Regional Workshop on Measuring Digital Trade

Digital technologies have made it increasingly feasible for buyers and sellers to place and receive orders on a global scale. They also enable the instantaneous remote delivery of services directly into businesses and homes. Although international trade statistics should, in principle, cover digital trade, compilers face considerable measurement challenges. The involvement of digital intermediation platforms (DIPs) compounds those difficulties. In 2023, the IMF, the OECD, UNCTAD, and the WTO published the second edition of the Handbook on Measuring Digital Trade, which provides the foundation for measuring digital trade in an internationally comparable way and forms the basis for this workshop.

Training will be provided by the four partner organizations as well as national experts. The workshop will also provide an overview of the ongoing revision of the IMF Balance of Payments Manual, of the international trade statistics manuals, and progress in Arab countries in compiling trade-in services statistics for services that can be digitally delivered. The activity will benefit from close cooperation with UNESCWA, and contributions from UNSD.

Trade topic
Statistics

Selection process
A selection process will be conducted to fill the 40 available spaces for this workshop. Invited governments are requested to nominate four capital-based officials from relevant agencies including the central bank, and national statistical agencies for consideration in the selection process. Nominees should be directly involved in data collection and compilation, with responsibilities or substantive professional experience, in areas directly related to the measurement of digital trade, such as in trade in services statistics. Applications are submitted directly to the AMF for consideration.

Target Audience
Government officials

Beneficiaries
Algeria, Bahrain, Kingdom of Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, the State of Lebanese Republic, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Somalia, Sudan, Syrian, Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.