| Peer-Reviewed

E-Commerce as a Tool to Achieve Universal Sustainable Goals

Received: 13 May 2023    Accepted: 25 June 2023    Published: 21 July 2023
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

E-commerce introduces a market full of opportunities by engaging more individuals in trade, creating space for new traded products by businesses (such as electronic transitions, electronic services, and 3D printing algorithms.), and allowing global communications and connections for trade through interactive platforms. It is inevitable to ignore COVID-19 in this sense, as the pandemic only emphasized the presence of e-commerce and boosted it to the extreme, forcing the world to shift to e-commerce consumption of goods and e-services to avoid further pandemic spread. As e-commerce becomes a dominant source of economic growth, employment, social empowerment, and political involvement, worldwide, one would expect that it would be governed under a multilateral agreement that establishes e-commerce as a form of trade, from an inclusive perspective. However, the lack of a comprehensive governing law in the multilateral level leaves Regional Trade Agreements the responsibility to regulate e-commerce and to ensure equal global reach to e-commerce opportunities. By examining dominant RTAs in force in a five-year period (2015-2020) that include a specific e-commerce chapter, and using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this piece examines the best practices for allowing e-commerce to be globally and equally available for all, recognizing 4 sets of provisions that is found today in Regional Trade Agreements: Capacity building provisions; Facilitation provisions; Protection provisions; and E-cooperation provisions. Including such sets of provisions in Regional Trade Agreements, in the manners offered by this piece, will have a great probability of promoting global quality of education; gender equality; decent work and economic growth; the enhancement of industry; innovation and infrastructure; and justice and strong institutions; as called for by the UN SDGs.

Published in International Journal of Business and Economics Research (Volume 12, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12
Page(s) 134-146
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

E-Commerce, COVID-19, Digital Trade, UN Sustainable Development Goals, Regional Trade Agreements

