GROUP OF 77
GENEVA

STATEMENT OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA DELIVERED BY H.E SUON PRASITH, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF CAMBODIA AND PRESIDENT OF THE GROUP 77 AND CHINA (GENEVA) AT THE EIGHTH SESSION OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF EXPERTS (IGE) ON CONSUMER PROTECTION LAW AND POLICY
(Geneva, 6 May 2024)

President of the 7th Session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy,
Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Ms. Rebeca Grynspan Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Today, it is my great honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. At the outset, the Group of 77 and China wishes to congratulate you Mr. Chair, H.E. Mr. Ambassador Luke DAUNIVALU, Permanent Representative of Fiji, and the Vice-Chair-cum- Rapporteur, H.E Ms. Ambassador Gerelmaa DAVAASUREN, Permanent Representative of Mongolia, on your assumption of the chairmanship of this important meeting. We allocate a high degree of importance to UNCTAD intergovernmental groups of experts and are committed to ensuring a strong outcome from it and to UNCTAD's continued support for developing countries in this area.

3. Let me also extend our acknowledgement to the insightful opening remarks by Secretary- General of UNCTAD, Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, and the presentation of the background document made by Ms. Shamika Sirimane, Director, Division on Technology and Logistics.

4. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the organization of this Seventh Session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on E-commerce and the Digital Economy. It offers a timely opportunity for us to discuss and agree on how to "build digital readiness" in a manner that ensures inclusivity and leaves no one behind.

5. Additionally, It also allows us to consider lessons learned to date with regard to the involvement of UNCTAD and other organizations in working with member states in this area.

6. Enhanced digital readiness is desirable for countries to participate effectively in the global economy and to deal with multiple global development challenges - such as in the areas of health, education, environment, productivity and energy. The value of digital readiness became all too apparent during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

7. While we are witnessing continued rapid digitalization, with more people and businesses making use of digital technologies in innovative ways, it's evident that this rapid pace exacerbates the risk of widening existing disparities.

8. As noted in the Bridgetown Covenant, the utilization and sharing of best practices in digital technologies can contribute to reducing gaps and inequalities in developing countries. However, in the absence of coordinated action by all relevant actors, the divides are highly likely to increase.

9. Many of the concerns expressed in previous meetings of this IGE, related to enabling developing countries to create and capture more value in the digital economy and to harness data for sustainable development, remain important and largely unaddressed.

10. In the trade area, for example, we must live up to the commitment made in the 2030 Agenda (target 17.11) to double the share of Least Developed Countries in global exports, especially by harnessing opportunities from digital trade. Regrettably, that goal was not met in 2020 as originally planned. In fact, in the past few years, UNCTAD analysis has shown that trends are going in the wrong direction. The least developed countries have been unable to benefit from the increase in digitally delivered services - the fastest component of global trade since 2005
- resulting in their share of global trade falling further behind.

11. Similarly, although the share of people using the Internet has increased significantly in low- income countries, the broadband speed of an average Internet user in high-income countries is 17 times faster than in low-income countries. This represents a significant barrier for the effective use of digitalization.

12. This underscores the urgent need for the international community to bolster support especially to developing countries that are trailing behind in e-commerce, digital trade and the digital economy.

13. We welcome the support provided through UNCTAD and its partners in the eTrade for all initiatives. We recognize that effective collaboration is crucial to address the multidimensional needs to build digital readiness. They relate to ICT infrastructure, strategy development, legal reforms, modernization of payment systems and trade facilitation, among

others. We therefore welcome the collaborative approach adopted by UNCTAD in this context.

14. However, current levels of assistance are still insufficient. So far it has not been possible to meet all requests that have been expressed for assistance in this area.

15. While domestic policies are essential to achieve an inclusive digital economy, they need to be complemented with action at the international level.

16. There is a need to create a more level playing field for companies to compete in the digital economy. Businesses of all sizes in developing countries should be able to create and capture value. Global governance systems are also needed to ensure that the activities of the world's largest digital technology firms and the growing reliance on data and artificial intelligence bring outcomes that bring inclusive benefits to people and the planet. Relevant areas include competition policies, data, trade and taxation.

Mr. President,
17. As we have stressed before, this Group of Experts represents a rare platform on which all member States are able to come together and seek constructive responses to common challenges. Our ability to find collaborative solutions with a view to seizing the full social and economic potential of digital technologies, bridge digital and data divides, while avoiding unintended consequences, is critical.

18. Our work in the next few days here at UNCTAD also gives us an opportunity to influence other relevant processes of the United Nations, including the Global Digital Compact and the 20- year review of the World Summit on the Information Society.

19. The G77 and China therefore underlines the importance of looking for policy responses at all levels. At the national level, we need to identify good practices that can be leveraged by many countries, to avoid inventing the wheel. At the international levels, we need to consider how improved governance of digital technologies, data and digital platforms can help secure more inclusive development outcomes. And in view of the huge digital divide, we need to pay attention to international efforts - North-South as well as South-South - to support the building of capacity in countries that are trailing behind in terms of readiness to harness digitalization and data for sustainable development.

20. Global digital cooperation needs to be based on inclusivity, equity, international law and multilateralism, complemented by a multi-stakeholder approach and putting people at the centre. The United Nations represents the most inclusive forum in this context.

21. Given the still wide digital divides, the G77 and China underlines the importance of strengthening international support to developing countries most in need, especially given the additional strains that interdependent crises have placed on public finances and increasing the resources available to them to build capacities to participate in and benefit from the data-driven digital economy.

22. Our Group would like to congratulate UNCTAD on its work on fostering the direction of a multilateral dialogue on issues related to e-commerce and the digital economy, through this IGE and others, and by providing valuable insights through evidence-based research. We look forward to discussions over the next three days.

23. In closing, Mr President, the Group of 77 and China wishes you a productive seventh session of the IGE on E-commerce and the Digital Economy. You can count on our full support during this session.

Thank you, Mr. President!