United Nations Trade and Development

Data governance

As data has become a key resource in the digital economy, data governance is a fundamental part of the work of UNCTAD. This is illustrated, for example, in the research and analysis work of the Digital Economy Report 2019, which focused on the role of data as the source of value in the digital economy and how it is created and captured and the Digital Economy Report 2021, which analysed cross-border data flows and development. Moreover, some of UNCTAD’s work on e-commerce and digital trade touches specifically on privacy and data protection issues. For instance, the eCommerce and Law Reform work dedicated to supporting developing countries in their efforts to establish adequate legal frameworks for e-commerce also covers data protection and privacy among the key issues addressed. The Global Cyberlaw Tracker offers information on data protection laws in UNCTAD member States.

Also relevant for data governance discussions is UNCTAD’s work on statistics, as the organisation collects and analyses a wide range of data and statistics on issues such as economic trends, international trade, investment, development, and the digital economy. UNCTAD’s statistical capacity development activities help countries enhance their statistical and data infrastructures and often address issues of data governance, such as statistical confidentiality, access to data, and privacy protection. UNCTAD also contributes actively to global work to enhance data governance in statistics and beyond and to develop universal principles to guide the collection, dissemination, use, and storage of data.

UNCTAD makes its data and statistics available as open-source in the UNCTAD Data Hub and the UNCTADstat data centre. Statistics underpin UNCTAD’s analytical work and are featured in many publications. The UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics disseminates key messages from UNCTAD’s statistics, including infographics, and UNCTAD’s SDG Pulse offers statistical information on developments related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  To provide timely information on the global economy and trade, UNCTAD Statistics publishes a weekly Trade and Economy Nowcast.

UNCTAD is also running several projects focused on improving the efficiency of data management, (for example, by supporting customs operations with the Automated System for Customs Data). UNCTAD’s own statistical activities are governed by the UNCTAD Statistics Quality Assurance Framework, which is aligned with principles governing international statistical activities.

• Data for Development
• Digital Economy Report 2021
• Digital Economy Report 2019
• Data Protection Regulations and International Data Flows: Implications for Trade and Development (2016)
• UNCTAD Statistics Quality Assurance Framework
• UNCTADstat Data Centre
• UNCTAD’s SDG Pulse
• UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics
• Trade and Economy Nowcast

At the 2024 annual session of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), countries agreed to create a dedicated working group within the CSTD to engage in comprehensive and inclusive multistakeholder dialogue on fundamental principles of data governance at all levels, as relevant for development under the auspices of the UN. See also the dedicated web page on the CSTD.

E-commerce and trade

UNCTAD’s work programme on e-commerce and the digital economy (ECDE Programme) encompasses several research and analysis, consensus-building, and technical assistance activities, as follows:

Research and analysis

UNCTAD conducts research and analysis on e-commerce and the digital economy and their implications for trade and development. These are mainly presented in its flagship publication, the Digital Economy Report (formerly known as the Information Economy Report), and in its Technical Notes on ICT for Development. The Technology and Innovation Report, another flagship publication, highlights the need to build science, technology, and innovation capabilities as prerequisites to enable developing countries and LDCs to adopt and adapt frontier technologies, including digital technologies.

UNCTAD has published the Digital Economy Report 2024 titled ‘Shaping an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital future’ that focuses on the environmental sustainability aspects of digitalisation. The report highlights that digital technology and infrastructure depend heavily on raw materials, with production and disposal of devices and growing water and energy needs taking an increasing toll on the planet. It notes that the production and use of digital devices, data centres and ICT networks account for an estimated 6% to 12% of global electricity use. The report also highlights the negative environmental impacts of bitcoin mining.

The report identifies that developing countries bear the brunt of the environmental costs of digitalisation while reaping fewer benefits – exporting low value-added raw materials and importing high value-added devices, along with increasing digital waste. UNCTAD is now advocating for a global shift towards a circular digital economy, focusing on circularity by design through durable products, responsible consumption, reuse and recycling, and sustainable business models.

