Ministers from Australia, Japan, and Singapore who are co-conveners of WTO e-commerce negotiations have launched the E-commerce Capacity Building Framework to strengthen digital inclusion and to help developed and least developed countries harness the opportunities of digital trade.

In a statement issued on 13 June during the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, they underlined the importance of developing global rules on e-commerce. They said electronic commerce is of critical importance to the modern global economy and is driving the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Framework will bring together a wide range of technical assistance and capacity-building efforts to support countries participating in the E-Commerce JSI and harnessing the opportunity of digital trade through providing training and assistance to help to develop and least developed countries, the statement reads.