The Fourth Myanmar Digital Rights Forum took place on 28/29 February 2020 at Rose Garden Hotel, Yangon attended by over 350 participants, including senior government officials, MPs, civil society organisations, media, businesses and international human rights and digital rights experts and academics. Read more: https://www.myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org/news/digital-rights-forum-2020.html

1. E-Commerce : Challenging
Opportunities for Myanmar?
Khin Thidar Aye
ASEAN Affairs Department
MOFA
4th Digital Rights Forum
29 February 2020

2. Opportunities to Unlock
 ASEAN E-commerce market size : USD 200 billion in 2025
(Google Temasek, E-Conomy SEA, 2017)
 ASEAN E-commerce Agreement signed on 12 Nov. 2018
means better facilitated regional e-market.
 Myanmar’s Services Export potential[ current share 1% of
400 billion USD ASEAN Services Exports in 2018, ASYB 2019]
 Myanmar’s Goods Export Potential[current share 1.6% of 1
trillion USD ASEAN Goods Exports in 2018, ASYB 2019]
 Myanmar’s Tourism potential [current share 2.2% of 135
million in 2018 , ASYB 2019]

3. Opportunities for individual
players
 Five key types of digital platforms, search engines,
social media, videos, blogs and emails are easily
available for individuals and MSMEs for marketing their
products and services
 New Merchants, Distribution & Marketing Agents earns
 Delivery and Logistics Services
 Mobile payment services
 Consumers’ ease of access to goods and services

4. Why Challenging?
For Consumers
 Constant Marketing at your palm with or without your
consent (Bring ease to some but not to others)
 Risk of products quality assurances
 Risk of delivery delays
 Risk of the security for online payments
 Lack of awareness on complaint and redress
mechanism and weak understanding on what
constitutes violation of consumers’ rights

5. Why Challenging?
For Businesses
 Low level of Digitization of MSMEs [16% of ASEAN
MSMEs, Study outcomes ACC Nov. 2018] Myanmar MSMEs
need to adopt new technology to improve their
productivity and be competitive in the region.
 Difficult to secure employees with adequate digital skills
 Difficult to secure consumers’ and bankers’ trust
 Surge of Counterfeit products calls for better IP
protection
 Need better, adequate and less costly trade logistics
 More secured and smoother Transnational payment
systems

6. Why Challenging?
For Government
 Technology outpacing policy and regulatory
development
 Securing disaggregated Data on e-commerce
 Inadequate Capacity provision to digital
consumers and digital businesses
 Inadequate Regulatory Capacity to
[autonomous and professional bodies]

7. Good News for Moving Forward
 Policy and Legal Structure
 Infrastructure (Soft, Hard)
 Regional Tools are available to be utilized such as :
 Videos and info graphics on on-line shopping(Mid
March 2020)
 Online business Code of Conduct (developed with
GIZ’s support)
 ‘ASEAN Guidelines for Accountability and
Responsibility of E-market Providers’
 Guide for Digital Financial Services(formulating)

8. Good News for Moving Forward
 ASEAN Action Agenda for Women Economic
Empowerment
 ASEAN Action Agenda for MSME digitization
 Digital Skills for ASEAN Rural MSMEs &
under employed youths (ongoing works of
Asia Foundation and Google)

9. Good News for Moving Forward
 ASEAN High-Level Principles on Consumer
Protection at aseanconsumer.org
 ASEAN Consumer Empowerment Index
(ongoing)
 ASEAN Online Dispute Resolution
Mechanism (ongoing study)
 Alternative Dispute Resolution Guideline
(expected by end of 2020)

10. Good News for Moving Forward
 Guideline on Cross Border B2C Complaints
(working on GIZ consultants’ draft)
 ASEAN Frameworks on Digital
Governance(2018)
 ASEAN CERTs feasibility study (Singapore on-
going study)
 Digital Payment Policy Frameworks (expected
by end of 2021)

11. Thank You