Governor Hochul and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader Announce Historic Agreement to Strengthen Economic and Cultural Ties

Governor Kathy Hochul today joined President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo to announce a historic agreement to reaffirm and strengthen the vibrant cultural, social, and economic connection between New York State and the Dominican Republic. A Declaration of Intent (DOI) between both governments was signed to deepen cooperation in key areas including tourism, disaster preparedness, agricultural innovation and economic development.

"New York State and the Dominican Republic share a deep, enduring bond rooted in community, culture, and opportunity," Governor Hochul said. "This mission represents our shared commitment to forge a collective future defined by innovation, inclusion and global partnership. From expanding trade opportunities for New York small businesses to exploring groundbreaking drone technologies that can improve and save lives across borders, this collaboration will deliver real results for both of our economies and our people."

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader said, "This agreement will allow us to work in all areas to have a more effective and efficient relationship between the Dominican Republic and that great state of New York, where many of our compatriots live who are now doctors, police officers and outstanding professionals."

As part of today's event, Governor Hochul announced that Empire State Development's Global NY program will lead an official trade mission to the Dominican Republic, connecting New York-based small and medium-sized enterprises with qualified buyers, distributors and business partners across the Caribbean nation. The mission aims to expand export opportunities, strengthen bilateral trade, and promote long-term collaboration between New York and Dominican companies.

In addition, ESD announced a new partnership between its New York-based innovation partner NUAIR and key Dominican Republic agencies to explore the application of drone and unmanned-aircraft-systems technologies to strengthen disaster-response, agriculture and infrastructure management. NUAIR, headquartered in Syracuse and operated the FAA-designated UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport in the Mohawk Valley, oversees one of the nation's most advanced drone-testing corridors and has been awarded more than $150 million in state investment to date to further establish New York as a premier global hub for UAS research and commercialization. By creating a network of experts to share best practices, New York and the Dominican Republic stand to benefit in both post-disaster and economic development sectors.

The DOI also establishes a collaborative partnership and sharing of best practices, experiences and innovative solutions to aid in disaster preparedness planning, emergency management programming and training and the exploration of the use of technical innovation strategies to assist in pre- and post-disaster assessments. These efforts will include:

• New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services training mission to the Dominican Republic for emergency services personnel.
• NUAIR expert training on drone use for disaster response.
• Technical support in New York State for the Dominican Republic to participate in the state's surplus equipment auction.
• A multi-year partnership with SUNY and CUNY to advance research, educational excellence and share solutions on climate change, infrastructure resilience, meteorology, emergency management and public administration.

In December 2023, Minosca Alcantara, Executive Director of the NYS Bridge Authority, and Angel Vasquez, Deputy Secretary for Union Relations, participated in a delegation trip to the Dominican Republic planned by Representative Adriano Espaillat, following a major weather disaster that impacted the country in November 2023. During the trip New York State made a commitment to the President of the Dominican Republic that the State would find ways to support their climate resilience and disaster response efforts.

As a follow up, in June 2024, the Dominican Republic sent a delegation of engineers for a week to New York State to study the state's efforts to make our infrastructure more climate resilient. The delegation visited various bridges, tunnels, and command centers across the downstate region.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, "Under Governor Hochul's leadership, ESD and New York State continue to build and fortify economic and cultural bridges with international partners. The Dominican Republic has long been a key partner and vibrant contributor to New York's success, and today's agreement underscores the importance of deepening those ties. Through programs like Global NY and partnerships with NUAIR, we are expanding opportunities for business growth, job creation and technological collaboration that benefit communities from Santo Domingo to State Street."

Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, "New York is home to some of the nation's strongest emergency management professionals who have dedicated their lives to keeping their communities safe in the face of an ever growing number of threats. We are proud to be able to share our knowledge and experience with our partners in the Dominican Republic - we are all stronger when we work together."

New York State Bridge Authority Executive Director Dr. Minosca Alcantara said, "It has been a tremendous honor to join Governor Hochul and her delegation during this mission and strengthen the deep bonds between the State of New York and the Dominican Republic. Cross-cultural exchanges like this have been beneficial to Dominicans and New Yorkers alike. The New York State Bridge Authority stands ready to continue collaborating with our Dominican engineering counterparts and do all we can to improve infrastructure resilience both in the D.R. and in New York."

New York State Higher Education Services Corporation President Dr. Guillermo Linares said, "As member of her cabinet and as part of the Dominican Diaspora, it is a high honor to have joined Governor Hochul in her historic trip to the Dominican Republic to forge stronger ties between the State of New York and the Dominican Republic, home to more than one million Dominicans. These two declarations of intent with strength our relationship and support our Dominican community."

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, "New York State has strong connections with the Dominican Republic, and thanks to Governor Hochul and this new collaborative agreement, SUNY will be able to deepen those bonds further. This multi-year partnership will help advance research, educational excellence, workforce development, and shared solutions to help benefit communities in New York and the Dominican Republic."

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, "Agriculture is critical to both New York and the Dominican Republic's economies, and there is a real opportunity here to further our collaboration, building a strong trade relationship that will be mutually beneficial and sharing best practices in the areas of agricultural innovation, drone technology, and so much more. I'm proud to join the Governor as we engage in this important effort and look forward to growing this partnership moving forward."

Dormitory Authority of the State of New York President and CEO Robert J. Rodriguez said, "It was a privilege to join Governor Hochul on this important mission to deepen New York's partnership with the Dominican Republic. At DASNY, we know that smart, inclusive infrastructure investments drive opportunity and strengthen communities. We stand ready to contribute our expertise to support projects that emerge from this collaboration, continuing our 80-year tradition of building a stronger, more equitable New York."

CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said, "This exciting collaboration will allow us to build on CUNY's deep ties to the Dominican community to leverage our longstanding commitment to exceptional public higher education, career success for students and research with a strong public impact. Working with our partners in the Dominican Republic and colleagues from SUNY, we will create new pathways for students and faculty to advance research, strengthen communities across both countries and develop innovative solutions to some of today's most pressing challenges."

Representative Adriano Espaillat said, "As member of her cabinet and as part of the Dominican Diaspora, it is a high honor to have joined Governor Hochul in her historic trip to the Dominican Republic to forge stronger ties between the State of New York and the Dominican Republic, home to more than one million Dominicans."

Global NY's trade mission will be conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo. Participating companies will receive customized export-assistance reports and pre-arranged business-to-business meetings tailored to their market goals, with a focus on sectors such as life sciences, advanced manufacturing, green technology and consumer goods.

As a division of Empire State Development, Global NY offers financial and technical assistance that can offset the costs of exporting for New York-based businesses and organizations looking to connect to the rest of the world. Recent trade missions have introduced New York businesses to markets in Canada, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Australia. More information is available here.

NUAIR's expanded partnership will include knowledge-exchange sessions and demonstration projects focused on disaster-response, infrastructure monitoring and agricultural innovation - building on New York's existing leadership in unmanned aircraft systems testing and airspace integration across the 1900-square-mile corridor in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley.

Contact the Governor's Press Office