- Ghazi Mabrouk
- Renato Llontop Calosi
- Angel Draev
Introductory
Event organizer(s)
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Description
This interdisciplinary course is designed for policy makers and regulators who want to develop a critical understanding of digital trade regulations across the globe. The rise of digital trade, which covers trade in digital goods, trade in online services, investment in sectors relevant for the digital economy, and movement of data, is a new reality that our societies are adjusting to. Digital technologies create new services and ways of working, which impact citizens, businesses and governments. Regulating the digital revolution is proving exceptionally challenging, given also the pace at which it is evolving. On one hand, policymakers are trying to apply current policies designed for an ‘offline’ world to the new online world. On the other hand, they are designing new policies to consider broad economic and non-economic concerns, including, law enforcement, national security, and privacy.
The course will shed light on these issues by introducing the concept of digital trade and related regulations, highlighting the importance of informed policy-making decisions, including in the context of the recent negotiations of trade agreements.
With the generous support of the Global Gateway initiative of the European Union, participation in this training is provided free of charge for selected applicants.
The course is designed for policymakers and government officials dealing with trade regulations across the globe.
The number of participants in this course is limited to 40.
Members of the above-mentioned target population are invited to apply for the training if they meet the following criteria:
- Hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant field like economics, trade, finance, public administration, public policy, or social sciences or have a minimum of two years of experience working on digital trade issues.
- Possess a fluent level of English.
- Complete the application questionnaire and attach an up-to-date CV.
Government officials and policymakers from developing countries, particularly women, are encouraged to apply. Selection will be conducted by the course organizers, who will consider the above entry requirements along with an analysis of the application questionnaire of each applicant.
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Recall and describe digital trade and related regulations;
- Identify the key challenges related to the application of traditional trade policy to digital trade;
- Assess implications of digital trade regulations on the economy and on important rights such as privacy and security;
- Interpret and critique the political economy forces behind digital trade regulations by looking at different national and regional contexts.
- The course lasts four weeks, for a total of 28 hours of training.
- The weekly time to be assigned to the course is around 7 hours, which includes video lectures, readings, an online lecture of 90 minutes, a quiz, and participation in the discussion forum.
- The course is pre-recorded, with required and suggested readings for each of the module. For each module, you will have the opportunity to interact with other participants through the online forum and during the live session.
Grading Scale:
- Quizzes: 60%
- Active participation/groupwork in the four live sessions: 40%
- Attendance to at least 3 of the 4 live sessions is required to receive the ITU Academy certificate.
A total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate
Module 1: Introduction to Digital Trade
- Provides an overview of digital trade and digital trade integration.
- Covers key definitions and global statistics related to digital trade.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe the key concepts of digital trade and digital trade integration.
- Experiment with key platforms that present digital trade statistics.
- Reflect on key technologies and evaluate their impact on society.
Module 2: Digital Trade Integration Policies
- Reviews key regulatory policies that affect digital trade integration.
- Covers policies related to: ICT goods, Online services, Data governance, Investment in relevant sectors.
- Introduces sources that track these policies, with a focus on the Digital Trade Integration Database.
Learning Outcomes:
- Outline regulations that impact digital trade integration.
- Utilize key platforms that present digital trade regulations.
- Compare regulations and evaluate their impact on digital trade integration
Module 3: Digital Trade Policies Related to Data Flows – Overview and Assessment
- Provides an overview of regulatory policies affecting data movement and processing.
- Discusses the role of data as a key input in digital trade.
- Covers specific policies, including local processing requirements, data retention policies, and conditional regimes applied to different data types or sectors.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe regulations governing data flows.
- Utilize key platforms that present data flow regulations.
- Reflect on the political economy forces and non-economic objectives shaping data flow regulations.
Module 4: Digital Trade Regulations in the Context of Trade Agreements
- Explores how digital trade regulations are embedded in trade agreements.
- Covers plurilateral negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
- Examines new cooperation frameworks, such as Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs).
Learning Outcomes:
- Outline different types of agreements related to digital trade.
- Examine key topics discussed in trade agreements and evaluate their relevance for digital trade.
- Utilize key platforms that present commitments related to digital trade in trade agreements.
Registration information
Unless specified otherwise, all ITU Academy training courses are open to all interested professionals, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, economic status and other diverse backgrounds. We strongly encourage registrations from female participants, and participants from developing countries. This includes least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked developing countries.