E-commerce and the WTO: a developmental agenda

This briefing discusses the developmental implications of e-commerce negotiations at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11), advising African and developing countries on how to navigate rules regarding transparency, data flows, and regional digital strategies.

• Negotiations at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) are expected to focus on a mandate for e-commerce rules, specifically targeting 'inoffensive' measures like e-signatures, e-authorisation, and increased transparency. These specific rules are viewed as posing no significant threat to developing countries, though they are not primary offensive interests for them either.
• While developed countries and several Asian nations are best positioned to benefit from a facilitative e-commerce environment, micro, small and medium enterprises also stand to gain. However, more controversial proposals regarding data localisation and restrictions on cross-border data flows may carry economic costs and could be used as tools for 'digital protectionism'.
• The author recommends that negotiators from African and other developing countries adopt a precautionary approach at MC11, potentially trading concessions on less controversial e-commerce proposals for gains in other areas, such as Doha Development Agenda issues. Additionally, the document suggests developing regional strategies to support e-commerce through the alignment of e-transaction laws, consumer protection, data privacy, cybercrime policies, and cooperation on taxation and competition policy.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). E-commerce and the WTO: a developmental agenda. https://saiia.org.za/research/e-commerce-and-the-wto-a-developmental-agenda/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. E-commerce and the WTO: a developmental agenda. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/e-commerce-and-the-wto-a-developmental-agenda/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=E-commerce and the WTO: a developmental agenda |date=12 December 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/e-commerce-and-the-wto-a-developmental-agenda/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017ecommerce, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{E-commerce and the WTO: a developmental agenda}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/e-commerce-and-the-wto-a-developmental-agenda/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }