow, the energy. When I was awarded the first one in 2019, they were trying to apply that approach to learn from the impact of different approaches. Regarding growth, development, and the growth of development. I ca n't say it can be used for everything; it might work for some problems, but we can give you countless ideas that are being generated through the RD 2036 meta process, and there are some worth trying. As I already mentioned, sometimes we find surprising results. Now I want to point out that although these evaluations can sometimes be seen as a verdict. It worked, it didn't work. People deserve applause or a pat on the back. No, that's not how it should be used. We must view this approach as part of an iterative process of developing the different products. If we think about technology companies, we'll see if they are using it. Think of this as a beta test. Not in terms of responsibility. Responsibility is important, but this is a tool for innovation. By creating an opportunity for faster feedback loops . These experimental approaches involve NGOs, governments, and various firms that can test and approve the programs. How does that work? The first step is to identify the problems. And here, Meta RD has established a wonderful process for doing so. It's not simply the government sitting back and working alone; it's taking the initiative to involve the private sector. As you have heard today, bringing in the private sector should be essential. Since they generate 90% of the jobs in low and middle income countries and have a certain level of expertise in many of these sectors. They also have the public sector and a set of experts here, and others who may be there, such as civil society, among others, where they can identify the most important problems at the national level and within a particular sector. The next step is to find out where we can get candidate solutions. And on this trip to the Dominican Republic that I have briefly made, I have heard wonderful ideas and where there is a lot of potential that is emerging from this process. Where I can come from the private sector, the public sector, the experts, and in turn they can also emerge from reviewing experiences around the world, seeing what other countries have done, where they have succeeded, what has not worked, what is applicable and what is not. The solutions of a third candidate, where a decision has to be made about which ones we should test. It doesn't have to be a single one; there can be multiple approaches. Experimental methodology can be used to test different approaches and, in turn, to test ideas, to refine those ideas. I will try to summarize this in a minute and offer solutions if it is a subsequent or simultaneous step that can be carried out after the testing phase, or if people feel confident enough about the idea, where they can build the tests as part of this phased approach so that we can actually make corrections and assume the level of commitment. As this progresses, it is essential for us to see if the processes are linear or if it is a continuous cycle because there will always be new challenges, new technologies with new opportunities, and changes in the world that can create or could create new opportunities or obstacles. And any further modifications that may be necessary. So now I'm going to move on to a specific example. This is the case in education where we have had the opportunity to work with the ministry evaluating new programs that they have been presenting, and I want to mention the vice minister Ancel Checker who I must say has had a wonderful approach saying yes, we are going to try new ideas, but we want to test them and learn from them because we must be humble and recognize that not all ideas are going to work, or perhaps make the basic idea work, but we have to improve it and correct certain elements. I'm going to give you a few examples, and I'll start with one about the challenge of teenage pregnancy. Although the Dominican Republic has shown a reduction in poverty and economic growth, one situation that arises is that the Dominican Republic has a very high rate of teenage pregnancy, where one in five girls aged 15 to 19 have been pregnant. It's a challenge, a significant challenge. And what's the idea? Well, the idea has been that the government has decided to try to have a comprehensive sex education program adapted to the values ​​of the Dominican Republic, covering gender equality, sexual health and decision-making in relationships. That is something that has been deployed and the evaluation has been designed simultaneously, where it has been planned from the beginning and the appropriate data will be collected. This work plan will be conducted in a way that will facilitate this evaluation, and the program will be launched soon. And then in the year 2026, and the results of the evaluation will be available between 2027 and 2028. And they will cover, obviously, teenage pregnancy. It takes a little while to get enough information from the sample and for other results to be measured. That's one example. Another example is the issue of a low level of engagement in STEM fields at universities. Only a small minority of university students are involved in science, technology, mathematics and engineering, the STEM fields. And it's a particular problem among women. For countries, this can involve adapting to new technologies, how we can increase this, and how we can foster a culture of innovation that is passed on to students, where they are actively learning instead of passively receiving information or ideas. And I must say, and I'm very curious whether this will work or not, I have no idea, but there is a robotics program that provides schools with age-appropriate robotics kits like Mindstorms, Dash, Lego, and Einstein, which are expected to be used in science and math classes so they can really work with their hands. It's definitely something that generates a lot of intrigue. Where do we really need the right modification? We don't know. And the impact where we can see these learning practices that can foster curiosity and computational reasoning. This, part of the reason why I'm so excited to hear this, is the data collection