This workshop reviews the challenges for enterprises from developing and least developed countries to engage in international trade through e commerce: we review initiatives to reduce the barriers and learn from cases in the field what can and remains to be done.
UNCTAD estimates in the recently published Information Economy Report (“Unlocking the Potential of E-commerce for Developing Countries”) that global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce in 2013 amounted to about $15.5 trillion and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce accounted for another $1.2 trillion. Developing countries only have a small share of this trade – for instance as a region Africa and the Middle East represented only about 2.2% of this trade, and this share is not project to grow significantly in the coming years. Our studies in the field indicate that SME’s have a number of practical barriers in which to fully participate in this booming trade – and while e commerce has the potential to unlock greater international trade, the private sector in developing countries is handicapped by a number of issues, many of which can be solved by improved international partnerships and the sharing of know-how.
With the analysis of the IER as background, ITC will explain its approach to supporting the private sector in developing countries to access online marketplaces. UPU will describe the initiatives that are being taken to enable postal services to become key partners in the development of e commerce solutions. Guest panellists will present case studies where local enterprises have been supported in building online trade.