Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 July 2020, SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov took part in the video conference "Development of the digital economy and e-commerce within the SCO in the context of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection pandemic", organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In his opening remarks, V. Norov noted that all SCO countries are faced with the threat of a pandemic, which has become a serious challenge for the entire world community, threatens the life and health of people, and has had a negative impact on the socio-economic development of states.

According to him, during the epidemic, the effective, quick online transfer of a significant part of business life, the work of the most important state, educational services showed what powerful technological and human resources the IT sector can be.

“Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of Internet platforms is growing, which not only accelerate the full digitalization of the service sector, but also create a large number of jobs with new business formats, becoming a new incentive for stabilizing employment,” Norov noted.

It should be emphasized that e-commerce, being an innovative means of modern international trade, forms a fundamentally new level of relations between the supplier and the consumer at the global level, leveling the geographical and socio-political boundaries.

The development of international e-commerce at the present stage and the functioning of the world economy is closely related to the number of Internet users.

Currently, there are 2 billion Internet users in the world who shop online.

The global digital trade market, according to UNCTAD experts, made up US$29 trillion. Accordingly, the number of online shoppers has also increased.

According to some estimates, digital commerce currently accounts for about 20% of global trade and is expected to increase to 25% by 2025.

“The pandemic has made it clear that digitalization and ICT are absolutely necessary for the continued functioning of the economy and society as a whole. The modern world is on the verge of unprecedented, one might say, revolutionary technological changes. It seems to me that the future belongs to those who can effectively use the huge potential of the IT industry,” continued the SCO Secretary General.

“The process of digitalization with large-scale transformations in the economic sphere is moving the “pole” of the world economy to the East. Today, most experts agree that in the coming decades, the Eurasian macroregion will become the locomotive of the world economy,” Vladimir Norov said.

The SCO region, covering 60% of the territory of Eurasia and almost half of the world’s population, is a huge market for the implementation of joint innovative projects in the IT and digital economy.

At the SCO summit in Bishkek in June 2019, the leaders of the SCO countries approved the Concept of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in the Sphere of Digitalization and Information and Communication Technologies with the aim of joint -research projects.

At a meeting of the SCO in Tashkent in November last year, the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation of the SCO Member States until 2035 was approved, in which the development of digital trade was identified as a priority area of cooperation.

At the end of his speech, the SCO Secretary General proposed, in order to form an appropriate ecosystem, to develop a Program of Cooperation of the SCO Member States on the Development of Digital Trade, based on the capabilities of UNCTAD, as well as the achievements in this area of the Organization’s locomotives - India, China and Russia and their leading IT companies.

First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Farhod Arziev, in his speech, noted the importance of building capacity to strengthen cooperation for the development of electronic commerce in the SCO space.

He informed the participants about the measures taken to develop the digital economy in the Republic of Uzbekistan, about the adopted regulatory documents in this area, as well as about the work done by the Government of Uzbekistan to implement plans for the development of the digital economy in Uzbekistan.

“Today, the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated into an unprecedented global crisis. We must be prepared for the big changes and challenges that are already taking place in the global economy amid the pandemic crisis. We are talking about fundamental changes in the structure of the global economy, trade, technological and investment flows due to the destruction of the existing production and supply chains, the crisis of some and the development of other industries,” F. Arziev noted.

At the same time, in his opinion, the pandemic challenge opens up new prospects for mutually beneficial and practical cooperation within the SCO. “We have to look into the issue of launching the still untapped additional capabilities, resources and reserves. These, first of all, include new dynamic industries related to digital technologies, e-commerce and other high-tech areas,” said the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

He stressed that Uzbekistan considers the digital agenda not only as a promising direction of economic development, but also as an irreversible process, rapidly penetrating into all spheres of state and public life. “The pandemic only reinforces this tendency, which is observed in everyday activities, from the sector of public services, education, service, trade to interstate relations. We see great potential in the practical implementation of the digital development strategy of Uzbekistan in international cooperation, in particular, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” he stressed.

He supported the initiatives of the SCO Secretary General aimed at developing cooperation between the SCO member states in the field of the digital economy and e-commerce. “We see great potential in the practical implementation of the digital development strategy of Uzbekistan in international cooperation, in particular, within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” F. Arziev summed up.

Deputy Minister of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan A. Nazarov also stressed the importance of developing cooperation on e-commerce and digitalization. He noted that the Government of Uzbekistan gives priority to the development of promising economic sectors based on digital technologies.

“Uzbekistan is promoting digitalization not in one direction, but in all sectors. The economy takes a leading position in this direction. The digital development of the entire region is important for us, as this will push Uzbekistan towards accelerated development,” he said.

He invited IT companies of the SCO region to cooperate, and also announced the readiness of the Republic of Uzbekistan to discuss and adopt best practices in electronic commerce. “We are ready to hold seminars, webinars, as well as conferences that will contribute to the development of the digital economy, human resources and human resources,” Nazarov concluded.

Vice-President of the International Chinese Center for Electronic Commerce (ICETC) Hu Yang spoke about the activities of the Center and noted that ICCET is ready to cooperate with the SCO member states. “We are ready for close cooperation in the development of the industry in the SCO space,” Hu Yang said.

Director of the Department of International Relations and Public Relations, Head of the Alibaba Representative Office in Beijing Luo Ling, in turn, spoke about the activities of Alibaba in promoting the digital economy. She noted that the Alibaba group has its own educational programs aimed at industry professionals who are engaged in e-commerce, and the company also has an interest in developing the industry in the region as a whole.

“Our strategy is ‘inclusive development’ and we strive to work with partners who share our values. I would like to point out that we mainly help with capacity building in this industry. We do not set ourselves the task of conquering the market of other countries,” said Luo Lin.

The videoconference participants noted the importance of holding a series of similar online events to promote creative ideas among the younger generation.

The videoconference was also attended by members of the SCOLAR Network.