Manila, March 7, 2023—The United States government recently hosted a workshop for customs, coast guard, and legal officials from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan to strengthen regional cooperation in enforcing international maritime sanctions.

Organized from February 28 to March 2 in Manila by the U.S. Embassy’s Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Program and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, the workshop trained participants on the impact of sanctions on key stakeholders; regional examples of sanctions evasion; challenges to the enforcement of sanctions; and models for implementing relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.  Delegates also participated in tabletop exercises where they applied skills in investigating and preventing sanctions evasion.

Through this workshop, participants developed closer working relationships to jointly address sanctions evasion activities in the region.