SUMMARY
A fast-growing number of governments and international institutions are designing "e-strategies" for harnessing information and communications technologies (ICT) to promote economic and social development. In order for these efforts to succeed, developing countries must generate and exploit new economic opportunities through the adoption of e-business practices. This expert meeting is expected to contribute to the identification of the policy areas in which action at the national and international levels is needed. It will also examine the specific measures that are most likely to create an enabling environment for e-commerce in developing countries and will assess existing experiences in this regard. On the basis of the results of previous work carried out by UNCTAD in the field of e-commerce and development, and of a survey of selected countries that have adopted an e-strategy, this paper identifies the following key areas that developing countries need to consider in their e-strategies: awareness building, training and education; access and infrastructure; legal and regulatory reform; sector-specific policies to promote e-business; and e-government. Some frequently employed measures in each of these areas are summarized for discussion by the experts
