INTEC named regional president of Disaster Risk Management Network for Central America and the Caribbean

Santo Domingo.- The Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC) has been unanimously elected as president of the Network of Higher Education Institutions Committed to Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (RiesGIRD/LAC) for Central America and the Caribbean. The appointment was made during the VIII Latin American and Caribbean Interuniversity Forum on Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation, held in Medellín, Colombia.

INTEC, represented by Acting Rector Alliet Ortega, has been a member of RiesGIRD/LAC since 2023. Its new leadership role will be technically coordinated by Milagros Yost, a risk management expert from the University of the Caribbean. The forum gathered university leaders and experts from across the region to discuss strategies for building resilient futures through education, research, and collaboration.

During the event, Rector Ortega participated in a panel on successful disaster risk management experiences, where she shared INTEC’s model titled “Governance: From Theory to Practice, Let’s Be Sustainable and Enduring.” She highlighted the university’s integration of sustainability into planning, infrastructure, and institutional culture. This includes initiatives like the Climate Change Observatory, the Center for Environmental Management, and the UNESCO Chair in Climate Change, Resilience, and Complex Systems.

INTEC’s approach is structured around four pillars: promoting global citizenship through STEAM, advancing sustainability-focused research, strengthening partnerships with productive sectors, and consolidating its role as a green campus. The university has also led impactful regional projects, including REDSARGAR, a network to address sargassum in the Caribbean, and a Franco-Dominican collaboration on agricultural waste management.

The two-day forum, hosted by Pontificia Bolivariana University, provided a platform for experts and institutions to share best practices in disaster risk governance, education, and sustainability, with participation from universities across the Americas.