WTO Members Exchange Views on e-Commerce in Preparation for MC14

At a meeting on the Work Programme on E-Commerce on 28 January, WTO members shared perspectives on achieving an e-commerce outcome at the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), which will take place on 26 to 29 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Members continued discussions on the moratorium on the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions and on the Work Programme.

1. Meeting Context

· Date: 28 January 2026.

· Focus: Work Programme on E-Commerce in preparation for MC14 (26–29 March, Yaoundé, Cameroon).

· Key issues:

o Moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions.

o Reinvigoration of the Work Programme to make it more effective and development-focused.

2. Submissions Under Discussion

· Two text-based proposals:

o From the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group.

o From the United States and co-sponsors.

· Members asked to reflect on these submissions and seek convergence.

3. Facilitator’s Guidance

· Ambassador Richard Brown (Jamaica) urged members to:

o Focus efforts in Geneva to find common elements for a ministerial decision.

o Aim for an outcome that reflects collective aspirations on e-commerce at the WTO.

4. Member Engagement

· Members shared perspectives, offered suggestions, and expressed readiness to engage.

· Emphasis on achieving a meaningful outcome at MC14.

· Broad support for extending the moratorium and strengthening the Work Programme.

5. Next Steps

· Ambassador Brown suggested proponents and interested delegations meet to converge on draft decision elements.

· Next meeting scheduled for 2 March 2026.

Overall Takeaway

WTO members are working to finalize an e-commerce outcome for MC14, centered on extending the moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions and strengthening the Work Programme to better address development needs. Efforts now focus on bridging proposals from ACP and US-led groups to achieve consensus.

[ABS News Service/30.01.2026]

"You will recall that since November, we have started consideration of two text-based submissions, one by the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group and one by the United States and other co-sponsors. In my report to the General Council in December, I asked you to reflect on these submissions and on what you have heard so far," the facilitator of the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, Ambassador Richard Brown of Jamaica said.

"With MC14 now only two months away, it is important to focus our efforts here in Geneva to try and find convergence on the elements that members wish to see in a ministerial decision and that reflects members' collective aspiration on how e-commerce should be addressed at the WTO," Ambassador Brown said.

Discussions focused on the extension of the moratorium, as well as the reinvigoration of the Work Programme, including with a view to making it more effective and development-focused. Members shared their views on each of the proposals, offered suggestions and expressed readiness to engage to achieve a meaningful outcome for MC14.

In closing, Ambassador Brown suggested that proponents and interested delegations get together to try to converge on common elements for a draft decision.

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for 2 March.