References
[1] United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), B2C E-Commerce Index 2019, UNCTAD Technical Notes on ICT for Development N’14. 2019; p. 2. https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/tn_unctad_ict4d14_en.pdf.
[2] Rashmi, B. (2019). Growing Trade in Electronic Transmissions: Implications for the South, UNCTAD RESEARCH PAPER No. 29, 1. UNCTAD/SER.RP/2019/1/Rev.1, https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ser-rp-2019d1_en.pdf.
[3] Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) (2017). Measuring Digital Trade: Results of OECD/IMF Stocktaking Survey, Thirtieth Meeting of the IMF Committee on Balance of Payments Statistics, Paris, 7. BOPCOM–17/07, https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/bop/2017/pdf/17-07.pdf.
[4] World Trade Organization (2020). E-commerce, Trade and the COVID-19 Pandemic - Information Note, 4 https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/covid19_e/ecommerce_report_e.pdf.
[5] United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Handbook on Provisions and Options for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic, 2021 p. 102. https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/d8files/knowledge-products/Handbook%20Final.pdf.
[6] Asian Trade Center (2019). Comparing Digital Rules in Trade Agreements, Retrieved 19 June 2023, from http://asiantradecentre.org/talkingtrade/comparing-digital-rules-in-trade-agreements.
[7] Foer F. (2020). What Big Tech Wants Out of the Pandemic, The Atlantic, Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/07/big-tech-pandemic-power-grab/612238/.
[8] OECD (2018). Bridging the digital gender divide: include, upskill, innovate, 7. https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A81069.
[9] Agreement on Trade Facilitation, (2017). Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, Annex 1A, 1869 U.N.T.S. 401.
[10] WTO, (2017). 20 Years of the Information Technology Agreement, Boosting trade, innovation and Digital Connectivity, 2017, https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/ita20years_2017_full_e.pdf.
[11] Deepanshu, M. (2016). A Lost Comparative Advantage? India's Electronic Hardware Industry. Retrieved 11 June 2023, from http://www.businessworld.in/article/A-Lost-Comparative-Advantage-India-s-Electronic-Hardware-Industry/21-04-2016-97123/.
[12] WTO (1988). Work Programme on Electronic Commerce - Adopted by the General Council on 25 September, WTO Doc. WT/L/274. https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/ecom_e/wkprog_e.htm.
[13] WTO (2022). Work Programme on Electronic Commerce - Adopted by the General Council on 22 June 2022, WTO Doc. WT/MIN (22)/32 WT/L/1143, https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/WT/MIN22/32.pdf&Open=True.
[14] WTO Co-convenors (2022). Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce, WTO Statement, https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news22_e/jsec_13jun22_e.pdf. [hereinafter Joint Statement on E-Commerce]
[15] WTO (2018). Future of world trade: How digital technologies are transforming global commerce, World Trade Report, 63, 97, https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/publications_e/wtr18_3_e.pdf.
[16] ING, 3D printing: a threat to global trade, Economic and Financial Analysis – Global Economics – Technology: Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2017; p. 19 https://think.ing.com/uploads/reports/3D_printing_DEF_270917.pdf.
[17] WTO (2017). Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce, WTO Ministerial Conference, WT/MIN (17)/60 https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/WT/MIN17/60.pdf.
[18] Reuters Staff (2017). Some WTO Members Push for E-Commerce Rules as Broader Deal Fails. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-wto-digital/some-wto-members-to-push-for-e-commerce-rules-as-broader-deal-fails-idUSKBN1E72YV.
[19] Congressional Research Service (2020). Internet Regimes and WTO E-Commerce Negotiations, CRS Report, 21. R46198 https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R46198.pdf.
[20] Civil Society (2019). Letter Against Digital Trade Rules in the World Trade Organization, Our World is Not for Sale, 1. https://ourworldisnotforsale.net/2019/Digital_trade_2019-04-01-en.pdf.
[21] WTO Economic Research and Statistics Division (2017), Provisions on Electronic Commerce in Regional Trade Agreements, WTO Working Paper, 10. ERSD-2017-11, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3005148.
[22] Office of the United States Trade Representative. U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/korus-fta/final-text. [hereinafter KORUS].
[23] Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. China – Australia Free Trade Agreement. Retrieved 11 June 2023, from https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/in-force/chafta/Pages/australia-china-fta [hereinafter ChAFTA].
[24] Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australia – Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/in-force/a-hkfta/Pages/default [hereinafter A-HKFTA].
[25] European Commission, EU Trade Relationships by Country/Region. EU – Singapore Free Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/singapore/eu-singapore-agreement_en. [hereinafter A-HKFTA].
[26] European Commission, EU Trade Relationships by Country/Region. EU – Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/japan/eu-japan-agreement_en. [hereinafter EUSFTA].
[27] New Zealand Foreign Affairs & Trade. Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/free-trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements-in-force/cptpp/. [hereinafter CPTPP].
[28] Office of the United States Trade Representative. United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement. [hereinafter USMCA].
[29] Ministry Trade & Industry Sing. Digital Economy Partnership Agreement. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.mti.gov.sg/Trade/Digital-Economy-Agreements/The-Digital-Economy-Partnership-Agreement. [hereinafter DEPA].
[30] African Continental Free Trade Area, AFCFTA. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://au-afcfta.org. [hereinafter AfCFTA].
[31] Assembly of the African Union (2020). Decision on the African Continental Free Trade Area, Assembly/AU/Dec.751 (XXXIII), Document Assembly/AU/Dec.751 (XXXIII), Addis Ababa, https://www.tralac.org/documents/resources/cfta/3176-au-assembly-decision-on-the-afcfta-february-2020/file.html. And African Union, Digital Trade Section. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://au-afcfta.org/trade-areas/digital-trade/.
[32] UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development. Retrieved 19 June 2023 https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
[33] United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), SDG Goals (9). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/Goal-09/. [hereinafter UNSD Goal #9].
[34] UNSD, SDG Goals (4). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/Goal-04/. [hereinafter UNSD Goal #4].
[35] The Global Change Data Lab. SDG Tracker Project, Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://sdg-tracker.org/quality-education#targets.
[36] UN Economic Commission for Europe, Dashboard for SDGs (4.4.1). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://w3.unece.org/SDG/en/Indicator?id=114.
[37] Technopedia. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/24152/information-and-communications-technology-ict).
[38] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/law-mandate-nondiscrimination-hiring?country=LAO~LVA~LKA.
[39] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/law-mandate-equal-pay.
[40] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/female-labor-force-participation-key-facts.
