E-commerce and Digital Trade

How a global deal on e-commerce can aid domestic capacity development and the measures that need to be implemented by policy-makers in developing countries are vital issues, yet are not well understood.

This policy guide reviews the current regulatory frameworks, legal issues, empirical data, WTO member states proposals, and existing literature on e-commerce and digital trade. It is designed to help policy-makers in capacity-constrained Commonwealth small states, least developed countries, and sub-Saharan African countries to participate effectively in global work on the subject area, including in the context of the WTO work programme on e-commerce.

It also provides an overview of the international support mechanisms that are available to allow e-commerce to stimulate trade and economic performance, through technical assistance, capacity-building, and the facilitation of access to e-commerce by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including small producers and suppliers in developing countries, and particularly in least developed countries.