Dubai, 26th June 2010 — ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and certification authority of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) program in the Gulf region and Iraq, has drawn attention to the significant development currently underway in the region with the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for commercial transactions. The Foundation cited a recent study by Business Monitor International (BMI), which projects the volume of electronic commercial transactions in the GCC to rise to USD 100 billion in goods and services this year.

ICDL has reported that the imminent electronic transformation and the growing digital awareness are the primary contributing factors to the growth of e-Commerce. This growth has prompted further investments in both modern technologies that have helped expand trade over the Internet and also in the provision of the required infrastructure, shaping the Gulf region into a successful model for ICT implementations among other Arab countries.

Because e-Commerce has become an integral component of the global economy, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is considering how it fits into the multilateral trade framework and what commercial rules or regulations should apply. It has gone further to appoint councils from each ‘cross-cutting’ issue to investigate the effect of e-Commerce on global trade. These councils include the Council on Trade in Goods; the Council on Trade in Services; the Council on Trade-Related Intellectual Property; and the Committee on Trade and Development.

The growth of e-Commerce in the region has led to increased focus on strategic planning to promote digital awareness in an attempt to reach a knowledge-based economy, which already had a positive impact on various e-Government initiatives launched in the region. In the same context, trade experts saw that the GCC member states are diligently working