that just concluded in June. I hope the results will be available quickly and that this could lead to further development of that policy. The third example, the final example, is education. The problem is that many children at a young age are not ready to move on to the next grade. Let's say, a quarter of 15- year-olds have repeated a year, and only 8% achieve a certain level of mathematical proficiency in PISA. And that creates a big dilemma for policymakers, for teachers. One option would be to say, "We're going to move you up to the next course, even though you're not qualified to pass." But if you do that, you risk a terrible dynamic where the student will not understand what is happening in the class and will fall further and further behind. It can also create negative consequences for the other children in the course, making it difficult for the teacher to teach the class to some children who are ready to move forward and others who need more review. The other option would be to drop out of the previous course, which is difficult for them because it is a stigma. And it can be very difficult from a financial perspective as well, because that increases the total cost at the level of the courses and graduation. So, the idea that the Ministry of Education had was to try an intensive summer camp, focused on mathematics and Spanish. And similar ideas have been attempted and implemented in other countries, sometimes with great success. And what was the approach? And this is where I return to this idea of ​​the iterative process. Firstly, in the first year of the evaluation, where this evaluation identified some opportunities to strengthen said program. In particular, the finding during the first year establishes that there was low participation in said study. The participation of the invited students who wanted to complete this would be 22% versus saying, "Well, it worked, let's keep moving forward, let's review the data in more detail and figure out what the problem was." And in particular, the students who were a little further away from the center, where they had a greater chance of dropping out. And one possible solution is to offer free transportation, such as buses. Another example is that where there was a lot of heterogeneity in the different levels of learning within the classes, this made it difficult for the teachers. The solution here would be to group students based on what they already know, the level of instruction they require versus the grade they are in. Uh, once this was incorporated in the second year of the program, then the participation of the students who were able to complete it increased from 22% to 59% and even more importantly, that increased in a second edition of the camp generated 50% more learning per dollar invested than the school year than expected. So, this is based on... I want to say something cautiously about this. This is comparing this to the school year, not directly in terms of grade repetition, so it's a market share comparison , where we have that extra support for those who fall behind and it can be cost-effective, where it can reduce the need for them to be repeating courses. And because of the cost of the program, that can be mitigated a little, because there won't be as much course repetition, besides helping those children and their families to learn more. These are three examples. I also want to point out that in some ways, what's nice is that all of this can be compared to monitoring policy systems . So, if you have these iterative cycles, where you can build capacity within the relevant institutions, in this case the Ministry of Education. And a fourth step would be to link administrative records across institutions, which makes it possible to see the long- term results. For example, in Colombia there was a program that helped students go to other schools, regular, standard schools, where they could see long-term results in the income and jobs that people had. With this we were able to see an alternative to those vocational schools, which increased the employment rate and this. In Kenya we saw that treating children with these kinds of problems can also help long-term income and in turn can help focus investments at the government level. Before moving on to the next one, I want to add something. I'm going to move on to other sectors and we're going to talk about the agricultural sector, which is one of these, but it's only one. In a brief conversation we've already had, I've heard a great amalgamation of ideas that look promising for Meta RD, and many of these can be tested using this approach. For example, enabling informal firms to become formalized is a zero-bureaucracy initiative that is currently being considered. Another idea that goes hand in hand with other ideas is to offer firms opportunities to obtain credit to formalize their businesses, creating an incentive for them to formalize their operations. That can also be proven. You can imagine a small geographical area that can be used to define that geographical area and thus test this. In terms of training and certifying workers with the required skills. There is evidence around the world where certification can be important. But also where we are bringing in the private sector to help us identify the skills needed for vocational education. It could be an opportunity for public-private cooperation. The issue of financial inclusion is that many people do not have bank accounts, and one of the possible solutions that some companies have tried is that when they benefit through the government, they pay this directly into bank accounts that the governments can establish directly. There are countries where that can be important and there may be existing charge structures in other countries, which makes it difficult for them to maintain bank accounts. I really don't know the situation here in the Dominican Republic. But that is exactly what those committees will be exploring . Once these ideas are developed, they can be tested. An area that has also been mentioned because it is an area where we are sharing information again, the situation of the Dominican Republic, where we have this International Commission on Agriculture. And I find