Addressing the historic International Labour Conference on the Free Trade Area of the Americas in The Bahamas, Mr. Halkitis said once positioned and armed with a well-designed e-commerce development strategy, The Bahamas will be able to effectively compete in the global economy, generating high-end jobs for Bahamians.
He told participants that because the telecommunications revolution is removing geographic barriers, there have been a great empowerment of integration within regional, hemisperic and world markets.
From the inception of the FTAA process, the concept that advanced communications systems would play an important role in the integration of the markets in the Americas was widely embraced with trade ministers of the FTAA establishing a Joint Government Private Sector Committee of Experts on Electronic Commerce, Mr. Halkitis said.
Moreover, one of their main mandates, he added, was to make recommendations on how to increase and broaden the benefits of electronic commerce and specifically, how electronic commerce should be conducted as it related to FTAA negotiations.
E-commerce, Mr. Halkitis said would be of great benefit to smaller countries of the FTAA process especially if they were positioned to effectively establish the sector in their respective economies.
The Parliamentary Secretary said to ensure an effective e-commerce sector; specific implications including the need for market reforms have to be introduced. Likewise, the lowering of trade barriers, increased transparency, harmonisation of regional laws pertaining to e-commerce, investment in infrastructure and labour force educational & training programmes will offer great assistance.
He said a review of the e-commerce sector by the Joint Committee as it relates to FTAA, showed that e-commerce would be very instrumental for the channel of trade in the year 2005.
Mr. Halkitis stressed that if e-commerce is to live up to its potential for FTAA countries, it is necessary for countries in the hemisphere especially The Bahamas, to increase competition in the telecommunications sector. Furthermore he said, there must be an improvement in the quantity and quality of the infrastructure and the construction of a good human resources based so that there will be an adequate use of technology. He said the creation of a legal framework that would enforce contracts, certify electronic signatures and protect intellectural property rights in electronic transactions would also lend support.
“The restructuring of the economy to prepare it for e-commerce is a question of investing in appropriate infrastructure, human resources development and the establishment of a specific legal framework,” Mr. Halkitis said. “These are things that are intended to reform and modernise the economy to meet the challenges of a changing technological world. It seems to me therefore, that The Bahamas might consider adopting some of reforms whether or it enters into free trade agreements with countries in this hemisphere.”
The reforms spoken by Mr. Halkitis refer to specific recommendations made by the Joint Committee in regard to the development of e-commerce in the FTAA. The reforms include promoting access to public telecommunications networks on a non-discriminatory basis, provide for the great majority of their citizens to participate in the process and to increase their awareness of the new technology.
Mr. Halkitis emphasised how countries should promote and use electronic commerce in government-to-government, government-to-business and government-to-individual transaction. Additionally, he said one recommendation said governments, jointly with the private sector should consider the development and implementation of national strategies for e-commerce.
Continuing, he said governments should foster the development of an environment in which business-to-business electronic commerce can continue to flourish. Likewise, he said governments should foster a suitable framework for electronic commerce in the legal system of each country.
Another recommendation is for countries to be encouraged to develop codes of conduct to protect individual privacy and ensure consumer protection to online customers in a manner similar to that afforded to traditional customers.
In addition to the these recommendations, Mr. Halkitis noted that there were what he termed ‘glaring disparities’ between the 34 countries in FTAA as it related to their ability to conduct e-commerce or use the internet.
“Given those disparities, there is a clear threat that unless there is increased knowledge-transfer in the developing economies, there will be a continually widening gap between the rich and the poor countries,” Mr. Halkitis said. “On the other hand, the judicious use of e-commerce could in fact reduce that gap and to do so, the lesser-developed countries would need to receive a fair amount of technical assistance and advice.”
Mr. Halkitis stated that he was happy to announce that the Government has already began a comprehensive review of the e-commerce initiative as there are plans to form clear policy guides aided by programmes to strengthen the country’s growing e-commerce environment.
Highlighting the Government’s proposed e-commerce strategy, Mr. Halkitis said explained that the strategy would be steered by the following issues:
*The principle of universal access that ensures the availability of Internet access to all Bahamians at affordable rates;
*A universal service policy that guarantees internet access free of charge to all public and church operated schools, public libraries, the College of The Bahamas, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, The Bahamas Hotel Training College, the Eugene Dupuch Law School, all public hospitals, clinics, senior citizens homes and orphanages;
*The creation of an internationally compatible legal and regulatory framework that accommodates rules for commercial transactions;
*A conducive system for the protection of intellectual property rights in cyberspace;
*Security, interoperability and interconnection of information systems;
*Protection of personal information, confidentiality of consumer related matters;
* Privacy; and,
*The development of technologically competent human resource capabilities.
By Lisa Albury, The Nassau Guardian
