JOB/GC/152  
 
14 November 2017  
(17-6180) Page: 1/2 
General Council  Original: English  
 
 WORK PROGRAMME ON EL ECTRONIC COMMERCE  
COMMUNICATION FROM B ANGLADESH  
The following communication, dated 13 November 2017, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Bangladesh.  
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DRAFT MINISTERIAL DE CISION ON ELECTRONIC  COMMERCE  
The Ministerial Conference , 
Recalling  the "Work Programme on Electronic Commerce" adopted on 25 September 1998 
(WT/L/274), and reaffirming subsequent Ministerial Declarations and Decisions on the Work 
Programme;  
Noting the potential of electronic commerce  to benefit small and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs) 
in developing countries, in particular the least developed among them;  
Taking note  of discussions on electronic commerce under the auspices of the General Council and 
its relevant subsidiary bodies, and  in the various seminars organized during WTO public forums 
and various Members since our last session;  
Recognizing  that effective conduct of cross -border as well as domestic e -commerce requires a 
holistic approach that addresses the digital divide, nation -wide access to the internet, e -payment 
systems, consumer protection, cybersecurity, competition and other issues for harnessing the 
potential of e -commerce to make trade inclusive for all;  
Further recognizing  the importance of promoting direct access to t he consumers by SMEs in 
developing countries in particular the least developed countries;  
Mindful  that e -commerce has the potential to make international trade borderless and to incre ase 
competition at global level;  
Determined that  in-depth discussions on electronic commerce under the WTO framework provide 
clarity on the opportunities and challenges  to inclusive trade for all as well as economic growth for 
Members  at different stages of development;  
Decides  as follows : 
We agree t o continue work under the  Work P rogramme on Electronic Commerce . We instruct the 
four relevant bodies under the Work Programme – the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG), Council 
for Trade in Services (CTS), Council for TRIPs (TRIPS Council) and Committee for Trade and 
Development (CT D) - to conclude the discussions assigned to those bodies pursuant to the existing 
work programme found in WT/L/274 . The four relevant bodies shall report to the General Council 
in July 2018 with any appropriate recommendations for future action.  JOB/GC/152  
 
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  We instru ct the General Council to assess the reports from the four relevant bodies and to 
examine the development of electronic commerce and explore possible ways to harness the 
potential of electronic commerce to benefit SMEs in developing countries, especially l east 
developed countries, including through ensuring fair competition in electronic commerce at the 
global level.  
 We further instruct the Director General to maintain close liaison with other international 
organizations on developments in the areas of bri dging the digital divide, ensuring access to 
internet for all, e -payment solutions, cybersecurity, consumer policy among other issues and to 
report to the General Council.  
We further agree that developed country Members  shall, and the developing country M embers 
declaring themselves in a position to do so, should provide duty free and quota free access to all 
goods and services from all LDCs that are delivered via e -commerce1 platform directly from LDCs 
suppliers.  
The General Council shall report on progres s and any recommendations by our next session.  
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1 As defined in Paragraph 1.3 of 1998 "Work Programme on Electronic Commerce" , the term "electronic 
commerce" is understood to mean the  production, distribution, marketing, sale or  delivery of goods and 
services by electronic means .