Carolina Rendón has been named the new Resident Representative of the World Bank for the Dominican Republic, taking over from Alexandria Valerio, who served in the role for five years. Based in Santo Domingo, Rendón will lead engagement with government officials, civil society groups, international organizations, and other stakeholders to support efforts aimed at strengthening human capital, improving employment opportunities and public services, and enhancing climate resilience.
Rendón is a Peruvian national who joined the World Bank in 2005. Her previous roles include serving as a Public Sector Specialist across Latin America, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa. She was also responsible for governance issues in Romania and most recently held the position of Resident Representative in Uruguay. Earlier in her career at the World Bank, she contributed to the Participatory Anti-Corruption Initiative (IPAC) in the Dominican Republic between 2010 and 2012.
Before joining the World Bank, Rendón worked in Shell’s legal department and was part of an advisory team for Peru’s Presidency of the Council of Ministers. She holds a law degree as well as a degree in Humanities and Liberal Arts from Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and earned a Master’s in Law (LL.M. in International Business Law) from London School of Economics and Political Science.
In her new position leading the Country Office, Rendón will oversee implementation of the 2022-2026 Country Partnership Framework (CPF) along with development of the project portfolio. She will collaborate closely with both the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which focuses on private sector support, and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which offers risk guarantees to investors; both are members of the World Bank Group.
The current portfolio managed by The World Bank in the Dominican Republic totals $1.89 billion across ten investment projects spanning energy, health care, state modernization initiatives, housing programs, water supply and sanitation systems improvements, resilient agriculture efforts, and social protection schemes. It also includes $400 million allocated for climate change response budgetary support; $250 million for a results-based program supporting water sector reforms; a $230 million catastrophe credit line; and up to $25 million through an Emissions Reduction Payment Agreement.
"Ms. Rendón will lead the dialogue with representatives from the government, civil society, the international community, and other key figures in Dominican society, with the aim of supporting the country’s efforts to strengthen human capital, improve employment opportunities and the provision of quality public services, and increase climate resilience."
During her time at IPAC between 2010–2012: "she was an integral part of the World Bank team that supported the Participatory Anti-Corruption Initiative (IPAC) in the Dominican Republic between 2010 and 2012…to promote citizen participation and transparency…as well as to strengthen accountability."
"In her new role leading the World Bank Country Office…she will oversee…the implementation of the 2022-2026 Country Partnership Framework (CPF)…She will also work closely with…International Finance Corporation (IFC)…and…the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)…both part of the World Bank Group."
The appointment comes as The World Bank continues its significant involvement across multiple sectors within https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/dominicanrepublic/overview#1 , reflecting ongoing priorities such as economic development through investment projects focused on infrastructure modernization https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P176390 , disaster preparedness https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P172322 , environmental sustainability https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/03/27/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-the-dominican-republic-through-carbon-finance , healthcare system strengthening https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P174951 , improved access to clean water https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/04/20/world-bank-supports-access-to-clean-water-and-sanitation-for-over-one-million-dominicans , agriculture resilience https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2023/05/10/dominican-republic-building-climate-resilience-in-agriculture-and-fisheries , anti-corruption measures https://blogs.worldbank.org/governance/building-coalitions-against-corruption-dominican-republic-experience-ipac , digital transformation initiatives https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/video/2024/02/13/how-does-the-world-bank-help-strengthen-the-public-sector-in-latin-america-and-caribbean , social protection expansion https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/docsearch/report?doctype_exact=Project%20Information%20Document&qterm=social+protection+dominican+republic&countrycode_exact=DO&lang_exact=English&majorsector_desc_exact=Health%20and%20other%20social%20services&siteNameExact=Documents%20and%20Reports .