digital agriculture very promising, as it can provide farmers with potentially personalized, science-based information on various topics. Fertilizers are expensive right now, and farmers can have access to them if they have the right information; they'll know which fertilizers they'll need and which they won't. And this may be particularly relevant with artificial intelligence, which can build maps of the Earth's chemistry. And weather forecasts, artificial intelligence is also transforming the way we can predict the weather, and this information is very useful for farmers where we can design appropriate ways to forecast and verify the work in a particular region, and they must also think about different ways where we can ensure that the information is delivered satisfactorily to the farmers. Obviously, in a country like the Dominican Republic, farmers have smartphones and the message can be delivered in different ways. This is extremely effective if there are new seeds, agricultural technologies, irrigation methodologies; farmers can gain access to these, as well as informational videos that can be configured to connect with other farmers in different markets. Another issue where timely information can be very important is pest outbreaks; in this way, farmers can receive information about these pests, take photographs, and send them to get advice on how to manage them. Another problem that arises in many sectors is artificial intelligence. I think I'll be talking about multiple examples of this. Where there is a lot of concern. And many risks of artificial intelligence. And how it negatively affects jobs, but it seems to me that artificial intelligence can also help us create different opportunities, increase productivity and the effectiveness of governments. Artificial intelligence. And the information from the trained models. Artificial intelligence is very good at transmitting information, but that information needs to be personalized based on the needs of a particular country or industry. We are also looking at the possibility of further scaling up the firms and also in the manufacturing area. I'm going to give you another example. That's using artificial intelligence to improve traffic flow and the enforcement of traffic laws. I know that the Dominican Republic is already using cameras and artificial intelligence to identify traffic violations and can coordinate different things to improve safety. And also reduce some of the bias. And potential discretionary abuse. When you have it. A traffic officer making the decisions. As we introduce artificial intelligence, we need to think about a broader, systematic modification . For example, one problem in India is that once you have entered those systems. Artificial intelligence is very good; traffic cameras collect multiple violations. The penalties and fines are very high depending on the person's income . If you. Establishing and reviewing all those fines can be very difficult at a political level. However, one possibility is that if you are now used to simply capturing half of 1%, then you need to have a penalty, an appropriate fine, to be able to handle this. Or perhaps a 95% lower fine can be applied and as desired to mitigate the inappropriate conduct. And it's something that perhaps can be better balanced. And I think there will be examples in other sectors. So, in the same way, we're going to move away a little from these specific examples, where we'll be talking about some institutions to inform this pro- about this evidence-based process, in this more conclusive section. One type, where there can be many examples of innovation that can be managed from how a country moves from an individual evaluation to a system to evaluate this and have iterative improvements. One approach would be to set up an evidence-based fund with categories. For example, I was asked to do something at USAID now that USAID has closed, we have private funding to have a replacement in this regard. Developing different forms of innovation with different types of innovation, in sectors, countries, commercial versus public-private scaling, means having this funding by category, small amounts of funding by sector, pilot processes and rigorous testing to then transition this to a larger level. For the innovation and development part, we found information from 15 years ago, and after a decade we saw the results of this and saw that we had $17 in profit for every dollar that came in. This is like a collaborative effort between companies where we actually had different successes staggered, which was also generating these charges with $17 as you can see, and now it has risen to $39, and we are in the process of reviewing these calculations since some of these ideas have already scaled. We have something similar called FED, which is a privately funded organization that already has open calls for proposals, and we obviously have them open to members, and I'm involved, so I can't really break down much information, and it's one approach, and I want to emphasize another approach as well. And they are the government innovation units . Here, DIB's approach was very open to researchers, the public and private sectors, and was open to any ideas. This has focused a little more on what the government considers a priority; innovations were developed and tested at the government level by internal, regional, and external researchers, and the scope is to accelerate the government innovation process and improve government efficiency, to inform the allocation of resources and allocate these to the most promising innovations. Something quite important with this experimental policy initiative in Chile is Ryan Cooper, who helped pioneer this while working for the Chilean government and is now working for the innovation and development lab and has been working with multiple governments in the region to help set up similar programs, including with the Ministry of Finance of Peru. And the same applies to municipal governments. I feel the same way with the wonderful ideas emerging from the Meta RD process and the system that has been created to bring together the public and private sectors and expert ideas deployed in this variety of