Digital economy in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
TrainForTrade blended learning strategy to boost the digital economy in Small Island Developing States of Africa, the Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific
Overview
TrainForTrade blended learning strategy to boost the digital economy in Small Island Developing States of Africa, the Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific
This project is financed by United Nations Development Account Tranche 14. Code: 2225F
It will be implemented in collaboration with The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)/ the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) , the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the United Nations Resident Coordinator System, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The project will fulfil its objective with two expected outcomes:
Enhanced understanding by key actors from beneficiary countries on legal and practical aspects of digital economy
Strengthened capacities of policymakers of beneficiary countries in designing digital economy policies to promote new digital services and develop digital authentication methods
Objectives
This project will strengthen the capacities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific to adopt trade policies that foster digital economy development and enhance crisis responsiveness. It will develop the skills and knowledge with innovative approaches based on a recognized blended learning method and state-of-the-art technological solutions.
The project is structured in three different components:
Legal aspects of e-commerce
Digital economy statistics
Digital identity for trade and development
Target countries and partners
The project covers 38 Small Island Development States in 2022, 39 SIDS in 2023.
Pacific
Cook Islands (2023)
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
Niue (2023)
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Guyana
Haiti
Jamaica
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS)
Bahrain (removed in 2023)
Cabo Verde
Comoros
Guinea-Bissau
Maldives
Mauritius
São Tomé and Príncipe
Seychelles
Singapore
Blended learning approach
TrainForTrade has a long-standing experience in blended learning, combining Asynchronous Instructor-Led Online Learning activities and face-to-face workshops following the TrainForTrade methodology.
Blended learning gives trainees as well as trainers more flexibility in the training process. Access to knowledge and information can take place across time and distance using technologies.
This project entails online “Design a Curriculum” sessions, interactive online courses, interactive online workshops, webinars as well as a high-level hybrid conference.
Legal Aspects of e-Commerce
Delivery
The course was delivered for SIDS in October/December 2023.
Objective
Enhance the capacities of lawmakers, government officials and other stakeholders in all aspects to be considered for the drafting of electronic commerce laws.
Specific objectives:
After the course participants will be able:
To explain a wide range of regulatory issues that concern e-Commerce;
To describe the new developments and scope of e-Commerce issues;
To exchange experiences and knowledge on harmonization aspects of e-Commerce.
TARGET POPULATION
Policy and law makers, regulators (enforcement agencies) in charge of defining general policy guidelines and elaborating national legal frameworks for e-commerce
Judiciary (lawyers, judges, police) involved in electronic commerce issues
Service providers, businesses offering on-line products and services
Each course module includes interactive assessments and links to communication tools for online interaction. Every module consists of video presentations, a participant manual, a forum, tests and case studies. Participants should spend between 4 to 5 hours per week to study the material and participate in the forums.
· Module 1. Regulating e-Commerce
· Module 2. Trade and e-Commerce
· Module 3. e-Transaction
· Module 4. Consumer protection
· Module 5. Payments and taxing e-Commerce
· Module 6. Protecting personal information
· Module 7. Securing e-Commerce
· Module 8. Cybercrime
· Module 9. Content regulation
The course will be conducted in TRAINFORTRADE’s distance learning platform. In the platform, participants will have access to manuals, multimedia presentations, module exams, opinion surveys and forums created for each module for discussions with the instructor and other participants.
A 90-minute follow-up webinar will be organised at the end of the course. The topic will be defined during the assessment of the online sessions.
Recommendation
Policy areas
Main challenges
E-commerce readiness assessment and strategy formulation
Limited awareness of e-commerce relevance among policy and law makers, consumers, and businesses. Lack of statistical data on electronic commerce and the digital economy. Persistent barriers for women and youth to engage in e-commerce, preventing the leveling of playing fields through increased inclusion.
ICT infrastructure and services
Limited Internet access in rural/ remote areas and costly access to fixed and mobile-broadband Internet.
Trade logistics and trade facilitation
Inadequate facilities for physical delivery of online purchases.
