UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2015 - Unlocking the potential of e-Commerce for developing countries

The 2015 edition of Information Economy Report examines electronic commerce, and shows in detail how information and communications technologies can be harnessed to support economic growth and sustainable development.

Electronic commerce continues to grow both in volume and geographic reach, and is increasingly featured in the international development agenda, including in the World Summit on the Information Society outcome documents and in the outcome of the ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization.

The Information Economy Report 2015 highlights how some of the greatest dynamism in electronic commerce can be found in developing countries, but that potential is far from fully realized.

The report examines opportunities and challenges faced by enterprises in developing countries that wish to access and use e-commerce.

It highlights the latest market trends, benchmarks country performances with the UNCTAD E-commerce Index, reviews examples of e-commerce in rural areas and low-income countries, addresses relevant legal issues and provides policy recommendations.

As the world looks ahead to implementing a new agenda for the next generation of our development work, I commend this report to all those seeking to help unlock the potential of e-commerce for developing countries.