阿里巴巴董事局主席馬云上周二表示，互聯網應成為一種全世界都能用到的公用設施。對于聯合國呼吁通過電商促進發展中國家經濟并且消除貧困的倡議，馬云也深表支持。

在聯合國舉辦的一次討論電子商務與經濟發展的會議上，受邀擔任聯合國貿易和發展會議（UNCTAD）青年創業和小企業特別顧問的馬云剛一露面，便成了此次會議的焦點。

馬云在會上表示：“互聯網應被視為一項公用設施，還應該被視為全球化發展的一項基礎設施。將來的一切都是在線的，在線的一切都有數據，而數據將成為創新的能量源泉。”

聯合國貿易和發展會議秘書長穆希薩?基圖伊表示，今年7月，他和馬云將在盧旺達首都基加利與10個非洲國家的總統和年輕企業家見面，敦促這些國家的領導人切實負起責任，幫助這些國家的年輕人口發揮他們的潛力。

馬云表示，在他第一次訪問非洲期間，他將重點關注如何通過電子支付促進當地的包容性和可持續發展，同時也將關注教育和環境保護問題。

作為一名中國公民，馬云還表示，他此行將帶領一支龐大的中國企業家代表團，赴非洲尋找商業和合作機會。

馬云表示，阿里巴巴集團成立至今，已經在中國催生了3300萬個就業崗位，因為每個線上商家至少能夠派生出三個就業機會。今年一月，馬云曾與美國總統特朗普會面，并表示阿里將在美國國內提供100萬個就業機會。

此前，一批發展中國家還發布過一份利用電子商務促進經濟增長、縮小“數字鴻溝”、幫助貧困國家實現經濟發展的路線圖。

去年12月，阿根廷外交部長蘇珊娜?馬爾科拉也在布宜諾斯艾利斯的一次會議上表示，希望世界貿易組織能通過一項新的關于電子商務的規定。

巴基斯坦商務部長庫拉姆?達斯特吉爾?汗指出，到今年年底，全球網民總數將達到全球總人口的一半，而發展中國家的網民數量僅占人口的40%，窮國的網民數量更是僅占人口的15%。

這位部長指出：“發展中國家無法上網的人口絕大部分是貧困居民、女性、老年人、受教育不足者和農村居民。”

他還表示，在電商的發展過程中，像數據保護和對跨境電商購物征稅等問題是必須要解決的，但電子商務也能夠成為“抵御全球化負作用的壁壘”。

另外，這位部長還認為，發展中世界也需要在互聯網上搶占話語權。如今互聯網的話語權基本被亞馬遜、eBay、阿里巴巴等少數互聯網巨頭以及在聯合國安理會擁有否決權的五大常任理事國所壟斷了，而廣大發展中國家也需要聯合起來發出自己的聲音。（財富中文網）

譯者：樸成奎

Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma said on Tuesday the Internet should be a utility available to the whole world, putting his weight behind a U.N. call for e-commerce to boost developing economies and help fight poverty.

Ma, who advises the United Nations trade and development agency UNCTAD on small business and young entrepreneurs, was the star attraction at a conference on e-commerce for development.

"The Internet should be treated as a utility and should be treated also as the infrastructure of global development," he said. "Everything will be online and everything online will have data. And data will be the energy for innovation."

UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said he and Ma would meet in Kigali in July with 10 African presidents and young entrepreneurs, aiming to persuade the politicians of their responsibility to help their young populations realize their potential.

Ma said his first trip to Africa would focus on e-commerce payment to support inclusive and sustainable development, as well as education and environmental protection.

Ma, a Chinese citizen, said he would bring a big group of Chinese business leaders looking for business opportunities and partnership in Africa.

He said Alibaba Group Holding (baba) had created 33 million jobs in China because each small business online could create at least three jobs. He met U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in January and said the firm would create a million U.S. Jobs.

Earlier, a group of developing countries launched a roadmap for using e-commerce to drive growth, narrow the digital divide and help poorer countries develop.

Argentina's Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said she hoped the World Trade Organization would agree a new e-commerce mandate at a meeting in Buenos Aires in December.

Pakistan's Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said only half the world's population would be online by year end—40% in the developing world and 15% in poorer countries.

"The offline population in developing countries is mostly poor, female, elderly, less educated and in rural areas," he said.

Issues such as data protection and taxation of crossbred online purchases must be worked out, he said, but e-commerce could be "a bulwark against the negative effects of globalisation."

The developing world needed a voice, he said, comparing a small group of internet giants, such as Amazon, eBay and Alibaba, to the veto-wielding nations of the U.N. Security Council.