Dominican president honored

Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez recently received the Institute of the Americas’ Award for Democracy and Peace during a ceremony attended by more than 200 people from 19 countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Institute President Jeffrey Davidow said Fernandez was chosen to receive the award “for his efforts to develop the economy of his own country and for his focus on reducing the negative effects of poverty on the Dominican people.”

Fernandez was the 12th Latin American president to receive the award since 1987, when Argentine President Raul Alfonsin received the Institute’s highest honor. Fernandez received the award during the inauguration of a workshop at the Institute of the Americas focusing on 200 years of independence in Latin America.

Based at UCSD, the institute “promotes cooperation between the public and private sectors to improve the economic, political and social well-being of people in the Americas,” according to its website.