The electronic trade of goods and services can reach people and businesses that are excluded from these dynamics on other platforms, or so believes Roberto Azevêdo, general director of the World Trade Organization (WTO), who participated in a roundtable organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in San Francisco (United States) in Facebook’s headquarters.
Representatives of technology companies, emerging companies represented by the Allied Association for Startups, industry giants like Facebook, Google, Alibaba, eBay or PayPal participated in this meeting.
The activity focused on the role of trade policy as an enhancer of electronic commerce and the digital economy worldwide.
E-commerce is a transforming force in world trade, and supports growth, development and job creation. By reducing trade costs associated with physical distance, electronic commerce allows companies to access the global market, reaching a wider network of buyers and participating in international trade,”
said Azevêdo.
Thus, e-commerce could also be a force for inclusion. Wider dissemination of these technologies means that the business opportunities generated by e-commerce are also available for businesses in developing countries, with some of them making significant progress in recent years.
The WTO, however, drew attention to the situation in Africa and the Middle East, which shares less than 2% of the global e-commerce market.