Spanish
Punta Cana. – The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Laura Gil, congratulated this Thursday President Luis Abinader for the outstanding achievement of the Dominican Republic, recognized by Reporters Without Borders as the country with the highest press freedom index in the region during 2025.
"Mr. President, this is a great achievement that honors your commitment to journalistic work," said Gil, while Abinader, accompanied by the executive president of the Banco de Reservas (Banreservas), Leonardo Aguilera, received the recognition at the opening ceremony of the 81st General Assembly of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), which takes place until Sunday at The Westin Punta Cana Resort & Club hotel.You may be interested in: Abinader: “Freedom of the press is essential for democracy”
The opening ceremony was attended by the president of the SIP, José Roberto Dutriz, and the president of the Host Committee, Persio Maldonado, and marked the beginning of four days of debates, workshops and reflections on the future of journalism in the Americas. The main topics include freedom of the press, the sustainability of the media and the impact of artificial intelligence on the profession. During the Assembly, reports on the state of press freedom in 24 countries in the region will be presented, and panels and workshops on innovation, digital transformation, and journalistic business models will be held. The closing of the event will be marked by the presentation of the SIP Awards for Journalistic Excellence 2025, among which stand out: the Chapultepec Grand Prize to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the Grand Prize for Press Freedom to Daniel Coronell of Univision Noticias, the Gran Amigo de la Prensa plaque to Redacciones5G and the Executive of the Year to René Picado Cozza, president of Teletica, Costa Rica. The Thursday's agenda included a special presentation by Jon Lee Anderson, The New York Times, in conversation with Gabriela Vivanco, president of the executive committee of the SIP, followed by a welcome cocktail at the residence of Frank Rainieri, president of Grupo Punta Cana. The SIP, headquartered in Miami and comprised of more than 1,300 media outlets from the Western Hemisphere, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and expression in the Americas.