fields. Many wonderful ideas will emerge, and finding ways to test these ideas, refine them, adapt them, and scale the most successful ones will be of utmost importance. I think that these typologies—I don't know which will be the ideal solution for the Dominican Republic—but where can we have this fund of open categories, where can there be new institutions that the Dominican Republic creates, and where can we have something to systematize this and build it in such a way that it becomes or helps the Dominican Republic to reach its goals and helps other governments from now on, and I think that would be very helpful. Thank you. [applause] These are not things that are done in a four-year period, development spans generations. The important thing is that this effort being made is continued in the future so that we can be a vehicle for development for our country. Over the past 30 years, the Dominican Republic has shown that it can grow. The next step is to also demonstrate that it can accumulate capabilities, that a solution built today helps to better face the challenge of tomorrow, and that the coordination mechanisms, trust, and knowledge developed have continuity at each stage. Governments change, authorities change, priorities evolve, and the challenges of the future will not be exactly the same as those we know today. Institutionalizing Meta does not mean freezing its design, it means preserving its principles, its collaboration mechanisms and its capacity to learn, allowing it to evolve along with the country. That is the legacy that Meta must leave: committees capable of identifying what hinders progress, responsible parties who can execute, mechanisms to measure and monitor, a roadmap to address obstacles beyond the operational level, and a culture where learning, collaborating, and correcting are a natural part of management. The capacity to co-create belongs not only to the State, but also to businesses, universities, communities and all citizens. Meta does not replace anyone; it builds the conditions so that they can act together in the face of problems that no one can solve alone. A national vision becomes a legacy when it ceases to depend on those who promoted it, when institutions take ownership of it, when society recognizes it as its own, and when a new generation can continue without starting from scratch. The true legacy will not be having solved all the challenges, it will be building a country with strong institutions, prepared talent and the ability to adapt to changes we do not yet know, because sustainable development is not the work of a government, it is the result of the permanent commitment of an entire nation. Young people always dream big. We, the older ones, shouldn't be left behind. We must follow their example. Because when a dream is big enough, we must make it a reality. To achieve this, we need a purpose. A purpose can chart a course. A path can lead us to a goal. And that goal towards the country we all dream of. Meta RD 2036. The future is in our hands. Thanking Professor Michael Kremer for his words of instruction and for sharing his vision, which helps us build the future together. Well, to offer the closing remarks, as we approach the end of this important day, we will welcome to the National Forum for Full Development the most excellent Mr. Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic. A big round of applause for him. [music] [applause] Thank you very much, Mrs. Raquel Peña, Vice President of the Republic, Mr. Ricardo de los Santos, President of the Senate, Mr. José Ignacio Paliza, Minister of the Presidency and through him the other government officials who are here, Roberto Álvarez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Peter Brasmowsky, Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Council, Dr. Michael Kremer, Director of Innovation for Development at the University of Chicago and Nobel Prize winner in Economics, thank you for coming, Mr. Celso Juan Marranzini, President of CONEP and through him the other businesspeople and business associations from the country, the other members of multilateral institutions present, ministers, deputy ministers, other authorities, speakers, panelists and moderators, representatives of the business sector, special guests, friends of the press. Many times, as president, I am asked, what is going to happen? What will the Dominican Republic be like in 10 years? And I always think that the right question is not what's going to happen, but what are we going to do. Because the future is not something that simply happens. The future is built with the decisions we make, the reforms we promote, and the agreements we are able to reach. And that is Meta RD 2036. Meta RD 2036 is the decision not to wait for the future, but to start building it together. It is not just a government strategy, as has been said before here, nor an economic goal. It's a national goal. And today we are not simply closing a forum, we are opening a new stage to transform growth into development, ideas into actions, and opportunities into well-being for all Dominicans. During this day we have spoken frankly about the challenges ahead. Andrés Velasco has warned us that countries do not advance by inertia. Federico Stuzenegger has reminded us that every transformation requires reforms and the capacity for education and implementation. Dr. Michael Kremer has now advocated for evidence-based policies. Tomás Bermúdez and Óscar Valencia have reaffirmed the commitment of the IDB, the Inter-American Development Bank, to accompany us. From all these reflections a clear conclusion emerges. The Dominican Republic has an extraordinary opportunity before it, but that opportunity will not remain open indefinitely. We need to act. And we need to act now. Our country has been one of the most dynamic economies in Latin America. That growth allowed us to move forward, but past success, dear friends, does not guarantee the future. The question is no longer whether we can continue to grow, but whether we will turn that growth into a visible transformation that can produce more value, innovate more, develop more talent, build a more agile state, and ensure that a person's origin does not