DEVELOPMENT: WORKSHOP — 8-9 APRIL 2013

Workshop on E-Commerce, Development and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)

A workshop will be held at the WTO on Monday 8 and Tuesday, 9 April 2013 to highlight the relationship between e-commerce and development and to examine how SMEs in developing countries have been using e-commerce to promote, market, service and sell their products nationally and abroad. The workshop will focus on both the opportunities and the challenges facing developing countries and will assess how such issues concerning adequate levels of telecoms infrastructure, regulation and investment either help or hinder SMEs from finding new opportunities through e-commerce.

 

The two-day workshop will feature presentations by representatives from the public and private sector. Experts from non-governmental organizations and academia are also being invited as speakers. A key focus of the workshop will be on how companies and governments operate in the area of e-commerce and Information Communications Technology in general and what is being done to help small rural communities and businesses improve their productive, commercial and business performance.

Monday, 8 April 2013

10:00 — 10:30

Opening Session: Chaired by H.E. Dr Marion Williams, Ambassador of Barbados, and Chair of the Committee on Trade and Development

Welcome address by Mr Harsha V. Singh, Deputy Director-General, WTO, and thematic statement by Ms Patricia Francis, Executive Director, International Trade Centre



 

Audio: Opening Session
> help 

 

10:30 — 13:00

A) International Organizations Session: Chaired by H.E. Mr Shanker Das Bairagi, Ambassador of Nepal and LDC Group Coordinator

Speakers:

    Dr Susan Teltscher — ITU: “Enabling E-commerce: recent trends in broadband deployment and uptake”;  
    > Presentation

    Mr Torbjörn Fredriksson — UNCTAD: “E-commerce and development — key trends and issues”;
    > Presentation

    Mr Martin Labbé — International Trade Centre: “E-Commerce business models and deployment strategies in developing countries”;
    > Presentation

    Mr Sacha Wunsch-Vincent — WIPO: “Evolution and economics of digital content markets, IP issues, SMEs and online transactions”.
    > Presentation

    Audio: International Organizations Session

     

Topics to be discussed: Facilitation of access to E-commerce by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Developing Countries: e.g., development of institutional, regulatory and national/regional capacities; access to information; raising awareness; recent research.

Questions and Answers/Discussion

Audio: Questions and Answers/Discussion
> help 

 
 

 

 
  15:00 — 18:00

B) Academic, Civil Society Session: Chaired by Mr Detlev Brauns, Deputy Permanent Representative, European Union

Speakers:

    Mr Dawit Bekele, Internet Society, Regional Bureau Director for Africa, Addis Adaba, Ethiopia: “Opportunities and Challenges of E‑commerce for African SMEs”;
    > Presentation

    Mr Daniel Salcedo, founder of Peoplink.org, Kensington, Maryland, USA: “Recent Technical Advances Facilitating E‑commerce for SMEs”;
    > Presentation

    MrMarcos Pueryrredon, President, eInstituto, Buenos Aires, Argentina: “The new ecosystem of online businesses: eCommerce+ and the opportunities for SMEs”;
    > Presentation

    Dr Richard Duncombe, Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM) in the School for Environment and Development, University of Manchester: “Mobile phones Innovation and Micro-enterprise in Low-income Countries”.
    > Presentation

    Audio: Academic, Civil Society Session

Topics to be discussed: Use/exploitation of E-commerce and ICTs in general by SMEs in developing countries to improve their productive and commercial performance: e.g., generation and/or improvement of capacities and access to technologies; recent research and trends.

Questions and Answers/Discussion
Audio: Questions and Answers/Discussion
> help 

 
 

 

 

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

  10:00 — 13:00

C) Private Sector Session: Chaired by Mr. David Shark, Deputy Chief of Mission, Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO, United States

Speakers:

    Ms Sadequa Hassan Sejuti, Managing Director and Mr Ataur Rahman, Future Solution for Business, Dhaka, Bangladesh: “Minimizing the digital gap of rural and city life through E‑Commerce”;
    > Presentation

    Ms Nancy Tingze Wang, Co-Founder and CEO M-Kazi, Nairobi, Kenya: “Semi-skilled Labour Force Mobilization Using Accessible Technology”;
    > Presentation

    Mr Daniel Annerose, CEO Manobi, Dakar, Senegal.
    > Presentation

    Audio: Private Sector Session

Topics to be discussed: Use/exploitation of E-commerce and ICTs in general by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in developing countries to improve their productive, commercial and business performance: e.g., generation and/or improvement of capacities; access to technologies; access to the www.

Questions and Answers/Discussion
Audio: Questions and Answers/Discussion
> help 

 
 
  15:00 — 17:00

D) Public Sector Session: Chaired by Mr Francisco Rivadeneira, Vice‑Minister of Foreign Trade of Ecuador

Statement:

    Mr Wilfredo González Vidal, Vice Ministro del Ministerio de Informática y las Telecomunicaciones (MIC), Havana, Cuba.
    > Presentation

Speakers:

    Mr Egidius Mbarara, Auditor for Corporate, Transport, Energy and ICT Sectors (RURA), Kigali, Rwanda: “The Role of ICT Regulation in Promoting Small and Medium — Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Developing Countries”;
    > Presentation

    Ms Maria Lourdes Yaptinchay, Director of Policy Research, E‑Commerce Office. Department of Trade and Industry, Makati City, Philippines: “Government support to helping SMEs gain access to e-commerce”;
    > Presentation

    Mr Paul Donohoe, Programme Manager, Electronic Postal Services and E-Commerce, Universal Postal Union. “The Postal network — facilitating universal access to e-commerce”.
    > Presentation

    Audio: Public Sector Session

     

Topics to be discussed: Ways and means to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in developing countries and to assist them with gaining access to E‑commerce; use/exploitation of E-commerce to help SMEs improve their business performance: e.g., sharing of experiences and best practices; analysis of successful public support practices; creation of public goods; provision of technical assistance and the promotion of investment and skills training.

Questions and Answers/Discussion
Audio: Questions and Answers/Discussion
> help 

 

 

 

17:00 — 18:00

Concluding Session:  Chaired by H.E. Dr Marion Williams, Ambassador of Barbados, and Chair of the Committee on Trade and Development

Presentation of Session Reports by the Moderators.

General Discussion and Follow-Up 
Audio: Concluding Session
> help 

> Download summary report

 
 
   

Participation is open to representatives of WTO Members, international organizations, public and private entities and individual experts.