The deployment and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially mobile telephony and cloud computing, is transforming the business environments of eveloping countries. ICTs offer new development opportunities and enable small and medium-sized enterprises to participate more actively in international trade.

To benefit from such opportunities, governments need to put in place legal regimes that address the issues raised by the electronic nature of these technologies. These regulatory environments should ensure trust in online transactions ease the conduct of domestic and international trade online and; offer legal protection for users and providers of e-commerce and e-government services.

UNCTAD is mandated to help developing countries in the field of ICTs and, since 2000, has been the leading capacity-building provider within the United Nations system supporting the preparation of legal frameworks for ecommerce through the E-Commerce and Law Reform Programme and TrainForTrade Programme by supporting developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since 2007 in the Latin America and Caribbean region, UNCTAD has carried out joint capacity building activities in the field of ICTs with the support of Spain and Finland, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI); the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and with the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Some of these activities included on-line distance learning courses and regional training sessions (including cyberlegislation harmonization workshops) that benefited over 1200 lawmakers, government officials and practitioners involved in the business aspect of e-commerce from the public and private sectors.

More over, UNCTAD has published two studies in the region:

• Study on Prospects for Harmonizing Cyber-legislation in Latin America
• Study on Prospects for Harmonizing Cyber-legislation in Central America and the Caribbean.

The distance-learning course on legal aspects of e-commerce financed by SELA and ACS will be for the first time delivered in English to contribute to enhance the knowledge and the capacity of the English speaking population in the Caribbean involved in the e-commerce related field.