UNCTAD has published data showing business e-commerce sales grew nearly 60% from 2016 to 2022, reaching $27 trillion (based on data from 43 countries). UNCTAD is highlighting concerns about digital waste, noting that waste from screens and small IT equipment rose 30% between 2010 and 2022.

UNCTAD has published the Technology and Innovation Report 2023, which analyses the market size of 17 green and frontier technologies, such as AI, the IoT and electric vehicles, and their potential to spur economic growth in developing countries. The Technology and Innovation Report 2025: Inclusive Artificial Intelligence for Development explores ways for countries to strategically position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI.

UNCTAD has published research on distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), examining their potential to revolutionise economic and data transactions, including applications beyond cryptocurrency in areas such as trade facilitation.

Consensus building on e-commerce and digital economy policies

UNCTAD’s Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy meets regularly to discuss ways to strengthen the development dimension of e-commerce and the digital economy. The group’s meetings are usually held in conjunction with UNCTAD eWeek – a biennial event, fostering multistakeholder dialogue on the development opportunities and challenges associated with the digital economy.

UNCTAD serves as a knowledge partner to the deliberations of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group, as well as to the BRICS Digital Economy Working Group.

Under the auspices of the CSTD, UNCTAD provides substantive work on the follow-up to WSIS – a unique UN summit that was initiated to create an evolving multistakeholder platform to address the issues raised by information and communications technologies (ICTs) through a structured and inclusive approach at the national, regional, and international levels. See also the dedicated section on the CSTD in this Atlas.

UNCTAD hosted the eWeek 2023 with the theme ‘Shaping the future of the digital economy’. UNCTAD supports the GDC process through its e-commerce and digital economy programme. 

eTrade Readiness Assessments and strategy formulation

About 40 eTrade Readiness Assessments (eT Readies) have been conducted to assist LDCs and other developing countries in understanding their e-commerce readiness in key policy areas to better engage in and benefit from e-commerce. The assessments provide specific policy recommendations to overcome identified barriers and bottlenecks to growth and enjoy the benefits of digital trade.

UNCTAD’s work on E-commerce Strategies Development helps countries to elaborate e-commerce strategies on the basis of comprehensive assessments, most often an eTrade Readiness Assessment. Policy advice is offered to partner countries as well as regional bodies that are requesting assistance in building and maintaining a dynamic and inclusive e-commerce ecosystem that can support sustainable development gains.

Legal frameworks for e-commerce

UNCTAD’s e-commerce and law reform work helps to develop an understanding of the legal issues underpinning e-commerce through a series of capacity-building workshops for policymakers at the national and regional levels. Concrete actions include assistance in establishing domestic and regional legal regimes to enhance trust in online transactions, regional studies on cyber laws harmonisation, and the global mapping of e-commerce legislation through its Global Cyberlaw Tracker.

Measuring the e-commerce and digital economy

UNCTAD’s work on measuring e-commerce and digital economy includes statistical data collection and the development of methodology, as well as linking statistics and policy through the Working Group on Measuring E-commerce and the Digital Economy, established by the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-Commerce and the Digital Economy. Figures are published in the biennial Digital Economy Report and the UNCTADstat Data Centre. Technical cooperation here aims to strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems to produce better, more reliable, and internationally comparable statistics on the following issues: ICT use by enterprises, size and composition of the ICT sector, and e-commerce and international trade in ICT-enabled services. To support statistical compilers in their efforts to measure digital trade, the IMF-OECD-UNCTAD-WTO Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade was published. A Task Group on Measuring E-commerce Value (TG-eCOM) under the Working Group on measuring e-commerce and the digital economy, works on developing internationally agreed guidelines on measuring the value of e-commerce transactions.

