WTO Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce: Statement by Ministers Released

The key points in the statement are as follows:

• Global digital trade rules will help promote growth of the digital economy and increase the engagement of businesses, in particular MSMEs, and of consumers in digital trade. The Co-convenors of the JSI on e-commerce welcome the good results achieved in the negotiations to date and remain committed to agreeing on a global set of digital trade rules as rapidly as possible.
• Inclusion has been a core principle of the E-Commerce JSI. The co-convenors have launched the E-Commerce Capacity Building Framework to support developing and least developed countries’ participation in the E-Commerce JSI.
• Participants in the initiative strongly support the continuation of the multilateral moratorium on levying customs duties on electronic transmissions at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference to foster certainty and predictability for businesses. 105 trade associations from around the world, including developing countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Caribbean, have emphasised that the extension of the Moratorium is absolutely necessary. The co-convenors consider it crucial that the Initiative makes permanent the practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions.
• The highly challenging geopolitical environment, which has impacted negotiations, has also further reinforced the importance of international rulemaking. The co-convenors reaffirm our commitment to the timely conclusion of e-commerce negotiations and will issue a revised Consolidated Negotiating Text by the end of 2022. The co-convenors will seek expedited progress in the negotiations, including on the key issues of data flows and data localisation. 

Related Materials

• WTO Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce Statement by Ministers of Australia, Japan and Singapore(PDF:118KB)