GTPA applauds the WTO’s commitment to working towards rules for digital trade

30.12.2017 Lisa McAuley
GTPA applauds the WTO’s commitment to working towards rules for digital trade

Open, transparent and rules-based international trade are critical to economic prosperity. The Global Trade Professionals Alliance (GTPA) applauds the 70 government’s leading efforts in establishing a work program to set rules for digital trade at the 11th World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This initiative will put in place a framework to shape the rules of international e-commerce in the years to come. It includes 70 of the WTO’s 164 members that collectively account for over 75% of global trade, including the United States, Japan and the European Union.

Open, transparent and rules-based international trade are critical to economic prosperity. The Global Trade Professionals Alliance (GTPA) applauds the 70 government’s leading efforts in establishing a work program to set rules for digital trade at the 11th World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This initiative will put in place a framework to shape the rules of international e-commerce in the years to come. It includes 70 of the WTO’s 164 members that collectively account for over 75% of global trade, including the United States, Japan and the European Union.

It will assist in implementing basic standards for digital trade in areas like consumer protection and electronic contracts. Such standards may play a critical role in removing barriers and complexities to digital trade, with studies finding that around 70 regional trade agreements around the world currently include chapters on e-commerce.

E-commerce, digital trade and the tech start-ups they foster are increasingly important elements of all countries trade future. Creating certainty around digital rules and regulations is an important step forward in supporting MSME engagement in the digital economy to confidently explore opportunities around the world.