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.
Related
This week is dedicated to Recuerdos of concerts America Society produced in 2019 and a video of the Cuarteto de Solistas del Teatro Real from June 2024.
Extended blackouts reflect what might be the nation’s worst collapse since independence.
AS/COA will host a conversation with Cuban entrepreneurs who will share their innovative approaches to running a business in Cuba.
The Cuba Working Group will host a virtual discussion on May 18 on challenges for the island's food and agricultural sector amid the pandemic.
Join YPA for a webex conversation on April 22 with lead Economist Intelligence Unit analyst on the political and economic forecast for Cuba in light of COVID-19.
YPA will host the Cuban-American photojournalist at AS/COA for a discussion of her book documenting two women's journey to the United States.
YPA, CWG, and CET will host a panel discussion with young Cuban entrepreneurs on November 14 in New York, on building business from the ground up on the island.
AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini explains what President Barack Obama's cuba policy could mean for the U.S. and Cuban economies.
AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini comments on how Venezuela’s looming default could have led Cuba to turn to the United States.
AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini calls the move "profound" as U.S. President Barack Obama announced bold steps towards normalizing relations with Cuba.
An Americas Society/Council of the Americas report lists a number of executive actions the White House can take to encourage independent economic and political activity in Cuba.
AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini comments on the barriers beyond the embargo for Cuba that threaten its market and financial sustainability.
On WYNC’s The Brian Lehrer Show, Sabatini spoke about the Obama administration’s decision to normalize relations with Cuba.
The United States can leverage Cuba’s participation to support democracy on the island, writes AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini for ForeignPolicy.com.
The United States should lift “the veil of isolation” to promote greater flow of information and independent activity in Cuba, writes AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini for The New York Times’ Room for Debate.
The Obama administration should take steps to aid Cuba's burgeoning businesses, writes AS/COA’s President and CEO Susan Segal for U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. executive action can help fuel Cuba's private sector, write AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini and Alana Tummino for The Hill's Congress Blog.
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.
