Diana KorkaEconomic Affairs Officer, ICT Policy Section UNCTAD

EIF - UNESCAP Emerging Priorities in LDCs on Trade and Development

Bangkok, 3 November 2017

Outline

• The eTrade for All initiative

• Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessments

• Other UNCTAD work on e-commerce for sustainable development

Making e-commerce assistance fit for purpose: the eTrade for All initiative

• Public & private partnership aiming at: • raising awareness of countries' unique e-commerce opportunities, challenges and

constraints in a holistic way

• mobilizing and rationalizing available financial and human resources for the implementation of priority projects

• strengthening coherence and synergies among partners to further the use and gains from e-commerce in developing countries.

eTrade for All is connecting

partners and beneficiaries

for greater, faster & more sustainable e-commerce gains

7policy

areas

25partners

193potential

beneficiaries

1platform

30private

sector

contributors

• E-commerce readiness assessment and strategy formulation

• ICT infrastructure and services

• Payment solutions

• Trade logistics and trade facilitation

• Legal and regulatory frameworks

• E-commerce skills development

• Access to financing

eTrade for All is connecting

partners and beneficiaries

for greater, faster & more sustainable e-commerce gains

• African Development Bank

• Economic Commission for Africa

• Economic Commission for Latin America and the

Caribbean

• Enhanced Integrated Framework

• E-Residency (Estonia)

• Inter-American Development Bank

• International Association of Prosecutors

• International Civil Aviation Organization

• International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation

• International Telecommunications Union

• International Trade Centre

• Internet Society

• United Nations Commission on Trade Law

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

• United Nations Commission for Latin America and the

Carribean

• United Nations Economic and Social Commission for

Asia and the Pacific

• United Nations Economic Commission for Western

Africa

• United Nations Social Impact Fund

• Universal Postal Union

• World Bank Group

• World Customs Organization

• World Trade Organization

7policy

areas

25partners

193potential

beneficiaries

1platform

30private

sector

contributors

eTrade for All is connecting

partners and beneficiaries

for greater, faster & more sustainable e-commerce gains

7policy

areas

25partners

193potential

beneficiaries

1platform

30private

sector

contributors

• African Alliance for E-commerce

• Alibaba

• Bangladesh Association of Software and Information

Services

• Bizisol

• Burundishop

• DHL

• eBay

• einstituto.org• Etsy

• Fedex

• Fiata.com

• First Atlantic Commerce

• Google

• Huawei

• Impact Enterprises

• International Council of Swedish Industry

• Kapruka and Grasshopper

• King and Spalding

• Latin American eCommerce Institute

• Nextrade Group

• PayPal

• RingierAfrica

• TCS Express & Logistics

• UPS

• vTex

• World Information Technology and Services Alliance

• World SME Forum

eTrade for All is connecting

partners and beneficiaries

for greater, faster & more sustainable e-commerce gains

7policy

areas

25partners

193potential

beneficiaries

1platform

30private

sector

contributors

https://etradeforall.org

- launched in April 2017 -

https://etradeforall.org

eTrade Readiness Assessments for LDCs

• Objective: to assess countries’ current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & challenges in the seven eTrade for all policy areas

• Main outcome: identification of priority actions to be supported by partners

• In the pipeline: - Completed: Cambodia, Bhutan, Samoa, Nepal

- Coming up next: Myanmar, Lao PDR, Senegal, Liberia

- 2018: Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Solomon Islands,Vanuatu, Bangladesh, Malawi, Tanzania, Togo

✓demand-driven assessment (upon request)

✓a basic analysis of the current ecommerce environment in the country

✓ identify opportunities and barriers

✓help LDCs identify and prioritize areas in which they could benefit from assistance by partners of eTrade for All

Features of eTrade Readiness Assessments

Methodology

DATA SOURCES:

-ITU, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators

database

-UNCTAD, UNCTADStat

-UPU, Postal Statistics

-World Bank, E-trade Indicators

-WEF, Networked Readiness Index

Data compiled by the World Bank, presented by

UNCTAD in a simple, user-friendly factsheet,

integrated into the e.T.Ready

Also available online at:

https://etradeforall.org/ressources/data-indicators/

eT4a country profiles

Examples of Quick Win Project Proposals

PUBLIC SECTOR

✓eCommerce Strategy

✓eCommerce Law formulation

✓Awareness raising and training programme

✓eGovernement payment solutions

✓Support adoption of online and mobile payment systems

✓Lexicon in local language

PRIVATE SECTOR

✓Entrepreneurship development fund

✓eBusiness incubator

✓Improve delivery efficiency and "findability" of address locations

✓How-to guides to eBusiness

✓…

Findings Common to All E.T.READY

In place in

capitals, major

public and private

investments.

95% COD.

Mobile operators

lead the

transformation.

Last mile /

physical

addressing

system.

Paperless trade.

ICT risk-prone

sector. Venture

capitalists and

business

accelerators' role

Outdated

ecosystem. Online

consumer

concerns growing.

Curricula outdated.

Focus on ICT skills

only.

Lack of a single

shared vision for e-

commerce dev. ICT

Policy in place.

• E-COMMERCE WEEK 2018

• 16-20 APRIL 2018 - PALAIS DES NATIONS - GENEVA

• 2nd session of the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce & the Digital Economy

Save the date!

Key facts

More than1'000 participantsin 2017

5 day-event includinga 3-day dedicated meeting of experts (IGE 2018) on leveraging platforms and digital entrepreneurship for development

1 high-level conversation, eTrade for all privatepartners meeting, networking opportunities … and much more…

Information Economy Report 2017Can be downloaded free of charge at unctad.org/ier

UNCTAD-TFITS Measuring International Trade in ICT-enabled Services

• Definition and methodology: UNCTAD Technical Note on International Trade in ICT Services and ICT-enabled Services: (TN/UNCTAD/ICT4D/03) www.unctad.org/ict4d/technicalnotes

• United Nations Statistical Commission adopted definition, 47th session (March 2016)

• Model survey questionnaire

oComments received and integrated: WTO, OECD, IMF, Costa Rica, India, Thailand, Egypt

• Survey implementation in Costa Rica, India and Thailand in 2017

• UNCTAD Expert meeting to discuss results and lessons learned (28-29 November 2017)

ICT-enabled Services: Delivered Digitally• 1st step: look at existing measurement frameworks and define the types of

services that can be ICT-enabled >>> a CPC Ver.2.1 taxonomy of such services >>> list of "potential ICT-enabled services"

o ICT-enabled services = services with outputs that can be delivered remotely over ICT networks

o Exclude transport services (involve manipulation or transport of people, physical objects, material, or electricity)

o Exclude on-site or in-person services (require on-site or personal delivery)

• 2nd step: it matters how these services are actually delivered >>> need to build in another type of survey question by mode of delivery >>> same as the discussion on WTO GATS modes of supply >>> "actual ICT-enabled services"

o EBOPS 2010 not amenable for identifying actual ICT-enabled services

• Focus on exports of services, as smaller population of firms to survey

www.etradeforall.orgict4d@unctad.org