Governments approve modernisation and diversification strategy for world Posts

The 192 countries in the Universal Postal Union (UPU) have officially approved the Doha PostalStrategy giving the world’s postal operators the political green light to modernise operations and

The 2013-2016 strategy, which was formally adopted yesterday at the 25th Universal PostalCongress currently taking place in Doha, Qatar, gives the UPU broad lines of action and definesregional priorities for the next four years. It is also intended to provide guidance to postalauthorities and governments as they develop their own national postal strategies and policies.

Postal operators worldwide face challenges and threats but also opportunities. While electronicsubstitution and diversification by communication media continue to threaten traditional letters,the growth of e-commerce and international trade, as well as the need for more social and economicinclusion of all sections of the population, herald new areas of development for postal services,the UPU said.

The Doha Postal Strategy has four proposed goals for 2016: to improve the interoperability ofthe international postal networks; to provide technical expertise to develop the sector; to promoteinnovative products and services (physical, financial and digital/electronic); and to fostersustainable development of the postal sector.

“The rapid pace of change and transformation requires a greater capacity to react and adjust,and to do so quickly,” said Canada’s Terry Dunn, who steered the UPU group in charge of draftingthe Doha Postal Strategy. “There is a fundamental transformation taking place in the postalbusiness, and this is having an impact on the physical side. People want to receive their messagesdifferently, with the same assurances of trust and security they associate with the post.”

In the Doha Postal Strategy, the UPU and its members pledge to improve the efficiency of postalnetworks by using technology and standards to better interconnect them and encourage innovation toimprove existing core letter-post and parcels services while diversifying the business. They willalso strive to make the UPU a key forum for exchanging ideas and best practices, and work on thesustainability of postal business models.

In addition, the Doha Postal Strategy recognises that the concept of universal postal serviceshould be understood in a broader sense. “Recent changes in postal business models point to theneed for a universal service that is adapted to today’s technological environment as well as to thechanging market realities,” Dunn explained, adding that it is up to each member country to definethe scope of its universal service.

Alongside the broad goals identified in the document, more specific programmes will allow theUPU to carry out its mission of stimulating the lasting development of efficient and accessibleuniversal postal services to facilitate communication. It does this by guaranteeing the freecirculation of items over a single postal territory made up of interconnected networks, encouragingthe adoption of fair common standards and the use of technology, ensuring cooperation andinteraction among stakeholders, promoting effective technical cooperation, and ensuring thesatisfaction of customers’ changing needs.
  
The UPU said it will use its status as an intergovernmental organisation to promote thepostal sector’s role as a motor for socio-economic development, fostering trade domestically andacross borders and contributing to poverty reduction and financial inclusion. The strategy wasdrafted after a comprehensive analysis of the world environment and consultation process withmember countries.

Earlier during the three-week Congress, the UPU was given a trade facilitation mandate to helpPosts bring simplified export processes to their business customers and in particular assist SMEsin international business. One model is Brazil’s Exporta Fácil programme that is being rolled outin other South American countries and which the UPU has been authorised to provide to all membercountries.

In 2011, some 5.4 million employees processed and delivered 363 billion domestic letter-postitems annually, as well as some 4.7 billion international items and over 6 billion parcels,while some 660,000 postal establishments make the postal network the largest physical distributionnetwork in the world, according to UPU statistics.