UK Embassy In Havana To Award US$12,583.85 To Organizer Of One-Day Business Seminar
/Call for bids: seminar on challenges and opportunities of doing business with Cuba
British Embassy Havana announces the call for bids for the ‘seminar on challenges and opportunities of doing business with Cuba’ for the financial year 2019-20.
Overview
The British Embassy in Havana has been allocated £10,000 of project funds for the UK financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to March 2020) by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London, to develop a roundtable between representatives of British business and the Cuban government where the risks and challenges of the Cuban market could be discussed.
The event would identify potential policy changes that might minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities of doing business in the island. The Cuban government representatives would outline the changes in the newly approved Constitution which are relevant to business, and areas where new legislation and directives might make trade and investment in Cuba easier.
The event would be a one-day forum, officially hosted by a Cuban minister in a plenary session that would also include further discussions of the challenges and opportunities in specific target sectors, to be agreed. The ideal date for the forum to take place within the w/c 9 December.
Bidding process
The British Embassy is running this competitive bidding process and its Cuba Programme Board will select the proposal that is of high quality and ensures better delivering of value for money. The project idea should have concrete actions, objectives and measurable policy outcomes.
All bidders will be advised if their proposal has been accepted or not for implementation. When approved, the British Embassy in Havana will ask the successful bidder for further due diligence information, and to sign a contract or grant agreement.
The successful bidder would also work with the British Embassy in Havana to ensure the participation of a Cuban Government Minister.
Who may bid?
Eligibility criteria
In order to be eligible, your organization or agency must be a legal entity, not-for-profit or commercial company, a registered non-governmental (NGO) or governmental organization, an academic or research institution, and must demonstrate that it has: previous experience in delivering and managing projects, preferably previous experience working with international agencies/organizations, proof of legal registration, sufficient technical, financial, human and logistical capacity to deliver the project being proposed, the capacity to deliver at least 85% of the proposed project activity by mid-December 2019
How to bid?
Your proposal should include the followings forms: Project Proposal Form for projects under £10,000; A fully developed Activity-Based Budget (financial breakdown)
Please send all project documents to Ileana Carreño, Projects and Prosperity Officer at the British Embassy in Havana: ileana.carreno@fco.gov.uk, 72142225 / 52115374
In the subject line of the email please indicate “Business Environment Seminar proposal” and please include in the body of the message a brief reference to your organization and the capacity of delivery.
The deadline for submission of project proposals is close of business Monday 29 July, 2019. But we will appreciate if you could send your proposal earlier.
EU pledges economic cooperation with Cuba amid stiffer US sanctions
Source: Xinhua Published: 2019/6/22
The European Union (EU) on Friday pledged to continue expanding economic cooperation with Cuba amid stepped-up US trade sanctions against the island.
The EU will "continue to support Cuba's commitment to having a favorable investment environment for European businesses and to explore joint initiatives in high-profile sectors for the country's economy," Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, told reporters in Havana.
Mimica, senior Cuban officials and more than 100 business owners participated Friday in the first Cuba Business Forum, an initiative that seeks to bring greater foreign capital to the Caribbean nation and to offer certainty to current and future investors. The high-ranking EU official was here on a three-day official visit to review how bilateral cooperation supported Cuba's sustainable development and particularly its economic modernization.
Mimica announced an additional 4 million euros to establish a Unique Foreign Investment Window to facilitate new ventures and commerce in Cuba. "Our cooperation with Cuba has surpassed 100 million euros this year and we have engaged in bilateral talks in different sectors such as agriculture, renewable energy, economic modernization and climate change," the envoy said.
Mimica reiterated the EU's condemnation of the half-century US trade embargo against Cuba as well as recent trade and travel restrictions imposed by the US administration. The bloc strongly condemned the unilateral extraterritorial measures imposed by Washington in violation of international law, and is concerned about the negative impact that recent restrictions might have on the Cuban economy, said Mimica.
In May the US State Department enacted Title III of the Helms-Burton Act against Cuba, allowing US citizens to sue Cuba on nationalized or expropriated properties after 1959. The move put companies operating on properties confiscated by the Cuban government at risk of lawsuits. The EU's position is "firm" in rejecting the move. Its 28 member states have "antidote laws" in case a US court imposes fines, said the official.
Trade between the bloc and Havana reached 2.6 billion US dollars last year. The EU is also Cuba's leading foreign investor, with projects in such key sectors as infrastructure, renewable energy, transport, food and agriculture. Over 35 percent of the island's trade is with EU nations, mainly Spain, France and Italy, according to Cuba's official figures.
