In accordance with the mandate given to it by member States, UNCTAD’s E-Commerce and Digital Economy ( ECDE ) Branch in the UNCTAD Division on Technology and Logistics aims to contribute to enhanced inclusive and sustainable development gains from e-commerce and the digital economy for people and businesses in developing countries, particularly least developed countries ( LDCs ).

The ECDE Programme works with government policymakers and development partners, civil society and the private sector to strengthen the readiness of developing countries to harness the opportunities and address the risks presented by digitalization in four main ways, by: ƒ Providing better evidence on what policy changes are needed at the national, regional and international level to generate more inclusive and sustainable outcomes in the data-driven digital economy, including through the biennial Digital Economy Report; ƒ Offering tailored assistance to low-income countries to build their capacities to engage in and benefit from e-commerce and the digital economy ( eTrade Readiness Assessments, E-commerce Strategies, E-commerce and Law Reform, Measuring the Digital Economy ); ƒ Empowering women digital entrepreneurs in developing countries to become more visible as role models and therefore better heard by policy makers to foster change in the business enabling environment ( eTrade for Women ); ƒ Paving the way for more collaborative efforts and effective partnerships to make better use of scarce resources in the area of digital for development and build consensus ( eTrade for all, e-commerce Weeks, Intergovernmental Group of Experts ).