SIPA hosts Inaugural Sustainability in the Dominican Republic Summit

On April 14, Columbia SIPA hosted the inaugural Sustainability in the Dominican Republic (Sustain DR) Summit to spotlight the Dominican Republic’s growing leadership in environmental sustainability, underscoring its capacity to shape global climate solutions. 

“As a Caribbean nation particularly vulnerable to climate change—facing hurricanes, droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and forest degradation—the Dominican Republic is working to protect key economic sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and coastal infrastructure, while supporting its most at-risk communities,” said Ambar Pagan MIA ’24, who hosted the summit. Pagan is the founder and executive director of Juventud, Hablemos, an initiative that connects scholars and public figures from the Dominican Republic with university students abroad through academic programming and career-building opportunities that contribute to the country’s positive development.

Designed as a catalyst for climate innovation, the summit aimed to elevate the Dominican Republic’s role in building resilient communities across Latin America and the Caribbean and on the global stage. Students networked with sustainability leaders from academia, government, and the private sector, emphasizing the critical role of cross-sector collaboration to drive meaningful environmental change. 

The summit’s sessions highlighted the everyday practices and policy innovations that sustainability leaders are advancing, demonstrating how they integrate eco-conscious principles throughout their work — from Gensler, a global architecture firm, designing climate-resilient urban spaces in the Dominican Republic, to Chavón La Escuela de Diseño incorporating sustainable fashion into its school curriculum and promoting Caribbean handmade designs that honor ethical labor and textile processes.

The event was divided into two sessions. Morning presentations focused on environmental policy, waste management, and green supply chains, while the afternoon session explored sustainable architecture, eco-fashion, and eco-storytelling. The summit included dynamic discussions on pressing climate issues, including sea level rise and the growing threat of plastic pollution in water sources. These issues allow the Dominican Republic to serve as a case study for global climate adaptation, highlighting the urgency for action across both developing and developed nations. It also offered interactive networking opportunities and encouraged participants to become innovators in sustainability, leaving many attendees energized with new ideas for startups, internships, and collaborative environmental projects. 

The agenda featured presentations on public-private collaboration in environmental policy, pioneering waste management, sustainable nearshoring for the biomedical sector, and making architecture more resilient and sustainable. The program also featured a screening of the 2019 documentary, Isla de Plástico, presented by the actress, Nashla Bogaert. There was a special performance by Dominican singer-songwriter Nathalie Hazim, who delivered a cover of “Soy Dominicana” and her original song “Inmigrante,” celebrating Dominican heritage and offering a powerful call to action for global solidarity during Earth Month.

The event was held in collaboration with SIPA’s International Organization and United Nations Studies (IO/UNS) specialization; the Columbia Climate School; Columbia’s School of Professional Studies; the MS in Sustainability Management (SUMA) and MS in Sustainability Science (SUSCI) programs; the Columbia Energy Association (CEA); the Latin American Student Association (LASA); LatinGSAPP of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation; Grupo Quisqueyano: Dominican Student Association (GQ); and the Ethical Fashion Working Group.

“This event amplifies the important role of the Dominican Republic within the region to promote sustainability and its deep connections to New York through its diaspora and economic and social ties,” said Fernando Ortiz Báez, lecturer in sustainability management at Columbia. “It is impactful for our students to hear from global leaders from both the public and private sectors.”

For Pagan, the Sustain DR Summit was more than an event; it was a bold, creative solution to a global challenge.

“Sustainability calls for creativity. Embrace your creative ideas to help shape a sustainable future, because even a small idea can become an impactful solution,” she shared. “My creative idea was launching the inaugural Sustain DR Summit at my alma mater, SIPA, Columbia University—a platform that welcomes sustainability leaders from the Dominican Republic, with the potential to model global solutions. It’s a prime example of how we all play a pivotal role in building a sustainable world.”