Hanne Melin, Director of Global Public Policy, eBay Public Policy Lab
Recently, the World Trade Organization (WTO) held their annual Public Forum event and eBay was prominent in highlighting the importance of technology-enabled trade in promoting inclusiveness. Hanne Melin, Director of Global Public Policy, participated in the Opening Debate Session along with Director-General of the WTO, Roberto Azevêdo, EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström and other luminaries of international trade.
During this session, Hanne made a strong argument for inclusive trade and noted that Internet-enabled small business trade will help make globalization more understandable because businesses of all sizes and consumers are able to directly see the benefits. Hanne stressed how internet-enabled micro and small businesses were using the eBay platform to expand globally and reach far more export destinations than their traditional business counterparts. “What is unique in today’s economy is that technology-enabled small businesses can engage in global commerce as independent companies, within their own brands, within their own capacity, and almost irrespective of where they are located. Studies show that most micro-businesses and remote-based businesses, when given the chance, can and do find customers beyond their borders,” she noted.
The Forum is the WTO’s flagship event, with more than 2,000 attendees, and provides a unique platform for heads of state and leading global businesspeople, academics and non-governmental organizations to come together and discuss some of the major trade and development issues of the day. This year’s theme was “Inclusive Trade”, and the Forum served as an opportunity to discuss how a wider range of individuals and businesses can participate in the trading system and how WTO rules can help to ensure everyone benefits from trade.
At the opening of the Forum, the WTO released their World Trade Report 2016, which looks at how the international trade landscape is changing for SMEs, new opportunities, challenges, and what the multilateral trading system does and can do to encourage more widespread and inclusive SME participation in global markets. The Report frequently cites eBay Public Policy Lab research and data to demonstrate how internet-enabled SMEs are trading globally at rates that dwarf their traditional business counterparts, regardless of their country of origin. The Report notes that these SMEs are now able to compete in a space once reserved for only large multinational firms and this offers new growth opportunities, especially to SMEs in developing countries.
“Our participation at the WTO Public Forum is an incredible recognition of eBay’s work to empower a more inclusive and prosperous global economy,” said Tekedra Mawakana, Vice President Global Government Relations & Public Policy. “The work of the eBay Public Policy Lab has advanced SME-related trade policy discussions with senior ranking government officials around the world.”
Brian Bieron, Executive Director of the eBay Public Policy Lab, also attended the Public Forum and had the opportunity to discuss eBay’s trade issues with WTO Director-General Azevêdo, the Deputy Director of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, senior country trade mission officials, and numerous Ambassadors including those from the United States, Canada, Singapore, Sweden, New Zealand, and Mauritius. Brian also participated on a panel discussion hosted by the World SME Forum focused on “Unlocking Inclusive Trade for SMEs through Cross-Border e-Commerce”. Brian highlighted eBay data showing that businesses on the eBay platform with $10,000 or more in annual sales are almost always exporters, with numbers approaching 90% or more in nearly every country in the world. This stands in stark contrast to traditional businesses, of which less than 5% are exporters for most countries. “The economies of scale for traditional firms simply impose barriers that lock all of those enterprises out. On the platforms, we see just the opposite – they’re almost all exporters,” he said.
Front Row, From Left to Right: Liu Xin, Chief Correspondent of CCTV; Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of the WTO; Cecilia Malmström, EU Trade Commissioner; Hanne Melin, Director of Global Public Policy, eBay.
Back Row, From Left to Right:Roy Ombatti, Founder of African Born 3D Printer; Okechukwu E. Enelamah, Industry, Trade & Investment Minister of Nigeria; John Danilovich, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce