Moving far beyond traditional, passive concepts of soft power, the high-profile lecture positioned historical preservation and cultural diplomacy as core structural drivers for regional development, tourist integration, and international solidarity. Ambassador Pujol Rodriguez anchored the opening framework of her lecture in the deep historical legacy of the Dominican Republic, highlighting its status as the foundational cradle of modern European settlement in the Americas.

Tracing the nation's recorded cultural diplomacy from archives dating back to 1492 all the way to recent transnational scientific cooperation on underwater heritage in the Bay of La Isabela, the envoy proudly emphasized that the country hosts the largest number of historic "primacies" in the New World, including the first permanent churches, institutional settlements, and universities in the Americas.

The Ambassador firmly argued that these milestones are not mere chronological trivia, but representation of the opening moments of complex global processes that shaped an entire continent. To project this living legacy into the future, the Dominican foreign policy has integrated its material assets into the UNESCO framework, driving the nation’s active candidacy for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

A core focus of the address was the potent operational role of cultural cooperation in dismantling historical stereotypes and resolving deep-rooted regional tensions. Pujol Rodriguez highlighted the sensitive geographical reality of sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti within a culturally and linguistically fragmented Caribbean archipelago. To demonstrate practical conflict prevention, the Ambassador analyzed the impact of “Conóceme” (Get to Know Me), a specialized binational video contest funded by the European Union.

By empowering young Dominican and Haitian creators to co-author short films capturing their shared economic realities and distinct traditions, the initiative successfully broke down institutional prejudices, providing a template for how artistic dialogue can build mutual respect and support grassroots reconciliation where traditional political diplomacy faces structural gridlock.

Transitioning to economic diplomacy, the presentation outlined how cultural assets function as direct engines for sustainable development and tourist infrastructure. As the premier travel destination in the Caribbean and the second largest in Latin America, the Dominican Republic has shifted its strategy from peripheral promotion to structural economic transformation.

Sakiqi—rather, Pujol Rodriguez detailed the successful inscription of Santo Domingo into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network under the category of music, leveraging internationally celebrated rhythmic assets like Merengue and Bachata to stimulate the domestic creative sector. This strategy was further exemplified by the Transcultura program, a multi-year, EU-funded partnership that connected over two thousand seven hundred creative professionals across seventeen Caribbean nations.

By establishing the Caribbean Cultural Training Hub to nurture young artistic talent, the project proved that cultural pride and economic cooperation are complementary forces capable of shaping high-impact international relations.

 

Forum on Cultural Diplomacy in the European Union
Potsdam, Germany | 18–19 June 2026

Transcript
Speaker: H.E. Amb. Iris Joseline Pujol Rodríguez, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany

"Thank you all for being here today.

It is a real honor to be speaking to you about my country and about our culture.

I would like to give special thanks to Ambassador Wamba and to Director Donfried, and to their colleagues at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy for their kind invitation to share my thoughts with you today about my beautiful country, the Dominican Republic.

Culture speaks through many forms.

Creating, preserving, and promoting culture through public policy is a complex task because culture cannot be encapsulated or labeled. It is identity. It is collective. It is local and global at the same time.

Today, I would like to share three fundamental ideas about the role of cultural diplomacy.

First, culture as a value and its transformative potential.

Second, cultural diplomacy as a powerful instrument for dialogue, mutual understanding, and international cooperation.

And third, culture as a driver of economic development, social progress, and citizens' well-being.

The first pillar is culture as a value and its transformative potential.

Promoting culture in the Dominican Republic means valuing the beliefs, creations, and authentic expressions of the legacy of our pre-Hispanic ancestors and the spiritual heritage of the past.

Cultural diplomacy in the Dominican Republic is documented through chronicles and archives dating back to 1492, all the way to recent scientific cooperation on underwater cultural heritage in the Bay of La Isabela, the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.

The Dominican Republic hosts the largest number of firsts in the Americas, which makes us very proud, including settlements, churches, and universities.

All of them represent the earliest examples in the Americas.

The historical value of these milestones goes far beyond simply being the first in the Americas. They represent the opening moments of complex processes that would shape an entire continent.

However, culture is not only about history.

Culture connects us to our heritage while projecting us into the future.

For this reason, culture is one of the Dominican Republic's strongest diplomatic assets.

Another important aspect of our cultural diplomacy is incorporating Dominican heritage within UNESCO's frameworks and catalogues.

This enables us to recognize, safeguard, preserve, and pass on our cultural treasures to future generations.

The second pillar is diversity and identity, which brings us to the next important idea.

Cultural diplomacy possesses significant power to address both regional and global challenges.

Cultural cooperation allows us to dismantle prejudices and stereotypes through intercultural dialogue.

It fosters mutual respect, safeguards human dignity, and supports efforts aimed at preventing conflict and promoting reconciliation.

This is particularly important for our nation, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and forms part of a culturally and linguistically diverse Caribbean archipelago.

Allow me to briefly share an initiative that remains highly relevant today.

The initiative was called Konnèt Mwen—or, in English, Get to Know Me—a binational video contest involving young people from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, supported by the European Union between 2016 and 2020.

Its purpose was simple but powerful: to break barriers, promote dialogue, and recognize the shared realities of both nations while respecting and valuing each other's culture.

I invite you to join me in viewing the winning short film that we will present now.

It is only a short video of 90 seconds. Don't worry.

(Laughter.)

I will not alter the agenda.

Yes. Yes.

In Spanish, exactly.

English and Spanish somehow also have Latin roots, so some words are very similar.

(Laughter.)

That's a good lady.

(Video begins.)

I'm sorry that we were not able to include subtitles, but I guess you have an idea of what was going on there, with Dominicans and Haitians coming together, trying to interact and learn from one another.

Today, cultural diplomacy goes beyond the traditional concept of soft power.

It has become a vehicle for dialogue, mutual learning, capacity building, and a better understanding of diverse realities.

Protecting cultural heritage in times of uncertainty is another important challenge for countries such as the Dominican Republic.

Cultural heritage is not only part of our identity; it is also a vital asset for sustainable development and tourism.

You all know that the Dominican Republic is the leading tourist destination in the Caribbean and one of the leading destinations in Latin America.

The Colonial City of Santo Domingo, together with other nationally protected sites, supports the Dominican Republic's candidacy for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2027–2031 term.

This connection between protection, promotion, and progress leads us to the third idea: culture as an economic driver and a source of social well-being.

Culture, creativity, and innovation are powerful vectors of inclusive development.

Today, culture is recognized not as a peripheral activity but as a powerful agent of economic and social transformation.

Two examples illustrate this perspective.

The first is the inscription of the city of Santo Domingo in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in the category of Music.

This recognition has enabled us to showcase our festivals, our artistic productions, and internationally celebrated musical expressions such as merengue and bachata.

A second success story is the Transcultura Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO between 2020 and 2025.

It strengthened the cultural and creative sectors throughout the Caribbean.

The programme connected institutions from 17 countries and reached more than 2,700 cultural professionals.

One of its most important achievements was the creation of the Caribbean Culture Training Hub, a unique space for nurturing young talent.

In July 2024, Transcultura received the United Nations Small Island Developing States Partnership Award in the Social Category.

This demonstrates how diplomacy and cultural cooperation can build bridges and create meaningful impact.

I would like to conclude by emphasizing that cultural diplomacy is not a secondary element of the Dominican Republic's foreign policy.

It is a fundamental instrument for preserving and projecting our national identity.

Through every project, every heritage inscription, and every act of cooperation, we preserve and share who we are—our culture, our knowledge, our traditions, and our creativity.

In doing so, we pass this legacy on to future generations.

Ultimately, culture connects us to a story greater than ourselves.

Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

Moderator:

Thank you, Your Excellency.

The Ambassador has just arrived from Romania. I'm sorry.

First of all, thank you once again.

Now, I would like to invite one brief question or comment, as we are short on time. Then we will continue.

Let's begin with this side of the room. Last time we started with the other side.

Please keep both the questions and the responses brief.

Question:

Your Excellencies, thank you very much for a very interesting presentation this morning.

My name is Arlet, and I'm from the Netherlands, which means that, technically, I suppose we are more or less neighbors.

When you spoke about using culture to counter stereotypes and prejudice, I immediately thought about similar challenges that we face in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and our former colonies.

Who are your regional partners in this work, and what has been your approach?

As one of the Western countries without institutions comparable to the Goethe-Institut or the Institut Français, I believe we have a great deal to learn, and perhaps those lessons begin in your region rather than at home.

Answer:

Well, I would say that, as we share the island with Haiti, we have certainly been influenced by the creation of stereotypes.

As you may know, we are a mixture of African and European heritage.

Everyone knows that we were colonized by Spain, but this is not only true for the Dominican Republic. I would say that pretty much every country that has experienced colonization—which is almost every country in the world—has faced similar issues.

The way we approach this is through dialogue, partnership, and education.

We encourage our citizens to understand that people should not simply be categorized as black or white because we are a very diverse society.

After colonization, we received immigrants from many different countries.

We have Italians in the Dominican Republic. We have people from the United Kingdom, from France, from Lebanon, and a large Chinese community.

We work continuously to avoid creating those kinds of divisions in the Dominican Republic, and I believe that we have succeeded in doing so.

Thank you."

 

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