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E-Commerce

Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce

At the 11th Ministerial Conference in December 2017, a group of 71 WTO members agreed to initiate exploratory work towards future WTO negotiations on trade-related aspects of e-commerce. In January 2019, 76 WTO members confirmed in a joint statement their intention to commence these negotiations. They agreed to “seek to achieve a high standard outcome that builds on existing WTO agreements and frameworks with the participation of as many WTO members as possible”.

As of 25 June 2024, there are WTO members participating in these discussions, accounting for over 90 per cent of global trade. As is the case for all the joint statement initiatives, participation in the e-commerce JSI is open to all WTO members. The initiative is jointly co-convened by H.E. Mr. James Victor BAXTER (Australia), H.E. Mr. Atsuyuki OIKE (Japan) and H.E Mr TAN Hung Seng (Singapore).

On 26 July 2024, the joint statement Co-conveners, Australia, Japan and Singapore, confirmed in a statement on behalf of the participants that after five years of negotiations, participants had achieved a stabilised text (INF/ECOM/87).

For more information on the Agreement on Electronic Commerce, please refer to the Information Package.

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Background — What are the joint statement initiatives?

At the 11th Ministerial Conference in December 2017, like-minded groups of members issued joint statements on advancing discussions on e-commerce, on developing a multilateral framework on investment facilitation, on launching a working group on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and on advancing ongoing talks on domestic regulation in services trade. These groups are open to all members.

Capacity Building Framework

In June 2022, the co-convenors of the Joint Statement Initiative on E-Commerce, Australia, Japan and Singapore, together with Switzerland, announced the launch of the E-Commerce Capacity Building Framework to bring together capacity building efforts to support developing and least developed country members' participation in the E-commerce JSI. The Capacity Building Framework is a non-exhaustive list of available capacity building initiatives and programmes in support of developing and least-developed countries' efforts in harnessing the opportunities offered by digital trade.

How are the e-commerce JSI negotiations conducted?

The negotiations are based on members' textual proposals made available to the whole WTO membership. They are conducted through a combination of plenary sessions, focus groups and small group meetings.

The issues raised in members' submissions are discussed under six main themes: enabling electronic commerce, openness and electronic commerce, trust and digital trade, cross-cutting issues, telecommunications, and market access.

Throughout the negotiations, participants have been encouraged by the co-conveners to consider the opportunities and challenges faced by members, including developing and least-developed countries, as well as by small businesses.

COVID-19 and the way forward

The co-conveners noted that COVID-19 has increased the urgency of developing global rules on digital trade. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, the negotiations have continued to advance in virtual format.

In September 2021, members issued a revised consolidated negotiating text which takes stock of progress and serves as the basis for ongoing negotiations. At a joint press conference held in December 2021, the co-conveners welcomed the progress made in the initiative. Their full statement is available here.

The initiative remains on track to deliver substantial progress by the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference.