Electronic commerce demonstrates how telecommunications can broaden market access and add value to the information and communication infrastructure and services. The aim, in adopting e-commerce as the theme for WTD 99, is to provide countries — and in particular developing and least developed countries — with a better understanding of:

• the issues to address when integrating electronic commerce technologies in existing infrastructure
• how the emergence of e-commerce worldwide will affect them and
• how to play an active part in the search for solutions suited to their needs and interests.

ITU members (Member States and Sector Members) are therefore invited to:

• review the status of e-commerce in their countries and report on it and
• provide their views on a whole range of issues relating to the introduction of e-commerce in their economies.

To assist our Members in this exercise, a "discussion paper" structured in the form of a survey has been prepared. The paper identifies the main areas of policy debate on electronic commerce, introduces each issue in the context of e-commerce development and strategies and makes a number of statements aimed at stimulating answers on the part of regulators and governments. It is intended to compile, analyze and consolidate the responses into a single report to be circulated to all members, hence contributing to the global debate by disseminating the individual views of members to the entire ITU membership