Payment solutions
Overreliance on cash-based transactions, plus low access to and limited experience with online payments and the use of credit cards.
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Weak legal and regulatory frameworks, including protection of consumers online.
E-commerce skills development
Inappropriate education for the digital economy and lack of business development skills and adequate e-commerce skills for MSMEs.
Digital Identity for Trade and Development
This component of the project will increase knowledge on solutions to common challenges implementing e-commerce at policy level and for small to medium sized enterprises. Awareness of the risks and challenges with digital authentication in the next frontier with e-commerce and security.
Modules:
Fundamental Concepts of Digital Identity
Data Protection
ID Usage
Governance
ID Technology Solutions & Risks
Digital Trade Agreements
Target population
Ministry in charge of e-commerce
Telecommunication/ICT
Trade
Revenue/Tax/Finance authorities
Recommendation
To address high costs: Regional cooperation in technology for implementation of digital ID (e.g. CARICOM States to work collaboratively to strengthen technology infrastructure and reduce costs of rolling out e-ID system), select technology carefully
To address privacy and cybersecurity concerns: Implement separation of function of identification and authorisation, avoid centralisation of data collection/storage, avoid centralisation of logs
To ensure accountability and implementation: Setting up of dedicated Ministry or body to oversee implementation
To obtain buy-in: Awareness campaigns for citizens, stakeholder engagement (e.g. with private sector organisations), adopt low-hanging fruits as use cases
To ensure coordination within Government: Have regulatory forums for data protection regulators and other authorities that have a role in e-ID system to come together to ensure effective compliance and implementation, address risks and govern data sharing amongst authorities.
To enhance security and reduce risks, governments should prioritize the issuance of digital identification documents for all individuals. Lack of IDs forces vulnerable people to travel through unsafe areas, exposing them to theft and exploitation. Ensuring access to proper identification is critical for safe, legal travel and protecting human rights.
Statistics on the digital economy, e-commerce, and digital trade
Delivery
UNCTAD is organizing the delivery of the TrainForTrade e-learning course on “Statistics on the Digital Economy, E-Commerce and Digital Trade” from 9 June – 18 July 2025, with follow-up webinar(s) on 22 July 2025.
Objectives:
The global objective of the course is to gain a clear vision of the key concepts, definitions, and data sources relevant to digital trade statistics; to identify key indicators, prioritize data production, and address challenges in developing national digital trade statistics; to build a customized roadmap, organize and disseminate statistics effectively, leverage surveys and administrative sources, and to be able to produce insightful analyses in order to develop a comprehensive dissemination policy tailored to digital trade data.
Modules:
Module 1: Digital trade, digital economy and statistical concepts
Module 2: Setting the objectives, identifying the pre-requisites and defining a roadmap
Module 3: Data collection
Module 4: Data compilation
Module 5: Dissemination and analysis
Registration:
Registration is open to all relevant stakeholders from SIDS and delegates from Permanent Missions in Geneva. We particularly encourage women to participate. Nominated officials can directly self-register at https://tft-reg.unctad.org then select “Statistics on the Digital Economy, E-Commerce and Digital Trade” and use the access code: “2025.DTS”.
Delivery process
Each course module includes interactive assessments and links to communication tools for online interaction. Every module consists of video presentations, a participant manual, a forum, tests, and case studies. Participants should spend between 4 to 5 hours per week to study the material and participate in the forums.
The course will be conducted in TrainForTrade’s distance learning platform. In the platform, participants will have access to manuals, multimedia presentations, module exams, and opinion surveys and forums created for each module for discussions with the instructors, experts and other participants. A 90-minute follow-up webinar will be organized at the end of the course. The topic will be defined during the assessment of the online sessions.
Target population
Primary target: Compilers of international trade statistics from:
National Statistical Office (NSO)
Central Bank
Other national authorities (ONA)
Secondary target: Digital trade statistics users, analysts, policy makers and economists from:
Ministries of Foreign affairs, Tourism, Agriculture, Trade/Commerce, Finance, ICT, etc.
Chamber of Commerce
Business Cluster
Entrepreneurs
Financial institutions
NGOs
Academics
Testimonials
Many people regarded the course as being helpful and applicable to their professional work. The course illustrated that it clearly helped participants to better understand the digital economy. Additionally, several participants highlighted the importance of being a part of a global learning community for the opportunity to cross-collaborate during the course.
“As a Trade Intelligence Officer in the Dominican Republic, I believe the knowledge gained will be directly applicable in analyzing trends, informing decision-makers, and supporting exporters in our region. The course has also enhanced my awareness of the strategic opportunities digital trade offers for growing economieslike ours (…)” — Paola Lilibeth Martinez Mejia, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Mipymes, Dominican Republic
“I greatly appreciate the course for its well-structured content and practical focus, which has significantly enhanced my understanding of Digital Trade. The training has equipped me with valuable knowledge and soft skills such as critical thinking, data analysis, and effective communication. I am confident that I will apply these skills in my professional work by improving data quality, conducting more rigorous analyses, and contributing to evidence-based decision-making. Overall, this course has been an enriching experience that I believe will have a lasting positive impact on both my career and personal development.”— Somika Khushi Ryan, Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Fiji
(…) For Small Island Developing States like mine – Jamaica – digital trade offers tremendous opportunities to enhance our economic resilience, diversify our markets and deepen our integration into the global trading system. Doing so requires robust and timely data. This course offered not only an introduction to the theoretical framework needed to better understand what statistics can be used to support our policymaking but allowed for knowledge exchanges among other officials working in the subject matter(...)”— Roshelle Henry, Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations, Jamaica
“I’d like to thank the organizers of this training on Statistics on the Digital Economy, E-Commerce, and Digital Trade. It has been a meaningful journey, learning about the important role of statistics in measuring growth in the digital economy, e-commerce, and digital trade. Importantly, we need to have stronger collaboration and coordination at national level when collecting, processing and analyzing, and disseminating statistics related to the three areas above. More resources need to be invested in statistics to ensure growth can be accurately measured.” — Tristein Tapu Zutu, Solomon Islands Government, Solomon Islands
Videos
Legal Aspects of e-commerce – November / December 2023
Case study: E-Commerce in Cabo Verde Strategies and Regulation (Ms. Jónica Brito Tavares & Mr. António de Jesus Lopes Teixeira, Cabo Verde)
Case Study: An Examination into e-Commerce Legislation in Antigua and Barbuda (Ms. Susan Jarvis, Antigua)
Case study: Human Rights Issues in Haiti Related to Legal Aspect of e-Commerce (Mr. Réserme Leger, Haiti)
Case study: Central Bank Digital Currencies : A Caribbean Perspective (Mr. Matthew Cowen, Martinique)
Is it e-Legal? E-Commerce & Jurisdictional Issues in Australia (Ms. Courtney Tillman, Australia)
Policy Recommendations (Professor Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Bond University, Australia)
Digital identity for trade and development (2023)
Case study: Digital identity: Overview of the Dominican Republic (Ms. Aura Morillo Camilo, Dominican Republic)
Case study: Vulnerable groups and digital identity impacts (Ms.Alena Finau, Fiji)
Case study: Cross-border Government Collaboration (Mr. Daniel Wong H Han, Singapore)
Case study: Challenges faced in relation to digital identity for SIDS (Ms. Samania Ned, Papua New Guinea)
Case study: Government Consideration for a National Digital Identy Solution (Ms.Natalie Maharaj, Trinidad and Tobago)
Case study: Digital Economy Report, Pacific Edition 2022 (Mr. Dominic Leong, UNCTAD)
Statistics on the digital economy, e-commerce, and digital trade (2025)
Case study: Digital Trade in the Dominican Rep. (Ms.Maria Batlle, Dominican Republic)
Case study: Digital Economy, E-Commerce and Digital Trade Highlight (Ms.Olga Stolik and Mr. Alfonso Casanova, Cuba)
Case study: Digital Trade and Data in the Port Sector (Ms. Sonia Chai-Hong, Trinidad and Tobago)
