Tag: Switzerland

The UPU Consultative Committee Puts Forward a Proposal

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

During its 24th assembly held in Geneva, the UPU Congress unanimously approved a proposal called: “Leveraging wider sector involvement to make development cooperation more effective and forward-looking”.

In particular, the Congress proposal request that all postal operators:

– Embrace cost-effective technologies that facilitate the secure collection of revenues

– Seek the expertise of the members of the Consultative Committee, the private sector body of the UPU when implementing these technologies

The development of partnerships with the private sector is also encouraged. This is the first time, since the UPU started to open up to the private sector in 2004 at its Bucharest Congress, that the UPU Congress approves a proposal originating from the wider sector in an area other than standardization.

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UNI encourages UPU to do more for sustainable development

Posted by | Aug 1, 2008 | |

Speaking at the UPU Congress debate on sustainable development, Head of UNI Post & Logistics Global Union, Neil Anderson, encouraged the delegates to become more active in the work of the UPU on sustainable development. He said UNI was pleased to have been part of the social dialogue activities that had been run in Africa and Europe and was hoping to encourage other regions to be part of the dialogue. As a member of the UPU Consultative Committee UNI Global Union was also wanting the issue of social inclusion and workers rights to be part of that committee’s agenda and would be working to include the new operators in that work. He said that to date the Postal Sector has an excellent history of being socially responsible and UNI wanted to encourage all UPU members and Consultative Committee members to continue that tradition and work to ensuring that all postal workers enjoyed workers rights.

The Rapporteur for the sustainable development agenda item, Patrick Widloecher from France, speaking after UNI, told delegates that he totally agreed with UNI and that post had to be socially responsible and respect the rights and aims of workers to be involved in the development of their industry. He said that postal administrations must recognise that workers were an integral part of the industry and must be consulted and included in the changes that the industry was facing particularly in respect of climate change. He said they were citizens and consumers also and if Posts wanted to have a workforce committed to making positive change they must be included in and be part of that change.

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UPU adopts new four-year roadmap

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

UPU member countries unanimously adopted a new four-year roadmap for the worldwide postal sector during yesterday’s (30th July) plenary session of the 24th Universal Postal Congress.

Jean-Luc Dutordoit, from the Belgian delegation, presenting the new world postal strategy to delegates of the 24th Universal Postal Congress in Geneva.

The strategy comprises four objectives that the government of UPU member countries will work to achieve between 2009 and 2012, in collaboration with their regulators, designated postal operators and regional postal associations.

In addition to improving the interoperability, quality and efficiency of the world postal network, the strategy aims to stimulate a universal postal service adapted to the social, economic and technological environment; promote sustainable development of the postal sector and its economy; and foster the growth of the postal market(s) and services.

The strategy’s objectives basically cover what was provided for in the previous Bucharest World Postal Strategy, but they are more detailed and better focused on 18 programmes. They are also based on the three main areas, including the interoperability of postal networks, development and governance.

The implementation will be carried out using a regional approach based on well-defined indicators, which will allow achievements and shortcomings to be monitored.

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The UPU's mission to remain the same

Posted by | Jul 31, 2008 | |

Even though a majority of UPU member countries voted in favour of it, a proposal to expand the UPU’s fundamental mission was rejected yesterday (30th July) during a plenary session of the 24th Universal Postal Congress after it failed to obtain sufficient support.

The proposed amendment to the preamble of the UPU Constitution needed the support of at least two thirds of member countries having the right to vote at Congress, i.e. 171 of the 191 Union member countries.

The United States of America, supported by Norway, opposed the change, which went to a vote.

In the end, 97 countries voted in favour of the new proposed mission, while 28 voted against it and 17 abstained. Despite the positive result, 114 favourable votes were needed for the proposal to be adopted.

The document proposed that Congress adopt a new UPU mission that covered the full extent of the postal sector’s role and scope and, consequently, the current role and scope of the UPU, including its role as a United Nations specialized agency. In particular, the mission would have recalled the adherence of the UPU to the United Nations Organization and the postal sector’s contribution to fostering trade and promoting economic and social development worldwide.

Some countries defended the document, saying that the proposed mission better described the current reality of the postal sector, which is not limited to the distribution of letters and parcels. Others added that this new context would enable them to more easily obtain financing for development projects.

The United States argued that the UPU should focus on the core activities mentioned in the current mission, which is “to stimulate the lasting sustainable development of efficient and accessible universal postal services of quality in order to facilitate communication between the inhabitants of the world”.

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New book on postal economics

Posted by | Jul 28, 2008 | |

Will postal services be the infrastructure of the 21st century? This is the question asked in a new book published by the UPU, and presented to delegates at the 24th Universal Postal Congress.

This book, which is the work of economists Joëlle Toledano, Chair of the UPU’s Postal Economics Group, and a member of the French Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation Authority, and Jose Anson of the International Bureau, broadens the terms of an economic debate which has hitherto focused overwhelmingly on the Posts of industrialized countries. The five chapters of the book provide a global overview of the factors driving the growth of postal markets, and some possible positive developments in the future.

At a press conference held last week to review the state of the worldwide postal sector, Jose Anson identified four challenges facing the postal sector in developing countries:

First, the switch from fee-paying delivery to delivery entirely at the sender’s expense: in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, addressees’ mail is delivered not to their door, but to a rented post office box. Besides the fact that addressees should not have to pay to receive their post, this system tends to be detrimental to services like the water and electricity companies, as their bills cannot be delivered to all their customers by post. What is more, this system holds back the development of addressing systems which benefit not only Posts, but also other essential bodies, such as the emergency services.

Second, the move from an administrative to a commercial approach: postal operators should abandon the administrative principle in favour of a customer-focused approach.

Third, the physical infrastructure remains essential in the 21st century: as electronic services grow more and more important, one might think that postal services had become obsolete. However, it should not be forgotten that it is not physically possible to send parcels and money via the Internet. The postal infrastructure, with its 660,000 post offices, has a significant advantage in being able to use its network to implement a whole series of development policies, from offering financial services to people without access to banking services, to facilitating trade for micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

Finally, the importance of a regulatory framework: the presence of a very large number of players sharing in a market without clear regulation can be a significant brake on market development in a country, hence the importance of a regulatory framework that is sufficiently clear to make delivery economically viable.

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