Gloria Reyes highlights poverty reduction in the Dominican Republic at the UN

New York—Poverty in the Dominican Republic is below the pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, a milestone in the region, said the director of Supérate, Gloria Reyes.

The official made the assertion, notes a release, in her participation in the 62nd Session of the Commission for Social Development at the United Nations in New York, where she also indicated that in September 2023, overall monetary poverty stood at 24.4% compared to 27.6% in that period in 2019.

“There is no doubt that this behavior is explained by the impact of the targeted social protection policies of the present government, the synergies and integrality of economic and social policies, and above all the resilience of the agricultural sector in the country,” expressed Reyes.

The director of Supérate said that behind these figures are the early economic recovery and post-pandemic employment.

She added that the nearly 350,000 jobs lost due to the pandemic have been more than recovered and that the country shows robust indicators concerning employment and labor income.

Reyes explained that the systematic increase in the minimum wage has pushed the average contributable salary to social security, increasing by 36% from 2020 to December 2023.