UPU conference says “embrace the future”

The need to embrace new technologies to improve service and implement a strategy of diversifying the business were messages that came out of the 2010 Universal Postal Union Strategy Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Delegates examined the various factors affecting today’s postal sector and tried to identify the trends and issues that would define its future.

In the end, it was clear that the postal sector is in the midst of a profound transformation and that innovation and service diversification must be key elements of a successful strategy for the future.

“An important risk facing the postal sector, however, is to be passive and not explore new avenues,” said UPU director general Edouard Dayan.

The postal sector, like others, has felt the effects of the economic crisis. Despite declining physical mail volumes, Dayan said the postal sector must be optimistic as other business segments such as parcels and financial services experience significant growth.

In a keynote address, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, called postal services a “public good” that’s lacking in the global economy and reminded the audience that the G20 had recognised the Post as a public service that is an appropriate provider of financial services, especially for those often left aside by traditional banking institutions. “Postal financial services help mobilise savings and that’s important for investing in developing countries. There is a need for inclusive financial services, including remittances.”

The UPU continues to develop its global electronic financial network to help Posts move from paper-based money orders to quick and cost-efficient electronic money order services.

The development of e-commerce continues to fuel the growth of parcel volumes. But customs issues and better integration of the logistics chain must be overcome in order for cross-border e-commerce to develop. In his address, Kunio Mikuriya, secretary general of the World Customs Organization, said that cooperation and partnerships between customs authorities and postal companies were key to improving the movement of goods across borders.

The issue of how to facilitate the entry of Posts from developing countries into the digital age was raised several times, some citing the necessity for more investment in the postal infrastructure and stronger government commitment to the postal sector. But more advanced Posts assured developing countries they were ready to assist them by sharing technology and knowledge.

Through a video link from New York, Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, urged the postal sector to assume its responsibilities in terms of sustainable development and climate change and to continue the activities it had already undertaken.

Effective regulation, concluded Dayan, will be highly important in the light of the changes affecting the postal sector. He also said that these changes would force the UPU to review the way it works, continuing to focus on a regional approach to help member countries and their designated postal operators.

The Strategy Conference launches the start of a process to define the next world postal strategy that the UPU’s 191 member countries will adopt at the Universal Postal Congress in Doha, Qatar, in 2012. A series of regional round tables will be held over the next year to gather the viewpoints of postal stakeholders throughout the world in order to draft the global strategy.

The conference held at UN headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, was attended by close to 600 postal stakeholders representing 116 countries.