UPU

Universal Postal Union, UPU was founded in 1874 and became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1948. The UPU headquarters are located in Berne.

Activities

The purpose of the work of the UPU is to

• secure and improve postal services throughout the world
• ensure international collaboration in this area.

Each member country, for example, agrees to the same set of terms for conducting international postal duties.

The UPU aims to achieve worldwide, unimpeded and efficient operation of postal service through

• the protection of postal traffic
• the unification of weight units, payment and accounting principles.

The UPU provides technical support to developing countries in modernizing their postal services.

Structure

The Universal Postal Congress is the supreme authority of the Union. The Congress consists of representatives of all member states meeting every five years. It reviews and revises the UPU instruments, determines the work programme and budget, and elects the Director-General and the Deputy Director General, as well as the members of the Council of Administration and of the Postal Operations Council.

The Council of Administration, consisting of 41 member countries, meets annually. It supervises the UPU activities and studies administrative and legal issues.

The Postal Operations Council is the technical and operational body of the UPU with 40 elected member states.