HolaDR.com: Everything About The Dominican Republic!

US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Roland Bullen and Interior & Police Minister Franklin Almeyda have signed a first agreement between the Dominican Republic and the United States that will apply the Merida Initiative to fight crime. The Merida Initiative is a multi-year effort that is aimed at fighting organized crime, gangs, and drug and arms trafficking in the region.

The agreement, signed on June 26, will pour US$2.1 million in initial funding into the Dominican Republic, plus an additional US$345,000 in funds from the 2008 fiscal year.

The agreement says that the Dominican Republic and the United States will be partners in projects financed partially or totally by the US.

The funds from the Merida Initiative are for use in the project that includes: equipment and technical consultants service for the Financial Analysis Unit (US$200,000), reform projects for the National Police (US$300,000), help against money laundering (US$300,000), projects at the National Department for Drug Control (DNCD) for US$750,000, development of a national database on criminals (US$550,000), equipment for the Naval Intelligence Unit (US$250,000) and a joint Dominican-Haitian program for frontier security (US$150,000).

The governments will meet each quarter to review the progress of these initiatives.

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