Torbjorn Fredriksson, Head of the E-commerce and Digital Economy Branch Division on Technology and Logistics at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
The fifth United Nations (UN) conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC) that concluded on Thursday, March 9, 2023, witnessed several business entrepreneurs and officials arriving in Doha to be a part of the historic event in the Middle East. As several sessions were organised at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), various businessmen and businesswomen were panelists speaking on the successful journey of their entities and how more developments can be carried out in the LDCs from their vital experiences.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, Torbjorn Fredriksson, Head of the E-commerce and Digital Economy Branch Division on Technology and Logistics at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) underlined that the event in Doha was a timely conference to help small businesses and citizens in the LDCs experience tangible improvements in their day-to-day life.
He said: “Conferences such as LDC5 are important to monitor progress achieved and to raise awareness of what must be done to ensure more inclusive development outcomes. This conference was particularly timely given the backtracking in terms of progress towards the sustainable development goals, and the multiple crises that the world is experiencing.”
As the worldwide epidemic served as a catalyst for individuals and small businesses across the globe to the latest video technologies and e-shopping portals, developed countries witnessed over 60 percent of e-commerce trade activities whereas LDCs had a slight increase of just 5 percent. Fredriksson highlighted that the usage of such online shopping platforms can broaden the businesses in LDCs enabling them to reach the international market.
Fredriksson stressed that not all LDCs are on the same level but some countries including Myanmar, Senegal, and Lao PDR are above the average level in terms of online business activities. However, the majority of these countries lack e-commerce awareness, unstable internet connectivity, inadequate facilities, and overreliance on cash transactions, which classified them as LDCs.
“Against the low level of readiness in the LDCs and fast pace of digitalisation, more advanced economies and the global development community should ratchet up their efforts to boost LDCs’ ability to engage in and benefit from e-commerce and digital trade,” Fredriksson said.
While UNCTAD lays out objectives to help LDCs graduate in these areas, Fredriksson noted that the firm collaborates with 34 partners in the ‘e-trade for all’ initiative to achieve the goal. He said that “Following the pandemic, there is also greater awareness among the private sector, the governments, and the donor community that digitalisation is important for economic resilience and for creating new opportunities for economic growth and development. At the same time, the challenges are considerable and many of the changes that are needed may take time to implement and have an effect.”
“I hope that at least by 2030, we will have a very different situation in most LDCs in terms of e-commerce. In this context it will be important that e-commerce does not only relate to consumption and imports but also local production and cross-border e-commerce exports from LDCs,” he added.
