Digital economy in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

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). Courses of this project are delivered in collaboration with the Pacific Digital Economy Programme, a joint initiative of UNCDF, UNDP and UNCTAD, with financial support from the Government of Australia.

Objectives
Target countries and partners
Legal aspects of e-commerce
Digital Identity for Trade and Development
Digital TRADE Statistics
Blended learning approach
Outputs
Videos (cases studies)

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

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.

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

Digital Trade Statistics

Delivery

The course is planed to be delivered for SIDS in June/July 2025.

Objectives:

Identify the stakes and challenges associated to the development of statistics on digital trade

Link digital trade and SDGs

Get acquainted with the key concepts and definitions in the area of statistics, trade and e-commerce

Get a clear vision of what indicators should be produced and what should be the priorities

Get insights into how to develop digital trade statistics at national level and be able to develop a customized roadmap

Get a clear vision of the possible data sources on digital trade, their strengths and shortcomings

Get insights on how to get the most from administrative data sources and from surveys

Get a clear vision of what statistics should be produced and how they should be organised

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

– Module 6: Trade-in-Services Statistics Information System

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.

Outputs

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