WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/COMTD/W/189 
10 July 2012  
 
(12-3691) 
Committee on Trade and Development Original:   English 
  
 
TERMS OF REFERENCE:  "WORKSHOP ON  
E-COMMERCE, DEVELOPMENT AND SMES" 
 
Communication from Cuba and Ecuador  
 
  The following communication, dated 5 July 2012,  is being circulated at the request of the 
delegations of Cuba and Ecuador. 
_______________ 
 
 
I. INSTITUTIONAL AND SUBSTANTIVE FRAMEWORK 
(a) Pursuant to the Decision taken by  the General Council on 31 January 1995 
(WT/L/46), the Committee on Trade and Development shall inter alia :  1. Serve as a 
focal point for consideration and coordinati on of work on development in the WTO; 
and 2. Consider measures and initiatives to assist developing country Members in the 
expansion of their trade and investment opportunities. 
(b) In accordance with the Decision taken by the Ministerial Conference on 
17 December 2011 (WT/L/843), the reinvigoration of the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce shall continue particularly emphasizing its development dimension. 
II. SUBJECT MATTER 
Issues:1  
 
(a) Access and facilitation of access to electr onic commerce (e-commerce) by small and 
medium enterprises, including small producers and suppliers (SMEs): 
                                                      
1 The Decision on "Work programme on Electronic Commerce" (WT/L/843) aims at, inter alia : 
- examining access to e-commerce by micro, small and medium sized enterp rises, including small 
producers and suppliers; 
- facilitation of access to e-commerce by micro, smal l and medium sized ente rprises, including small 
producers and suppliers, of developing countries and particularly of least-developed country Members; 
- exploring appropriate mechanisms  to address the relationship between e-commerce and development 
in a focused and comprehensive manner; 
- examining and monitoring development-related issues  such as technical assistance, capacity building, 
access to information and tel ecommunications technologies. 
- examining growth and constrains of the use/exploit of e-commerce by micro, small and medium sized 
enterprises, including small producers and suppliers. 
- exploring experiences in e-commerce of micro, sm all and medium sized enterprises, including small 
producers and suppliers related to, among others, rule development and consumers interests and concerns. 
 WT/COMTD/W/189 
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  (i) Raising awareness; 
(ii) Access to information; 
(iii) Development of institutional and infrastructural capacities. 
(b) E-commerce and development:  
(i) Improvement of capacities of developi ng countries SMEs to use/exploit 
e-commerce and ICTs in general; 
(ii) Use/exploitation of e-commerce and ICTs  in general by developing countries 
SMEs to improve their productive,  commercial and business performance; 
(iii) Facilitation of the free flow of the technologies required to use/exploit 
e-commerce by SMEs.
2 
Ways & Means: 
 
(a) Sharing of experiences and best practices3; 
(b) Analysis of successful public support practices; 
(c) Creation of public goods4; 
(d) Provision of technical assistance. 
III. GENERAL FORMAT 
Opening Session:  (first morning)   
 
Suggested participants:  DG WTO; SG UNCTAD; DG ITC. 
 
Presentations (10 minutes each)  
 
Sectoral Sessions:  
 
1. International Organizations Session:  (first morning)  
Suggested speakers:  WB; OECD; IDB; AFDB, ADB;  ISOC;  ITC 
 
Presentations (10 minutes each)  
Q&A  
 
                                                      
2 For example, the identification of technologies that could be used or are required by micro, small and 
medium sized enterprises, including small producers and suppliers for e-commerce.  
3 These experiences could cover both successful and unsuccessful policies and practices. 
4 According to the Oxford Dictionary of Economics, Fourth Edition, public goods are understood to be 
“A good that no consumer can be excluded from using if it is supplied, and for which consumption by one consumer does not reduce the quantity available for cons umption by any other.”  In this case the consumer 
would be the micro, small and medium sized enterprises, including small producers and suppliers.  In that 
regard, we could consider, among other things, how to address  constrains and gaps in infrastructure through the identification and/or creation of public goods and/or co mmon facilities related to the use/exploit of e-commerce 
by SMEs, e.g. by way of the creation of an information database on e-commerce, ava ilable to use by all SMEs.  WT/COMTD/W/189 
 Page 3 
 
 
  2. Private/Research Sector Session:  (first afternoon)  
Suggested speakers:  2 SMEs from the industr ial sector; 2 SMEs from the agricultural sector; 
and, 2 SMEs from the services sector;  in each  case one speaker from a developing country 
and one speaker from a developed country. 
 
Presentations (10 minutes each)  
Q&A  
 
3. Public Sector Session:  (second morning)  
Suggested speakers:  2 from developing country Members; 2 from LDC Members;  2 from 
developed country Members. 
 
Presentations (10 minutes each)  
Q&A  
 
Concluding Session:  (second afternoon) 
 
Participants:  Chairpersons of Sectoral Sessions. 
 
Presentation and discussion of sectoral session reports  
General discussion and follow-up  
Participation: 
 
Open to representatives of Members, internati onal organizations, public and private entities, 
and individual experts. 
 
Documentation: 
 
1. Background paper5 prepared by the WTO Secretariat (to be circulated 30 days in advance of 
the event among Members and speakers); 
2. Voluntary contributions by other International Or ganizations and participan ts (to be circulated 
eight days in advance of the event); 
3. Presentations of speakers (to be circulated  eight days in advance of the event). 
Duration: 
 
Two days. 
 
Timing: 
 
November 28 and 29 of 2012 – back-to-back with the CTD regular meeting. 
 
Venue: 
 
"Centre William Rappard", Geneva, Switzerland. 
 
__________  
 
 
                                                      
5 The background paper will cover all general and speci fic issues to be addressed in the workshop as 
well as any other issues and information of direct relevance to it.