Smart partnerships through eTrade for all

The eTrade for all initiative is a global collaborative effort of 35 partners to scale up cooperation, transparency, and aid efficiency towards more inclusive e-commerce.  Its main tool is an online platform (etradeforall.org), a knowledge-sharing and information hub that facilitates access to a wide range of information and resources on e-commerce and the digital economy. It offers a gateway for matching the suppliers of technical assistance with those in need. Beneficiaries can connect with potential partners and learn about trends, best practices, up-to-date e-commerce indicators, and upcoming events, all in one place. The initiative also acts as a catalyst for partnership among its members for increased synergies. This collaboration has concretely translated into the participation of several partners as key contributors to the various UNCTAD eWeek organised by UNCTAD and in the conduct and peer review of eTrade Readiness Assessments.

Empowering women digital entrepreneurs: eTrade for Women

The eTrade for Women initiative works at the junction of gender, technology and entrepreneurship to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in an increasingly digital economy and society. It combines the opportunities offered by digitalisation with the transformative power of female entrepreneurship to advance decent work and economic growth and promote social cohesion in developing countries.  The strategy of eTrade for Women relies on a ‘domino effect’ and leverages women-led digital SMEs to inspire and empower a larger group of successful female entrepreneurs and shape more gender-inclusive digital economies. In collaboration with the eTrade for Women Advocates, a small group of influential women leaders in the digital sector, the initiative raises the profiles of successful women digital entrepreneurs, helps to change stereotypes and brings their perspectives to the forefront of policy making on e-commerce and the digital economy for development.

• eTrade Readiness Assessments
• E-commerce Strategies
• Implementation Support Mechanism
• eCommerce and Law Reform
• Global Cyberlaw Tracker
• eTrade for all initiative
• eTrade for Women initiative
• Measuring e-commerce and the digital economy
• Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy
• UNCTAD eWeek

ECDE Programme interventions are funded by a dozen funding partners, with about two-thirds of the extra-budgetary resources provided by five core donors – namely Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Consumer protection

Consumer protection and competition are jointly addressed in the work of UNCTAD.

Through its Competition and Consumer Policies Programme, UNCTAD works to assist countries in improving their competition and consumer protection policies. It provides a forum for intergovernmental deliberations on these issues; undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection; and provides technical assistance to developing countries. The Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy monitors the implementation of the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, and carries out research and provides technical assistance on consumer protection issues (including in the context of e-commerce and the digital economy). UNCTAD’s work programme on consumer protection is guided, among others, by the UN Conference of Competition and Consumer Protection (held every five years).

Given the significant imbalances in market power in the digital economy, competition policy is becoming increasingly relevant for developing countries. UNCTAD addresses this issue in the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy.

UNCTAD also runs the Research Partnership Platform on Competition and Consumer Protection, aimed at contributing to the development of best practices in the formulation and implementation of competition and consumer protection laws and policies.

UNCTAD serves as co-lead of the One Planet Network ‒ Consumer Information for Sustainable Consumption and Production Programme, along with the German government and Consumers International, which implements and supports projects, undertakes research, identifies and encourages policies, and provides collaboration opportunities for anyone looking to engage and assist consumers in sustainable consumption.

Creative economy

The UNCTAD Creative Economy Programme recognises the importance of cultural and creative industries and their contribution to the global economy. UNCTAD is mandated to conduct research and policy analysis, consensus-building, and technical cooperation.

The increased digitalisation of creative goods and services heavily influences this vibrant sector. The Creative Industry 4.0 report looks at the implications for the creative economy of the rapid changes in automated technology and advanced internet communication that came to be known as Industry 4.0. Using a sustainable development lens, the report looks at economic and social development opportunities driven by digitalisation and advanced technologies for developing countries.

UNCTAD supports countries in measuring the economic contribution of their creative economy and developing appropriate policies for an increasingly digitalised environment. 

Sustainable development

UNCTAD works to facilitate and measure progress towards achieving the SDGs. It is a custodian agency and partner for nine SDG indicators related to trade, tariffs, development finance, debt, investment, illicit finance, and enterprise sustainability. This entails a global responsibility for UNCTAD to develop concepts and methods to track progress with these indicators, and to support member States in strengthening their capacity to measure and analyse progress to effectively target policy efforts towards meeting the SDGs. UNCTAD releases data-driven analyses on progress towards the SDGs in the areas of trade, development, investment, finance, and technology, including ICTs and digital trade in its annual SDG Pulse online publication.

