SERVICES: WORKSHOP — 17-18 JUNE 2013

Workshop on E-Commerce

A workshop on electronic commerce will be held at the WTO on Monday 17 and Tuesday, 18 June 2013 to showcase commercial, technological and regulatory developments in global e-trade.  The workshop will feature private sector speakers who face the challenges of taking part in global trade by electronic means and public sector representatives who will share experiences with adapting legal and regulatory frameworks to the digital era. Experts from international organizations will also share the results of their highly-regarded research on the topics.


The Workshop will address a broad range of topics, including broadband rollout and regulatory best practice for communications infrastructure, mobile-commerce developments, e-commerce provisions of trade agreements, on-line sales, software and cloud service markets and global trends in new media.  Case studies will also feature small and medium sized enterprises, developing countries' participation in on-line services trade, and examples of regulatory initiatives governments have adopted to secure benefits of e-commerce.

 

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Programme  

Monday, 17 June 2013 — Afternoon

15h00

Opening by the Chairperson of the Workshop
H.E. Mr. Joakim Reiter, Ambassador of Sweden to the WTO

Audio

Introductory remarks
Dr. Harsha V. Singh, Deputy Director General, WTO
> Presentation
Audio

  • Highlights of the Workshop organised by the CTD on E-commerce, Development and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (8-9 April 2013)
    Statement H.E. Dr. Marion Williams, Chairperson of the CTD and Ambassador of Barbados to the WTO
    > Presentation
    Audio
      

15h20

> Biographies Session 1

Session 1.  Overview of trade and policy trends

  • Market developments in the enabling communications infrastructure
    Mr. Sam Paltridge,  Communications and Consumer Policy Division, Directorate of
    Science Technology and Industry, OECD
    > Presentation  
     
  • Emerging regulatory trends
    Mr. Makhtar Fall,Head, Regulatory and Market Environment Division, Development Bureau, ITU
    > Presentation  
      
  • Enabling environment for m-commerce - policies for mobile broadband
    Mr. Victor Mulas, ICT Policy Specialist, World Bank
    > Presentation  
  • Digital trade and non-digital trade barriers
    Magnus Rentzhog, Senior Adviser, Trade in Services and Investments, Department for WTO Affairs, National Board of Trade, Sweden
    > Presentation  
  • E-commerce and digital trade provisions in trade agreements
    Mr. Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)
     
 

17h30-18h00

Questions and answers

  

 
 

Audio: Listen to Session 1 — Overview of trade and policy trends
  

 
 

Tuesday, 18 June 2013 — Morning

 

10h00

> Biographies Session 2

Session 2.  Business experiences

 

Audio: Listen to Session 2 — Business experiences
  

 
  17h30-18h00

Questions and answers
 

 

 

 
Tuesday, 18 June 2013 — Afternoon

 

15h00

Session 3.  Case studies on e-commerce regulation

  • The European legal framework for e-commerce
    Mr. Denis Sparas, Legal Officer, DG Internal Market and Services, European Commission
    > Presentation
      
  • Broadband rollout and the regulatory and infrastructural challenges
    Mr. Gift Buthelezi, Deputy Director General: International, Department of Communication, South Africa
    > Presentation
      
  • Cloud Computing Policy
    Mr. Mitsuhiro Hishida, Director, Multilateral Economic Affairs Office, Global ICT Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan
    > Presentation
      
  • Privacy and consumer protection
    Ms. Hilary McGeachy, Office of Trade Negotiations, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia
    > Presentation
  • Internet and e-commerce in Egypt
    Dr. Nagwa El-Shennawi, Information Center Director, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Egypt
    > Presentation
  • The regulatory challenges of M-Pesa (mobile payments)
    Ms. Mercy Wanjau, Principal Legal Officer, Communications Commission of Kenya
    > Presentation
      
      
   
17h30

Questions and answers
  

17h55 

Closing remarks

Audio: Listen to Session 3 — Case studies on e-commerce regulation
  

 

  

> Download the full programme

Relevant studies by speakers’ organizations 

> Communications Outlook 2011, OECD.
  > English
  > French
> OECD Communications Outlook 2013

> Maximizing Mobile, Information and Communications for Development 2012, World Bank, pdf

> Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2013: Transnational aspects of regulation in a networked society, ITU. Executive Summaries in ENGLISH, ARABIC, CHINESE, SPANISH, FRENCH, RUSSIAN

> Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2012: Smart Regulation for a Broadband World. Executive Summaries in ENGLISH, ARABIC, CHINESE, SPANISH, FRENCH, RUSSIAN

> EU action plan for e-commerce and online services

> Broadband and the Digital Agenda for Europe

> FUTURE-PROOFING WORLD TRADE IN TECHNOLOGY: Turning the WTO IT Agreement (ITA) into the International Digital Economy Agreement (IDEA), ECIPE  pdf

> Enabling Traders to Enter and Grow on the Global Stage, eBay. pdf

> Roadmap for Building Sustainable Growth into Commerce, eBay. pdf

> Minecraft Brick by Brick: A Case Study of a Global Services Value Chain, National Board of Trade, Sweden pdf

> E-commerce — New Opportunities, New Barriers, National Board of Trade. Sweden pdf

> How Borderless is the Cloud? National Board of Trade. Sweden  pdf

> National Cloud Computing Policy, australia  pdf