Santo Domingo.– The Government defined and prioritized this Sunday the main strategic goals that will mark public management during the year 2026, within the framework of the Extended Council of Ministersheaded by the president Luis Abinader and the vice president Raquel Penamade in the National Palace from the 10:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon.
The intensive work day was aimed at articulating the planning, budget and monitoring mechanisms of the projects with the greatest social impact, aligned with the Government’s ten priority goals, reaffirming the commitment to management focused on concrete results and the well-being of citizens.
During the session, ministers, directors general and senior Cabinet officials participated in thematic and sectoral tableswhere they evaluated the planning and budget corresponding to 2026, in accordance with a roadmap defined by President Abinader. In this process, initiatives with greater public value, measurable impact and capacity for transformation in the lives of the population were prioritized.
The extended Council of Ministers had the technical and methodological support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)which provided tools, methodologies and international good practices to strengthen inter-institutional coordination, strategic planning and focus on public management results.
Priority goals and commitment to transparency
The Director of Strategy and Communication of the Presidency, Felix Reynaclarified that the definition of priority goals does not imply leaving aside other commitments of the Government, but rather concentrating efforts to generate greater impact in key areas of national development.
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Reyna reported that President Abinader insisted during the day on the importance of continuous monitoring of government workas a way to offer safe, reliable and forceful responses to the population. Likewise, he reiterated the call to transparency and neat management of public resourcesas fundamental pillars to execute what was planned.
Strategic approaches for 2026
During the meeting, the vice minister of Monitoring and Coordination of Priorities, Luis Maderapresented the Government’s main strategic approaches for 2026, covering areas such as health, security, water, energy, education, employment, agriculture and state efficiency.
In matters of infrastructure and basic servicesMadera pointed out that priority will be given to increasing the drinking water supply capacity through large projects, reducing energy losses and promoting the use of renewable energy. Actions are also contemplated to eradicate hunger, establish salary increases above inflation and refocus conditional social transfers.
In the sector healththe Government will focus its efforts on strengthening the first level of care, social security reform, the national medication policy, improving the network of trauma hospitals and greater attention to mental health.
Regarding the job creationformal employment will be promoted through technical training, strengthening English as a second language, promoting careers in STEM areas and implementing special formalization regimes.
In educationpriorities include strengthening the school as a development platform, improvements in school infrastructure, expanding the coverage of initial education, retention at the secondary level and the expansion of institutions such as the UASD, INFOTEP and ITLA.
As for the agricultural development and sustainabilitythe mechanization of the countryside, the modernization of irrigation, state purchases for development, watershed management and territorial planning plans will be promoted. In addition, priority will be given to critical infrastructure works and the application of parametric insurance in the agricultural sector. In terms of State effectiveness, the initiative will be strengthened “Zero Bureaucracy”along with prior control systems against corruption and monitoring the quality of public services.
Government articulation and new stage of management
Earlier, the Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Palizareported that this extended Council of Ministers corresponds to the number 55 since August 2020and that its main objective is to articulate and align government efforts around the ten priority goals for 2026.
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Paliza highlighted that the day marks the beginning of a new stage of the Governmentframed in a profound transformation aimed at improving the quality of life of Dominicans, and linked to recent changes in the Cabinet and in the Council of Ministers itself.
He indicated that the process has had the technical support of the IDB and the participation of the experienced British politician Sir Francis Maudeformer UK Cabinet Minister during David Cameron’s government, who contributed his experience in prioritization and government articulation.
Mandatory monitoring and compliance
The extended Council of Ministers constituted the second moment of the “Articulation Day: Prioritized actions for the Government’s 2026 goals”promoted by the Ministry of the Presidency since October 2025, which began with consultations with social organizations representing women, youth, children and the elderly.
As part of the agenda, Sir Francis Maude offered a keynote lecture about the importance of prioritization and government coordination to build sustainable and effective management legacies.
At the end of the three work sessions, the institutions assumed clear commitments oriented towards the execution of the initiatives with the greatest impact, and defined monitoring, measurement and adjustment mechanisms to evaluate the progress of each project during 2026.
The decisions emanating from this extended Council of Ministers will be mandatory compliance for all Government institutions and will serve as a basis for continuous monitoring and improvement of government management performance throughout 2026.