UNCTAD’s work to facilitate and measure progress towards the SDGs includes (but is not limited to) activities in the field of STI for development. The organisation supports countries in their efforts to integrate STI in national development strategies, through initiatives such as Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Reviews and capacity-building programmes (such as the Innovation Policy Learning Programme). UNCTAD’s Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development provides guidance for policymakers in formulating national investment policies and in negotiating investment agreements. The organisation is also part of the Toolbox for Financing for SDGs – a platform launched in 2018 at the initiative of the President of the UNGA to assist countries and financial actors in exploring solutions to the challenges of financing the SDGs.

UNCTAD’s Productive Capacities Index (PCI) is a dynamic and practical tool to support developing countries in understanding the status of their productive capacity and how this can be improved. It builds on UNCTAD’s long-standing work on productive capacities essential for generating inclusive and sustained economic growth and achieving sustainable development. The PCI covers 194 economies for the period 2000‒2022. The set of productive capacities and their specific combinations are mapped across 42 indicators. This makes our PCI multidimensional in its analytical abilities. 

The index can help diagnose areas where countries may be leading or falling behind, spotlighting where policies are working and where corrective efforts are needed. It suggests a roadmap for future policy actions and interventions under each of its eight components: human capital, natural capital, energy, ICTs, structural change, transport, institutions, and the private sector.

It was developed in response to the ECOSOC resolution (E/RES/2017/29) encouraging UNCTAD ‘to pursue its methodological work to measure progress in and identify obstacles to the development of productive capacities in developing countries’. 

The PCI has been peer-reviewed and validated at national and regional levels by leading technical experts across the UN system, as well as by academics and government stakeholders. Stakeholders in select countries have been trained in how to use the index in their development policymaking processes. UNCTAD stands ready to conduct more training sessions at the request of countries.

Other UNCTAD activities designed to contribute to sustainable development cover issues such as climate change, the circular economy, and intellectual property, with a focus on the most vulnerable developing countries, including SIDS, LDCs, LLDCs, and African countries.

• UNCTAD’s SDG Pulse
• Technical Notes on ICT for Development
• Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development
• UNCTAD  Productive  Capacities Index: Methodological Approach and Results
• PCI database
• Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Reviews
• Innovation Policy Learning Programme
• Investment Policy Hub
• Toolbox for Financing for SDGs
• Voluntary Sustainability Standards and BioTrade: Is there a connection?
• Voluntary Sustainability Standards Sustainability Agenda and Developing Countries: Opportunities and Challenges

Capacity development

Many activities undertaken by UNCTAD have a capacity development dimension. For instance, its work on e-commerce and trade includes supporting developing countries in establishing adequate legal frameworks in these areas (e.g. its eCommerce and Law Reform work) and in producing statistics that can guide effective policymaking (e.g. Measuring e-commerce and the Digital Economy activities, the Productive Capacities Index and e-commerce Strategies). UNCTAD’s e-Learning on Trade platform provides courses and training on issues such as trade, gender, and development and non-tariff measures in trade.

The TRAINFORTRADE programme has launched a project on blended learning strategy to boost the digital economy in SIDS. The project is structured to encompass the legal aspects of e-commerce, digital economy statistics, and digital identity for trade and development.

UNCTAD also works to build capacity in STI policymaking in developing countries, through initiatives such as the Innovation Policy Learning Programme and STI training provided in the context of the P166 programme.

Additionally, UNCTAD’s Virtual Institute – run in cooperation with universities worldwide – is dedicated to building knowledge for trade and development. Another area where UNCTAD provides capacity building for developing countries is that of statistics: The organisation and its partners assist national statistics organisations in the collection, compilation, and dissemination of their statistics in domains such as trade, sustainable development, and investments.

