
E-commerce in the World Trade Organization: History and latest developments in the negotiations under the Joint Statement
This negotiating brief was prepared for the Geneva Seminar held on January 29, 2020, on the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) devoted to electronic commerce, which involves a group of World Trade Organization (WTO) Members.
It covers the history of e-commerce-related discussions in the WTO context from the late 1990s to the present, as well as the latest developments in the negotiations under this JSI.
This material was produced as part of the Umbrella Grant on New WTO Issues. This material has been produced with funding by UK aid from the UK Government. The Umbrella Grant is a project of the Trade and Investment Advocacy Fund (TAF2+), and implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, in consortium with CUTS International, Geneva; BKP Economic Advisors; and InterAnalysis. The papers for the Geneva Seminars benefited from the review of our editorial oversight committee, including Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Rashid Kaukab, Julien Grollier, Susan Joekes, Julian Mukiibi and Marília Maciel.
Views expressed in the publication are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect HM Government’s official positions or those of TAF2+.

Additional downloads
You might also be interested in
The need for regulating informal e-commerce
The International Institute for Sustainable Development reported that "E-commerce has grown significantly in recent years. E-commerce retail sales, estimated in 2020 at USD 4.25 trillion, make up a growing share of total retail sales and could rise to nearly a quarter by 2025. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend, which is expected to persist as consumers continue to alter their shopping behaviour." Bhutan is no exception, particularly when it comes to informal e-commerce. However, only a limited number of e-commerce businesses in Bhutan are currently regulated, posing serious vulnerabilities for consumers due to rampant emergence of unregulated e-commerce.
The Evolving Context and Dynamics of the WTO Joint Initiative on E-Commerce
This report aims to give a stocktake of the Joint Statement Initiative on e-commerce as of December 2022 while focusing on dynamics and developments throughout the year and considering recent trends in the e-commerce policy activity and governance landscape at the national, regional, and multilateral levels.
The Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement
With over 100 World Trade Organization members pushing to wrap up negotiations for an Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, what would the actual accord mean for investment governance and sustainable development?
The Joint Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development
This stocktaking brief provides an update on the joint initiative negotiations on Investment Facilitation for Development among a group of World Trade Organization (WTO) members. The brief provides updates on how the draft negotiating text has evolved since 2022, as well as an overview of how the process is likely to evolve in the run-up to MC13.