Building an inclusive digital economy: Electronic commerce, digital trade and global governance
This course provides an overview of opportunities, challenges and recent policy debates shaping the digital economy and its implications for trade and sustainable development. The concept of an inclusive digital economy will be explored, examining how digitalization, electronic commerce (e-commerce) and digital trade can contribute to economic growth, job creation, innovation and broader participation in the global economy, while addressing persistent digital divides and inequalities. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ahead of the issuance of the Digital Economy Report in 2027, the course examines how digital technologies can support progress on many of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 8 on sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The course also highlights the role of UNCTAD in international digital policy processes, including the World Summit on the Information Society process following the 20-year review and the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, both of which promote a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented digital future. The course presents the work of UNCTAD on measuring the digital economy, e commerce and digital trade, emphasizing the importance of robust and internationally comparable data for evidence-based policymaking. Finally, an overview is provided of recent developments in international digital trade governance following the fourteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, including discussions on e-commerce, the plurilateral Agreement on Electronic Commerce and the lapse of the multilateral moratorium on customs duties on e transmissions.
At the end of this course, delegates will have gained knowledge of:
- The key dimensions of an inclusive digital economy and their contributions to sustainable development
- The role of e-commerce and digital trade in supporting economic diversification, competitiveness and development, particularly in developing countries
- The links between digital economy policies, the Sustainable Development Goals, the World Summit on the Information Society process and the Global Digital Compact
- The importance of measuring the digital economy and the role of internationally comparable data in supporting evidence-based policymaking
- UNCTAD work on measuring the digital economy, e-commerce and digital trade, including support for developing countries
- Recent developments in international digital trade governance, including outcomes related to the fourteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, the Agreement on Electronic Commerce and the joint initiative on e-commerce
- Emerging policy challenges and opportunities for developing countries in an evolving digital economy and digital trade landscape
