In November 2002, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published its annual report on E-Commerce and Development. Shortly after, the EJISDC was asked to write a commentary on the report. Rather than writing an editorial commentary, we decided to ask our readers to provide the commentary. In this special issue, the EJISDC breaks new ground with a thematically connected series of twelve commentaries written by EJISDC authors from around the world. Some of the commentaries are restricted to specific chapters of the report (chapters 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 are analysed separately), while others provide an overall impression of the report or comment on issues that were not included but might have been. We commend this series of commentaries to you in the hope that they will illuminate the report itself, as well as its various strengths and weaknesses. We will be interested to publish further commentaries on the UNCTAD report, or indeed letters on the issues raised in the commentaries.