Optimizing trade policy for ecommerce - Nextrade Co-Sponsors Discussion
In tandem with Huawei and eBay, Nextrade co-sponsored a lunch on trade policy priorities for the WTO Ministerial and beyond in December 2017 during the UNCTAD Ecommerce Week in Geneva. The lineup included:
H.E. Mr. Alvaro Cedeño, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the WTO
Mr. Simon Lacey, Senior Expert for Trade Facilitation and Market Access, Huawei Technologies
Mr. Marc Refabert, Managing director, Fromages.com
Mr. John Danilovich, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Kati Suominen, Founder and CEO, Nextrade Group
Hanne Melin from eBay moderated.
CEO Kati Suominen made a presentation on policy priorities based on developing country businesses' views on ecommerce, as shown in Nextrade survey of over 3,000 companies in 16 developing countries. She emphasized the need for:
1. Critical importance of better logistics and customs procedures, to unlock small business trade. The silver bullet for removing delays and costs for small businesses at the border is a plurilateral on de minimis.
2. Clear and consistent rules on legal liability of internet intermediaries, copyright and IP rules, and consumer protection laws.
3. Focus on access to capital - especially fast-disbursing microloans for microenterprises for domestic ecommerce and trade finance - backed by export-import banks of in different countries.
