The United Nations said that there is a strong need for developing countries to create an enabling legal environment for electronic transactions, as digital trade and cross-border e-commerce become increasingly crucial components in trade deals, according to a legal expert.

'E-commerce is increasingly being recognized and promoted in global and regional free trade agreements (FTAs) through provisions for adopting an enabling environment,' Secretariat of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (Uncitral) legal officer Luca Castellani explained in his presentation on 'Uncitral legal instruments for e-commerce and paperless trade.'