online with the Public Forum, at a meeting held this Thursday (25.09.2025) in Geneva, members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on the need to deepen discussions on e-commerce ahead of the Fourteenth Ministerial Conference (MC14), to be held from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. This was reported to the press by the organization.
The facilitator of the Work Program on Electronic Commerce, Ambassador Richard Brown from Jamaica, noted that “A group of members expressed their intention at the meeting to submit a draft ministerial text. In this regard, he emphasized, "I sensed a strong desire from the majority of members for the work program and moratorium to continue, although there were some exceptions."
Moratorium on digital tariffs and calls from the private sector
One of the central points, according to the WTO, is the moratorium on imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions, in force since 1998 and extended at each Ministerial Conference. This measure seeks to protect the stability of digital trade and provide certainty to businesses and consumers in the face of the rapid growth in electronic transmissions of goods and services.
In CM13 (Abu Dhabi, 2024), members agreed to maintain the moratorium until MC14 or March 31, 2026, whichever comes first.
In this regard, Ambassador Richard Brown, facilitator of the Work Program on Electronic Commerce, highlighted that “The importance of participating in preparations for MC14 from the beginning has been highlighted in several consultations. We must make maximum progress in Geneva to facilitate a smoother process toward the ministerial.".
Along these lines, during the WTO Public Forum, held on September 17 and 18, private sector representatives called on members to move forward with concrete measures on e-commerce. According to the WTO, "many members also highlighted calls from stakeholders for the organization to take action at MC14 to support the digital economy."
This call underlines the importance of translating ministerial debates into tangible decisions, in line with preparations for CM14 and the continuation of the moratorium on digital tariffs.
Technical assistance and capacity building
Another central axis of the meeting was the mapping of technical assistance and capacity building programs (TACB) linked to digital trade. The facilitator encouraged members to complete a questionnaire to generate a database of existing initiatives. “The goal is to improve coordination among institutions and facilitate access to programs that will allow all members to better integrate into e-commerce,” Brown said.
Joint Declaration Initiative on Electronic Commerce
Since the Eleventh Ministerial Conference (December 2017), a group of 71 WTO Members has initiated exploratory work to negotiate aspects of e-commerce. In January 2019, 76 Members confirmed in a Joint Declaration their intention to move forward, seeking "to achieve a high-level outcome based on existing WTO agreements and frameworks, with the participation of the widest possible range of Members."
At present, 91 Members, which represent about 90% of world tradel actively participate in these debates. These include countries from all regions with significant economic importance and leadership in digital commerce, such as the United States, China, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, and India, as well as Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay, to name a few.
All of this means there's still a difficult road ahead, but the initiative could become a benchmark for minimum standards on e-commerce, establishing a broader common framework for the digital economy among numerous countries, unlike traditional bilateral or regional agreements.
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