determine their opportunities. And to those questions, to that questioning, my answer is that yes we can. And we can do it, because this country possesses something that cannot be decreed by a government nor imported from abroad: an enormous will to overcome. And we see it in our young people, in our entrepreneurs, in our producers, in our workers, researchers and teachers. We see it in every Dominican who gets up convinced that tomorrow can be better. And Meta RD 2036 represents the decision to transform that national energy into a project for the future. And I want to say it and repeat it clearly, it is not just a government strategy or an economic figure, it is a national purpose, a shared horizon that must unite generations, territories, sectors and wills, transcending governments and electoral cycles, because development is never the work of a single administration. We do n't want to settle for being a growing economy; we want to be a nation that innovates, produces, exports knowledge, creates quality jobs, where our young people find opportunities here, where companies from any province are integrated into global value chains, and where entrepreneurs, researchers, and producers can prosper. We want a Dominican Republic that not only participates in the future, but helps to build it. That, dear friends, is the true dimension of Meta RD 2036. The economic goal raises our ambitions and allows us to measure progress, but we seek something greater: to change the level of possibilities for the Dominican nation. And to achieve that purpose, public policies cannot be designed solely from offices. And that is why this forum incorporated a consultation with universities and civil society. We have decided to listen before acting and open up decisions to those who investigate our reality and know our territories. Because increasing production without expanding opportunities would be a partial achievement. Growth must translate into social mobility, knowledge, and better services and decent jobs. Inclusion is not an add-on to our strategy. It is a condition for it to be sustainable. The proposals collected will be incorporated into the work of Meta RD 2036. And we don't want a symbolic consultation, but a participation reflected in priorities, decisions and public policy instruments. Now it's time to transform knowledge into decisions. And the decisions being implemented. The initiatives have designated managers, deadlines, indicators, and evaluation processes. Whatever can be done immediately will be done. Reforms that require agreements will build consensus. And long-term transformations must begin now, because time lost in development cannot be recovered. We must also have the courage to review what isn't working. Governing responsibly means evaluating, correcting, and concentrating public resources on what improves people's lives. This government assumes its responsibility. Promote reforms, remove obstacles to investment and productivity, strengthen education, technical training, innovation, infrastructure, and modernize the State to facilitate development. But this purpose needs everyone. To a private sector that invests and creates jobs. To an academy connected to our challenges. To a civil society that contributes its experience. And to public servants who understand that behind every procedure and decision there is a person. A human being waiting for an answer. 2036 should not find us arguing about the opportunities we let slip by. It should find us inaugurating a new stage. A Dominican Republic capable of competing in knowledge, technology, and innovation. With institutions that inspire confidence. With companies that conquer markets. With communities where one can live and thrive. And with young people who look to the future without limits. That country. That country is not beyond our reach. It's in today's decisions. In the reforms that we have the courage to undertake. In the agreements we build. And in the discipline to turn every commitment into a result. History will not remember how many documents we produced or how many meetings we held. We will be judged by the transformations we have made. Therefore, at the conclusion of this forum, I do not propose simply to continue an agenda. I propose that we take on a national purpose together . Raise national ambition. And stop wondering how far the Dominican Republic can go and start proving it. Let's not wait for the future to tell us what's going to happen. Let's start building it today. Because the future of the Dominican Republic is not written. We will write the future of the Dominican Republic together. Thank you very much and may God always bless you. Thanking His Excellency Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, for his words and presence. With these remarks, we conclude this meeting, thanking both you and Her Excellency Raquel Peña, Vice President of the Republic, for your presence. Thank you for being with us. To the national and international speakers, authorities, representatives of different sectors, allied organizations and attendees who were present today. Their presence affirms this shared commitment to continue building a more competitive, more productive Dominican Republic with greater opportunities for present and future generations. We once again thank our sponsors, Banco BHD, Banco Popular Dominicano, EGE Haina, Corporación Zona Franca Santiago, Grupo Estrella, Bolsa y Mercado de Valores de la República Dominicana, IMCA, Grupo Mallén, the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic, as well as the National Council of Private Enterprise, the Dominican Chamber of the Capital Market, Colchonela and Mueblería La Nacional and Bellón. We invite everyone to attend the opening day of Expo Mercado de Valores 2026 on September 4th, the annual event of the Superintendency of the Securities Market of the Dominican Republic, which will dedicate a space to Meta RD 2036. [music] On behalf of the Ministry of the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the National Competitiveness Council, institutions that make the Meta RD 2036 strategy possible, we wish you all a wonderful afternoon and a safe trip home. Thank you very much and until next time.