[41] UNSD. SDG Goals (5). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/Goal-05/.
[42] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/proportion-with-ict-skills-by-sex?country=~KAZ.
[43] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/unemployment-rate.
[44] UNSD. SDG Goals (8). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/goal-08/.
[45] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-commercial-bank-branches-per-100000-adults?country=~BGR.
[46] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/automated-teller-machines-atms-per-100000-adults.
[47] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/account-at-financial-institution.
[48] UNSD. SDG Goals (11). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/Goal-11/.
[49] NML and CIPE, Digital Economy enabling environment guide: Key Areas of Dialogue for Business and Policymakers, 2018; p. 95-96. https://www.cipe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Digital-Economy-Guidebook-FINAL-PDF.pdf.
[50] OECD/ILO Development Centre Studies, Tackling Vulnerability in the Informal Economy. Paris, France, 2019. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/tackling-vulnerability-in-the-informal-economy_103bf23e-en.
[51] Israel Innovation Authority. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://innovationisrael.org.il/en/program/mofet-rd-manufacturing-industry.
[52] UNSD. SDG Goals (16). Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/Goal-16/.
[53] NML handbook with UN. Handbook on Provisions and Options for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic, 2021; p. 124. https://www.unescap.org/kp/2021/handbook-provisions-and-options-trade-times-crisis-and-pandemic.
[54] Asian Trade Center (2019). FTA Digital Trade Regulations Comparison, Comparing Digital Rules in Trade Agreements, Issue Paper 01-19, 3. http://asiantradecentre.org/talkingtrade/comparing-digital-rules-in-trade-agreements.
[55] Maeve D. (2017), Online Harassment 2017, Pew Research Center, 14, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/07/11/online-harassment-2017/.
[56] Jason Fernando, Investopedia (2023). Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Formula and How to Use It. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp.
[57] Our World in Data. Retrieved 19 June 2023, from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/countries-in-compliance-with-paris-principles.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Mye Elnir. (2023). E-Commerce as a Tool to Achieve Universal Sustainable Goals. International Journal of Business and Economics Research, 12(4), 134-146. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Mye Elnir. E-Commerce as a Tool to Achieve Universal Sustainable Goals. Int. J. Bus. Econ. Res. 2023, 12(4), 134-146. doi: 10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Mye Elnir. E-Commerce as a Tool to Achieve Universal Sustainable Goals. Int J Bus Econ Res. 2023;12(4):134-146. doi: 10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12,
      author = {Mye Elnir},
      title = {E-Commerce as a Tool to Achieve Universal Sustainable Goals},
      journal = {International Journal of Business and Economics Research},
      volume = {12},
      number = {4},
      pages = {134-146},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijber.20231204.12},
      abstract = {E-commerce introduces a market full of opportunities by engaging more individuals in trade, creating space for new traded products by businesses (such as electronic transitions, electronic services, and 3D printing algorithms.), and allowing global communications and connections for trade through interactive platforms. It is inevitable to ignore COVID-19 in this sense, as the pandemic only emphasized the presence of e-commerce and boosted it to the extreme, forcing the world to shift to e-commerce consumption of goods and e-services to avoid further pandemic spread. As e-commerce becomes a dominant source of economic growth, employment, social empowerment, and political involvement, worldwide, one would expect that it would be governed under a multilateral agreement that establishes e-commerce as a form of trade, from an inclusive perspective. However, the lack of a comprehensive governing law in the multilateral level leaves Regional Trade Agreements the responsibility to regulate e-commerce and to ensure equal global reach to e-commerce opportunities. By examining dominant RTAs in force in a five-year period (2015-2020) that include a specific e-commerce chapter, and using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this piece examines the best practices for allowing e-commerce to be globally and equally available for all, recognizing 4 sets of provisions that is found today in Regional Trade Agreements: Capacity building provisions; Facilitation provisions; Protection provisions; and E-cooperation provisions. Including such sets of provisions in Regional Trade Agreements, in the manners offered by this piece, will have a great probability of promoting global quality of education; gender equality; decent work and economic growth; the enhancement of industry; innovation and infrastructure; and justice and strong institutions; as called for by the UN SDGs.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - E-Commerce as a Tool to Achieve Universal Sustainable Goals
    AU  - Mye Elnir
    Y1  - 2023/07/21
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12
    T2  - International Journal of Business and Economics Research
    JF  - International Journal of Business and Economics Research
    JO  - International Journal of Business and Economics Research
    SP  - 134
    EP  - 146
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-756X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20231204.12
    AB  - E-commerce introduces a market full of opportunities by engaging more individuals in trade, creating space for new traded products by businesses (such as electronic transitions, electronic services, and 3D printing algorithms.), and allowing global communications and connections for trade through interactive platforms. It is inevitable to ignore COVID-19 in this sense, as the pandemic only emphasized the presence of e-commerce and boosted it to the extreme, forcing the world to shift to e-commerce consumption of goods and e-services to avoid further pandemic spread. As e-commerce becomes a dominant source of economic growth, employment, social empowerment, and political involvement, worldwide, one would expect that it would be governed under a multilateral agreement that establishes e-commerce as a form of trade, from an inclusive perspective. However, the lack of a comprehensive governing law in the multilateral level leaves Regional Trade Agreements the responsibility to regulate e-commerce and to ensure equal global reach to e-commerce opportunities. By examining dominant RTAs in force in a five-year period (2015-2020) that include a specific e-commerce chapter, and using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this piece examines the best practices for allowing e-commerce to be globally and equally available for all, recognizing 4 sets of provisions that is found today in Regional Trade Agreements: Capacity building provisions; Facilitation provisions; Protection provisions; and E-cooperation provisions. Including such sets of provisions in Regional Trade Agreements, in the manners offered by this piece, will have a great probability of promoting global quality of education; gender equality; decent work and economic growth; the enhancement of industry; innovation and infrastructure; and justice and strong institutions; as called for by the UN SDGs.
    VL  - 12
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Law Centre, Georgetown University, Washington D. C., U.S.A

  • Sections