El Comercio Electrónico en la Organización Mundial del Comercio

The document analyzes the tension between the WTO's multilateral and plurilateral paths for regulating digital trade. It focuses on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WPEC), the ongoing moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, and the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce. The author highlights the divide between developed nations seeking permanent rules and developing nations concerned about the digital divide and loss of tariff revenue, noting that decisions at MC14 in March 2026 will shape global digital governance.

• The WTO currently operates two parallel tracks for e-commerce governance: a multilateral path via the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WPEC) and a plurilateral path through the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI).
• The WPEC serves as a forum for all WTO members to discuss the digital divide and technical assistance, focusing on four main areas: ICT infrastructure investment, sharing national legal frameworks, the trade implications of artificial intelligence, and the renewal of the customs duties moratorium.
• Developing countries argue that the moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions leads to significant losses in tariff revenue and limits their policy space for digital industrialization due to a lack of a clear multilateral definition of "electronic transmissions."
• The JSI on E-commerce, which grew to 91 members, has produced a stabilized legal text for a proposed Agreement covering electronic transactions, paperless trade, digital payments, cybersecurity, and a permanent prohibition on customs duties for electronic transmissions between parties.
• At the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in 2024, members agreed to extend the WPEC and the customs duties moratorium only until March 31, 2026, or the MC14, explicitly stating they would expire on that date.
• Two opposing proposals have emerged for MC14: one from Barbados (on behalf of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group) seeking to revitalize the WPEC and extend the moratorium to the next conference, and another from the United States (joined by Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Paraguay) proposing a broad definition of electronic transmissions and a permanent moratorium.
• A critical issue for MC14 is whether the JSI Agreement can be incorporated into the WTO framework as a plurilateral agreement under Annex 4, though some members have blocked consensus on this decision.

APA

Kaukab,, R. S. (n.d.). El Comercio Electrónico en la Organización Mundial del Comercio. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-wto-mc14

Chicago

Kaukab,, Rashid S. El Comercio Electrónico en la Organización Mundial del Comercio. International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-wto-mc14.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kaukab, |first1=Rashid S. |title=El Comercio Electrónico en la Organización Mundial del Comercio |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-wto-mc14 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kaukabndcomercio, author = {Kaukab,, Rashid S.}, title = {{El Comercio Electrónico en la Organización Mundial del Comercio}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/es/articles/policy-analysis/e-commerce-wto-mc14}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }