Cuba Working Group
Cuba Working Group
Since 2007, the AS/COA Cuba Working Group (CWG) has been at the forefront of a changing U.S.-Cuba relationship. These efforts were evident in the historic rapprochement in December 2014, which reflected our recommendations and policy outreach work in Washington. The working group continues to encourage a policy of engagement with the island.
CWG serves as both a discreet bridge between the private and public sectors in the United States and Cuba, and as an extraordinary repository of policy knowledge on bilateral relations. The group monitors Cuba’s changing economic and political landscape and U.S. ties, while also assisting the private sector in navigating the changing regulatory framework, investment opportunities, and potential areas for collaboration. Current CWG members represent a variety of sectors, including telecommunications and technology, financial services, agriculture and food production, energy, hospitality, and legal services.
The AS/COA CWG’s activities have three main components:
- High-level meetings and roundtable discussions with Cuban and U.S. government officials, leading economists and analysts, entrepreneurs (cuentapropistas), senior-level business leaders, and members of the international diplomatic community, among others.
- Business delegations to Cuba on invitation from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment.
- Outreach work in Washington to continue to push for full normalization of bilateral relations.
Featured Event
As part of the Cuba Working Group, this of-the-record conversation will discuss private enterprise, regulations, and foreign trade.
On February 9, entrepreneurs will share the latest developments in the island's private sector as part of the Cuba Working Group.
A panel of experts discussed how communities abroad can promote economic development.
A panel of entrepreneurs and experts discussed the importance and growth of the county's private tech sector as part of the Cuba Working Group Series.
A group of Cuban business leaders discussed the developments of small and medium enterprises on the island.
The Cuban entrepreneurs will join YPA and CWG to share their perspectives on the unique challenges and opportunities of running private businesses in Cuba.
Estados Unidos puede acelerar el proceso de desarrollo permitiendo la inversión en pequeñas empresas en la isla, escribe la Presidenta y CEO de AS/COA Susan Segal para La Nación.
AS/COA congratulated the Obama Administration for taking the historic step of normalizing diplomatic relations with the government and the people of Cuba.
"What will be key is to watch how regulators translate the White House’s words into policies", comments AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini.
"A constructive dialogue with Cuba has placed us in a much better place strategically to talk to countries like Argentina, Ecuador and others," points out AS/COA's Alana Tummino.
AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini explains how U.S.-Cuba renewed relations can leave Venezuela isolated from the rest of the region.
The increase in remittances to Cuba is what provided the capital and the material inputs for a lot of the emerging businesses, explains AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini.
The increase in remittances will help Cuba's economy and its emerging private sector, comments AS/COA's Alana Tummino.
“The coalition that is for change [in Cuba] is broader and more vocal than many of those people who are against it,” points out AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini.
"The Cuban government is trying to lay the groundwork for change to guide the country toward a more sustainable political system," suggests AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini.
It’s difficult to overstate the importance that Venezuela’s troubles at home have on the recent news between Cuba and the United States, underlines AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini.
AS/COA's honorary chairman, president, and board members join prominent former officials, Cuban Americans, and private sector leaders in support of President Barack Obama's actions to shift Washington's Cuba policy.
The AS/COA Cuba Working Group offers a series of steps the U.S. president can take to empower Cuban entrepreneurs.
A Cuba Working Group report shows how the Obama administration can encourage private organizations and individuals to support economic change in Cuba.
In light of the ongoing economic reform process in Cuba, the report outlines specific steps that can be taken by the Cuban government, the U.S. government, NGOs and foundations to assist independent small and micro-entrepreneurs in Cuba.