The Kiribati Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessment is the twentieth such assessment conducted by UNCTAD and the fifth for a Pacific Islands Nation, after Samoa in July 2017, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in 2018 as well as Tuvalu in 2019, thereby, completing eTrade Readiness Assessments for all Pacific LDCs.
With this report, UNCTAD contributes to the recommendations of the joint WTO/UNCTAD/PIFS June 2017 Workshop on e-Commerce for the Pacific to have all PIFS members benefit from an eTrade Readiness Assessment as a first step towards developing a coherent regional e-commerce policy.
The Kiribati Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessment and action matrix also contribute to the Pacific Aid-for-Trade strategy. With the eTrade for all partners, UNCTAD is committed to support Kiribati and other Pacific Islands Nations in their resolve to harness the potential of e-commerce for development.
The eTrade for all Initiative, launched at the fourteenth Ministerial Conference of UNCTAD in July 2016, is a practical example of how to harness the digital economy to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5, 8, 9, and 17, which address, respectively, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, industry innovation and infrastructure, and partnership for sustainable development.
The initiative seeks to raise awareness, enhance synergies, and increase the scale of existing and new efforts by the development community to strengthen the ability of developing countries to engage in and benefit from e-commerce by addressing seven relevant policy areas:
E-commerce readiness assessment and strategy formulation
ICT infrastructure and services
Trade logistics and trade facilitation
Payment solutions
Legal and regulatory frameworks
E-commerce skills development
Access to financing
As part of the initiative, demand-driven assessments are envisaged to provide a basic analysis of the current e-commerce situation in the countries concerned, and to identify opportunities and barriers.
The resulting reports will serve as a valuable input to these countries’ involvement in various discussions related to e-commerce and digital trade, such as in the context of the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Group of Experts (IGE) on E-commerce and the Digital Economy.
It may furthermore help LDCs to identify areas in which they could benefit from assistance by partners of eTrade for all.
