Vice Minister of the Dominican Republic Reaffirms Commitment to Strengthening M&E Systems During Visit to Chile

As part of the Dominican Republic’s commitment to advancing evidence-informed policy making, Vice Minister of Planning and Public Investment, Martín Francos Rodríguez, and Nelson Chávez, General Director of Economic and Social Development, visited the Catholic University (UC) of Chile in Santiago for a working session with representatives from the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR-LAC).  

The meeting took place during the Vice Minister’s participation in the 2025 Forum of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on Sustainable Development, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).  

The Dominican delegation was welcomed by Cristian Crespo, Executive Director of CLEAR-LAC; Francisco Gallego, UC Provost for Institutional Management; and Ignacio Irarrázaval, Director of UC’s Public Policy Center and a CLEAR-LAC board member. 

During the visit, participants reviewed progress and reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening the Dominican Republic’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. The session included a presentation by the CLEAR-LAC team outlining ongoing collaborative work and a strategic roadmap co-developed with Dominican authorities to advance national evaluation capacities. 

Vice Minister Francos emphasized the importance of institutionalizing evaluation within government structures. “It is important for institutions to understand the value of evaluation for achieving results,” he said. “That will allow us to design public policies that improve people’s quality of life, which is our main goal as a government.” He also highlighted the benefits of regional cooperation and engagement with academic institutions through CLEAR-LAC. 

CLEAR-LAC leadership echoed the importance of fostering a culture of evidence. “It’s essential to co-create a culture of evidence that transcends government administration, like planting a seed that continues to grow,” said Gallego. “We used to talk about outreach; now we talk about engagement. The relationship goes both ways—challenges from the Dominican Republic also raise academic questions we can explore through our research and teaching.” 

The meeting followed a series of joint activities between CLEAR-LAC and the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development. In 2024, CLEAR-LAC participated in the National Monitoring and Evaluation System (SNMyE) Update Workshop in the Dominican Republic. Shantal Aragón, Director of Evidence Use at CLEAR-LAC, contributed to discussions on the results of the 2023 National Evaluation Capacity Index (INCE), presented by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval). 

In November, CLEAR-LAC invited four Dominican government officials to attend EVALAC 2024 in Guatemala, a capacity-building event led by the Inter-American Development Bank. The delegation participated in roundtables on institutional frameworks and independent evaluation practices alongside peers from across the region. 

More recently, in April 2025, CLEAR-LAC and the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development (MEPyD) launched an introductory course on M&E of public policies. The training program targets 30 professionals from various public agencies and focuses on practical approaches to evidence-based decision-making. 

Looking ahead, CLEAR-LAC will continue supporting national efforts to strengthen the Dominican Republic’s M&E system throughout 2025.

“Working in the Dominican Republic and with MEPyD represents a valuable opportunity for CLEAR-LAC to contribute to strengthening a national system that, in recent years, has made significant progress in monitoring and evaluation in the region,” said Shantal Aragón, Use of Evidence Director of CLEAR-LAC “Through this collaboration, we aim to promote dialogue around M&E in the country by building the capacities of key stakeholders through training opportunities and experience-sharing, tailored to national priorities.”