The WCO, in cooperation with the Cuban Customs conducted a national workshop with the support of the Korean Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) on enhancing the implementation of the SAFE Framework of Standards (FoS) and an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme in Havana, Cuba from 1 to 3 December 2015.

55 senior officials from various divisions of Cuban Customs, including tariff and trade, enforcement, legal, training, IT and staff operational in ports took part in the workshop. Other Government organisations, namely the Ministries of Foreign Trade, Agriculture, Public Health, Armed Forces, Transport and Higher Education also attended the event. In addition, corporations participated in the workshop. The level of participation reflected the importance and commitment that the Cuban Customs accords to this initiative. The quality of the discussions during the Workshop also highlighted the strong interest by all participants in issues related to security and facilitation of cross-border trade.

Key achievements of the workshop, among others, included enhanced understanding of the SAFE FoS, Customs’ role in supply chain security, the AEO implementation process and the way forward. The workshop was well received by participants, which has widened their perspective for further developing and aligning their programme with the SAFE FoS, before launching a pilot.