Custom authority representatives from the ACS Member States met on 2nd August 2017 in Panama City, to share the results of the consultancy developed by consultant Alvaro Sarmiento with the view of carrying out the implementation process for the prospective customs information exchange system. This prospective information exchange system is aimed at contributing to the Trade Facilitation process in the Greater Caribbean. The Deputy Director General of the National Customs Authority of Panama (ANA) - Mr José Gomez Núñez, General Administrator of Customs of Mexico- Mr Ricardo Treviño Chapa, CEO/ Commissioner of Customs of Jamaica, Mrs Velma Ricketts Walker, as well as Mrs. Sofía Hurtado Epstein, Deputy Director General of Economic Development and Infrastructure at AMEXCID, all participated in the aforementioned meeting, financed with resources from the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) within the framework of the International Trade in Goods (TIM) Project. Also in attendance were high level officials from the following participating Member States: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. The ACS was represented by the Director of Trade, Alberto Duran Espaillat, and the Directorate’s team, comprising Veronica Gonzalez, Advisor and Kafi Nicholas, Secretary.

July 24, 2017 marks the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Caribbean States.
Here is a look back at some key moments of the Event.

The Caribbean Sea Commission (CSC) of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) launched the Sandy Shorelines coastal erosion project at the Secretariat in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The 13th International Seminar of Caribbean Studies organized by the International Institute of Caribbean Studies of the University of Cartagena marked the ‘1st International Day of Gabriel García Márquez’. The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) was represented by Mr. Julio Orozco, Director of Sustainable Tourism who was invited to present on the topic of Community-Based Tourism: An Opportunity for the Development of Projects that Promote the Sustainability and Socio-economic Improvement of Communities. Also participating as presenters in the Seminar were representatives of: the University Pablo de Olvide, Spain, the University of Cologne, Germany and the Federal University of Education, Science and Technology of Triângulo Mineiro, Brasil, among others.
Mentioned seminar took place from July 24th – 28th, 2017 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia which served as a great opportunity in deepening relations between the ACS and the University of Cartagena as well as other organizations of the Greater Caribbean coming together to share valuable information concerning sustainable tourism, history and culture.