• eTrade Readiness Assessments
• E-commerce Strategies
• Implementation Support Mechanism
• eCommerce and Law Reform
• Measuring e-commerce and the Digital Economy
• Innovation Policy Learning Programme
• UNCTAD Virtual Institute
• E-Learning on Trade Platform

Gender rights

UNCTAD runs a Trade, Gender, and Development programme dedicated to assisting countries in developing and implementing gender-sensitive trade policies, conducting gender impact analyses of trade policies and agreements, and strengthening the links between trade and gender. One notable initiative is the eTrade for Women initiative, dedicated to advancing the empowerment of women through ICTs.

UNCTAD works to strengthen countries’ capacity to develop and use gender-relevant statistics to inform trade policy. In 2018, UNCTAD developed a conceptual framework to measure gender and trade to support policymakers and national statistics offices in assessing gender equality in international trade and reviewing existing data in this field. Guided by this framework, UNCTAD is working on a project with the economic commissions for Africa (ECA) and Europe (ECE) to strengthen the capacity of interested countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia to develop and use statistics for more gender-responsive trade policy and to inform the analysis of the gendered impacts of COVID-19 through trade. A pilot in Georgia provided new gender-in-trade indicators for trade policy by reusing existing data; work in four additional countries is ongoing in Africa. This work has given the basis for preparing compilation guidelines on gender and trade statistics to help scale up this work globally. UNCTAD also leads a work stream to include gender equality and inclusiveness considerations in the update of the United Nations Trade Statistics manuals used by all countries globally.

Other initiatives undertaken in this area include capacity building on trade and gender, the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Changing the Narrative Dialogues, and the project Data and Statistics for More Gender Responsive Trade Policies in Africa, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

• eTrade for Women Initiative
• Trade, Gender and Development Programme
• Capacity Building on Trade and Gender

Within its analytical work on trade and gender, in a policy review, UNCTAD analysed the implications of e-commerce for women small entrepreneurs in developing countries. The study is addressed to a variety of stakeholders, but especially policymakers, to provide guidance on how to design policies and measures that enhance women’s beneficial participation in the economy by leveraging e-commerce.

Through its online courses on trade and gender, UNCTAD bridges knowledge gaps in the links between trade policy and gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. With around 2,000 alumni from 180 countries, this online capacity-building initiative remains a particularly effective and inclusive tool to enhance knowledge in a still relatively new field of trade policy.

Digital tools

eGovernment portals

UNCTAD’s easy-to-use digital government platforms enable civil servants to quickly build online public-facing services so their governments can deliver on and mobilise funding for climate, jobs, environment, health, food, and other SDGs. Service delivery can include registering carbon emitters and removers as part of the Paris Agreement; delivering certificates of incorporation and business permits in hours, not weeks; tracking extended producer responsibility; simplifying the delivery of production permits for vaccines and pharmaceuticals; helping farmers access key government services; and much more.

Civil servants use the intuitive drag-and-drop system to create online public services. They don’t require any prior IT knowledge or equipment. It works for any service in any ministry and is compatible with existing digital IDs and government websites to ensure a seamless user experience. 

The system is quickly scalable. Civil servants have access to the Digital Government Academy and can train colleagues to develop digital services across ministries and governments while avoiding the costs, timelines, consultants, and complexities traditionally associated with digital government projects. 

Detailed data generated by these systems show important increases in access to public services by demographics such as young people, women, and rural populations. Governments use this data to fine-tune delivery.

Additional digital tools and online platforms:

• UNCTAD Global Cyberlaw Tracker
• eTrade for all platform
• UNCTADstat Data Centre
• UNCTAD Trains Portal and NTBonline
• UNCTAD Virtual Institute
• E-Learning on Trade platform
• UNCTAD’s Productive Capacities Index
• Database on the African Continental Free TradeArea (AfCFTA)
• Database on the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
• UNCTAD’s Illicit Financial Flows tools
• TRAINFORTRADE
• UNCTAD World Consumer Protection Map

Many of UNCTAD’s publications are released as digital publications only.

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