With the aim of promoting initiatives that contribute to sustainable development and the competitiveness of the productive chain of the artisan sector, it was created the Handicraft Cluster of the Dominican Republic (CLARD).
This new initiative is supported by the European Union through the Trade and Private Sector Support Component of the Haiti-Dominican Republic Binational Cooperation Program, which is implemented by Caribbean Export within the framework of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).
This project is part of the actions of the extended strategy that is executed to improve private-private binational dialogue, improve the competitiveness of Haitian and Dominican companiesas well as the consolidation of institutional cooperation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The cluster seeks position innovative and quality craft products in local, regional and international marketstransmitting through the cultural and artistic values of the country.
Likewise, this group will work to improve the competitiveness of the handicraft value chain that was created by Caribbean Export as part of the Binational Program. will be taken into special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through inter-company cooperation and public-private collaborationfor which it provides added value to its associates in the fields of innovation, internationalization, talent and sustainability.
The Cluster will be chaired by Antonio Ramos, current executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and Production of Santo Domingo. He is an economics graduate from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra and has a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Barcelona.
The vice-presidency of this group will be in charge of Carla Quiñones, a Dominican architect specializing in urban design. She worked 5 years in urban landscaping in New York City, and in the same Dominican Republic she worked for the Ministry of Tourism.
The treasury will fall into the hands of Jorge Caridad, an outstanding craftsman and current president of the Mundo del Ambar Museum, with more than 25 years contributing to the education and conservation of Dominican amber.
The rest of the board is made up of Claudina Sandoval, current Director of Projects of the Fundación de Corazón a Corazón, who will serve as Secretary. Mariano Frontera, Elba Espinal, Giselle Mancebo, Fátima Polanco, Ramón Quezada, Ada Lora and Norkelly Acosta are also members of the Cluster as directors.
The CLARD is constituted as a private, non-profit, independent, autonomous, inclusive and common utility entity. At the time of its constitution, it has the following subsectors: jewelry, fashion, accessories, textiles, decoration & home, wood and recycling.
