The Cooperativa de Ahorros, Créditos y Servicios Múltiples de los Empleados del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (COOPSEMARENA) held its Eighth Ordinary General Assembly, where members reviewed the cooperative’s financial and institutional performance for the 2024-2025 period, approved management reports, elected new board members, and discussed initiatives aimed at strengthening the organization.
The assembly also highlighted the cooperative’s continued expansion, improved governance, and efforts to modernize member services while reinforcing transparency and accountability.
Membership and Financial Growth
Paíno Henríquez, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, reaffirmed the ministry’s support for COOPSEMARENA, describing the cooperative as an important tool for promoting savings, expanding access to credit, and improving the financial well-being of ministry employees.
Henríquez noted that the cooperative has grown to approximately 1,100 members, achieved solid financial results during 2025, and introduced new services, including online account statement access through a web application.
“These are positive results, and they deserve recognition. But growth also requires us to become more demanding,” the minister said, encouraging the cooperative to continue strengthening its internal controls, operational processes, and service quality.
He added that the Ministry of Environment will continue supporting the cooperative’s development, noting that its success directly benefits ministry employees and their families.
Governance and Strategic Initiatives
José Ramón Javier Rojas, president of COOPSEMARENA’s Board of Directors, presented the management report covering the 2024-2025 period, highlighting advances in member services, financial performance, social impact, institutional governance, and modernization initiatives.
Rojas said the cooperative has expanded from 108 founding members to nearly 1,100 associates, attributing its sustained growth to the commitment of its leadership, administrative staff, and the confidence of its members.
The assembly also reviewed reports from the Board of Directors, Treasury, Supervisory Board, and Credit Committee, while approving statutory amendments, the distribution of annual surpluses, and the election of new members to the organization’s governing bodies.
Regulatory Compliance and Transparency
The Institute for Cooperative Development and Credit (IDECOOP), the Dominican Republic’s cooperative regulatory authority, certified that COOPSEMARENA complies with the requirements established under Law No. 127-64 on Cooperative Associations after reviewing the organization’s financial and administrative records.
Officials also announced that the cooperative will sign a formal commitment agreement with IDECOOP to address recommendations made during an external audit. The initiative is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, internal controls, and continuous institutional improvement.
Founded on April 1, 2009, COOPSEMARENA provides savings, credit, and financial services to employees of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, promoting financial inclusion and cooperative education while supporting the socioeconomic development of its members.