UN to host forum on 'e-commerce' in Asia

Officials and experts from across Asia and the Pacific will gather at the United Nations office in Bangkok next week to examine how to improve security for Internet sales.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which is hosting the three-day conference opening on 7 July, said the event will allow experts to identify legal gaps hampering e-commerce in the region.

The workshop is considered timely, with "e-business" increasingly seen as essential for access to developed countries' markets.

Though some Asian countries, such as Singapore, pioneered e-trade systems in the late 1980s, today, many States in the region are racing to improve their e-commerce infrastructure, ESCAP said.

Over 100 participants, including ministers, senior officials and experts from over 20 countries are expected to attend the meeting, which is being organized by ESCAP with support from the Government of France.