SC Meeting on E-Commerce, the Digital Economy and WTO, 5 October 2018

Title:                             Meeting on E-Commerce, the Digital Economy and WTO

Date and Time:            5 October 2018, 1-5.30 PM

Venue:                          South Centre, Geneva

Organizer:                    The South Centre, Centre for WTO Studies and the United                                                                            Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Agenda:

Regulating Data [Case of India] – Parminder Singh and Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change

Issues for consideration at the national level – Amb Xavier Carim, South Africa

The Moratorium on Customs Duties – Rashmi Banga, UNCTAD

What is happening in the plurilateral discussions on E-Commerce. What are the concerns, convergences and divergences?  – Felipe Hees, Brazil

Impressions by Ambassadors or representatives on Developing countries’ Concerns and Strategies: [TBC – Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Rwanda, China, India, South Africa]

• What is behind the push for digital trade rules at the WTO?
• What policies are needed at the national level?
• Digital trade rules is an area mentioned in the proposals on ‘WTO reform’. Are developing countries ready for rules of the TPP variety?
• What to do with the current situation of multilateral / plurilateral discussions in E-Commerce?

Discussion and Q and A