E-commerce
Digital trade policies increasingly shape the conditions of competition in the international market. IISD’s work helps developing countries to assess how best to advance, and protect, their interests and how to build inclusive global e-commerce frameworks that advance sustainable development everywhere. We provide impartial, objective support to negotiators engaged in the World Trade Organization (WTO) e-commerce negotiations.
In today's interconnected world, domestic and international regulations governing digital trade must serve as bridges, ensuring equitable access to the benefits of e-commerce for businesses and consumers everywhere. Our work supports the development of e-commerce frameworks that integrate sustainable development principles, such as inclusivity, data privacy protection, environmental sustainability, and digital literacy. We work at the multilateral, regional, and national levels to help shape digital trade rules that foster development and narrow global disparities.
Drawing on years of experience, we empower developing and least developed country negotiators to navigate WTO discussions on e-commerce. Through impartial analysis, we equip members with the insights needed to articulate their needs, positions, and priorities.
Analysis
What Developing Countries Should Know About Negotiations for a New Global Agreement on E-Commerce
Rashmi Jose discusses the ongoing negotiations of a new global e-commerce agreement under the WTO, highlighting its potential impact on developing countries, the key provisions, and the flexibilities offered to assist them in implementation, while also addressing unresolved legal and participation challenges.
E-commerce and Plastic Packaging Regulations
This article explores the global trend of governments employing policy instruments to combat plastic pollution, particularly focusing on the experimentation with regulations targeting a wider range of single-use plastic items beyond single-use plastic bags, highlighting the potential for shared learning among countries.
Addressing Plastic Packaging Waste in E-commerce Retail
This article examines how the rise of e-commerce retail is fueling an increased use of plastic in packaging, and this, in turn, is making the industry one of the fastest growing waste streams contributing to the plastic waste problem.
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Research and publications
WTO Joint Initiative on E-Commerce State of Play
A finalized legal text of the e-commerce joint statement initiative agreement may be within reach: this report provides an overview of how close the participants are to the finish line and what remains to be agreed on.
The Evolving Context and Dynamics of the WTO Joint Initiative on E-Commerce
This report aims to give a stocktake of the Joint Statement Initiative on e-commerce as of December 2022 while focusing on dynamics and developments throughout the year and considering recent trends in the e-commerce policy activity and governance landscape at the national, regional, and multilateral levels.
Cooperation, Capacity Building, and Implementation Considerations of Developing Countries in the E-Commerce Joint Statement Initiative
This paper highlights ways to support developing countries to participate in negotiations and implement proposed text provisions under the JSI on e-commerce.
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Recent events
WTO E-commerce Joint Statement Initiative Negotiations: Nearing the finish line
This session will update on WTO e-commerce negotiations, review the draft agreement, and discuss development objectives for developing and LDC member delegates.
The WTO E-commerce Joint Statement Initiative in the run-up to MC13
This webinar aims to help WTO delegates and capital-based officials to get up to speed on the latest status of the E-commerce JSI in the run-up to the WTO MC13
Geneva Seminar: Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce
This seminar, held on Wednesday January 29, 2020, focused on the Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce. It presented the history and developments in the exploratory talks and subsequent negotiations on electronic commerce among a group of WTO Members, a process that was launched at the organization’s Eleventh Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2017.
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Latest
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The need for regulating informal e-commerce
The International Institute for Sustainable Development reported that "E-commerce has grown significantly in recent years. E-commerce retail sales, estimated in 2020 at USD 4.25 trillion, make up a growing share of total retail sales and could rise to nearly a quarter by 2025. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend, which is expected to persist as consumers continue to alter their shopping behaviour." Bhutan is no exception, particularly when it comes to informal e-commerce. However, only a limited number of e-commerce businesses in Bhutan are currently regulated, posing serious vulnerabilities for consumers due to rampant emergence of unregulated e-commerce.