Workshops on Capacity Building in Public Policy Issues of Internet Use for Business Development in Asia and the Pacific
Page Tools
The workshops focus on legislative/policy options that senior-level Internet policy makers and implementers could consider as they seek to put into place policies and strategies that will encourage small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the Internet to create business opportunities.
The Internet has revolutionized the way one does business. The Internet has become the main tool and venue for conducting electronic commerce (or e-commerce). As a tool, it allows would be buyers and sellers, nearly unlimited access to information, goods and services. As a venue, it does away with the limits of geography, the time zones and in some cases, the need for a physical office. With its tremendous potential, it has become commonplace for businesses and consumers to utilize the Internet for a variety of transactions ranging from emails to actual online purchases. From a policy point of view, it may seem best to let the Internet and the conduct of its users be left to develop and evolve on its own. However, sound government policies can create the necessary environment and incentives for local SMEs to take advantage of the Internet to create business opportunities.
Moreover, the huge potential for e-business has attracted unscrupulous individuals who wish to exploit the Internet for their own selfish interests. This type of conduct makes users vulnerable to a host of possible attacks that compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information that they exchange through the Internet.
As a result of such illicit activities, people tend to lose trust on the security of doing business on the Internet and thus, forego its huge potential for business as well as its being made a tool to promote social justice and equality. Hence, it is necessary that security measures be set in place to thwart would-be attackers who make Internet use unsafe and un-secure. Along this line, it becomes of paramount import to establish mechanisms about the standards, policies, rules, and enforcement and dispute resolution procedures to apply to global internetworking activities in order to make the Internet free, fair, reliable, transparent, and accessible to all.
e-Commerce can never prosper unless a secured environment for doing business exists. But this can only happen if the correct policies for securing the Internet are put in place.
The Regional Workshop on Capacity Building in Public Policy issues of Internet Use for Business Development in Asia and the Pacific was held on 18-20 October 2006, in Bangkok, Thailand.
Download the Regional Workshop Report, Documents and Presentations here
Workshop Agenda
Introduction to Internet Use for Business Development [Presentation in PDF, 139kB]
e-Business Development Services for SMEs in Greater Mekong Subregion Countries [Presentation in PDF, 1.1MB]
Why and how to promote the use of Internet for Business Development (including trends and forces that have converged to this point in history that has now opened numerous opportunities for SMEs)
Legislative and Policy Issues to Promote e-Commerce and Expand Internet Use [Presentation in PDF, 220kB]
- Introduction to e-Commerce Legislation and Policymaking
- Competition Policy Option
- Universal Access Policy
FOSS in Business Development & SMEs
Cyber-crime and Security Policy Issues [Presentation in PDF, 829kB]
- Basic Concepts about the Internet and Security
- Incidents/Attacks – their sources and their types
- Incident Trends and Internet Growth
- Vulnerabilities of the Internet
- Improving Security (policy, procedures, practices and technology)
- Cyber-law – presence or lack of statutes (alignment of procedural law with substantive law, including use of electronic evidence of cyber-crimes)
- Transnational nature of cyber-crimes (and the need for international cooperation on laws and jurisdiction)
- Best Practices
Policy Issues to Enhance Consumer and Earn Global Market Confidence [Presentation in PDF, 770kB]
- Consumer Protection (recourse against fraud and crime)
- Privacy and Data Protection (including balancing the need to address cyber-crimes with the rights of citizens to privacy)
- Intellectual Property Rights (how is IPR different on the Internet and what does this translate to for content, consumers and producers)
- Cross-border harmonization of the e-commerce/e-business legislations
- Content Regulation
National workshops were subsequently held in Nepal, Lao PDR, Mongolia and Cambodia.
These workshops are joint efforts of UNESCAP Information, Communication and Space Technology Division and APDIP.
Related Links
APDIP Presentation at Regional Workshop, 18 October 2006 [PDF, 59.8kB]
Message of Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP [PDF, 60.4kB]
More information on the Project
Internet Governance: Asia-Pacific Perspectives
Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Portal
Country Reports on Internet Governance (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand)
ORDIG Input Paper and Policy Brief to WGIG and WSIS
APDIP e-Note 1 - Voices from the Asia-Pacific: Internet governance for sustainable human development
APDIP e-Note 4 - Why Should Countries Embed ICTs into SME Policy
APDIP e-Note 12 - The Role of Governments in Promoting ICT Access and Use by SMEs: Considerations for Public Policy
e-Primer on Small and Medium Enterprises and ICT [PDF, 646kB]
e-Primer on e-Commerce and e-Business [PDF, 326kB]
Governing Internet Use: Spam, Cybercrime and e-Commerce, in Internet Governance: Asia-Pacific Perspectives, pp. 89-104 [PDF, 383kB]
Legal, Regulatory and Policy Issues of e-Commerce in Asia, in ICT Policies and e-Strategies in the Asia-Pacific: A critical assessment of the way forward, pp. 171-186 [PDF, 885kB]
UNESCAP's e-Business Pilot Projects for SMEs in the Greater Mekong Subregion
UNESCAP Information, Communication and Space Technology Division
eCommerce for Small Enterprise Development: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries
Last modified 2007-08-01 04:36 PM
