UNCTAD is delivering a distance-learning training course on "The Legal Aspects of Electronic Commerce" from 6-31 August 2007 to help Latin American countries design legislation to increase business opportunities and attract increased foreign direct investment (FDI) through information and communication technology (ICT). The course is being carried out in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI), with the support of the Government of Spain.
Some countries in Latin America have started to adapt their legislation to e-commerce to take full advantage of the role ICT can play in development. Internet use in the region has climbed sharply -- by about 27% since 2005 (UNCTAD calculations based on ITU World Telecommunication Indicators database, 2007).
The impact of the introduction of legislation on the development of e-commerce activities is reported by countries to be positive, leading to increased ICT-related business opportunities and increased FDI. This has been the case, for example, for Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Since 2002, these countries have adopted laws on such matters as digital signatures, privacy, e-contracts, consumer protection, and intellectual property rights. Such measures aim to remove barriers to the development and expansion of e-commerce, e-government and the use of ICT by ensuring trust among users of e-platforms. The adaptation of national legal frameworks is a key step among ICT-related policy measures that governments should put in place to foster e-commerce.
About a hundred participants from 11 ALADI member States and the ALADI Secretariat have enrolled in the course, and 25 will be selected to participate in a face-to-face follow-up training workshop in October. The distance-learning course reviews topical issues and developments in the field and presents the best options available to policy-makers in their efforts to create supportive legal environments to boost e-commerce in developing countries. The training of legal professionals -- and, more broadly, policy makers -- helps establish a common understanding of the legal and regulatory issues involved and in harmonizing regional and national frameworks. Countries from the region which have already adopted some e-commerce legislation will be able to share their experiences with other Latin American nations.
Those benefiting from the UNCTAD Capacity Building Programme on E-Commerce and Law Reform will be able to better understand the legal implications of e-commerce; identify priority areas for law reform; and start the process of adapting legislation.
