The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the second oldest international organization in the world, established in 1874, with a seat in Bern (Switzerland). It has been a specialized agency of the United Nations since 1948. Today it has 192 member countries and the Republic of Croatia has been a full member of the UPU since 1992.
Today, the UPU is the main forum for cooperation between all stakeholders of the postal sector to ensure a universal network for the provision of contemporary products and services. In this sense, the UPU has the role of advising, mediating, connecting and providing technical assistance where necessary, as well as establishing rules for the international exchange of postal items and making recommendations to encourage the growth and development of letter, parcel and financial services and to improve the quality of service for users of the aforementioned services.
The work of the UPU takes place within four main bodies – the Congress, the Council of Administration, the Postal Operations Council and the International Bureau.
The Congress is the supreme authority of the Universal Postal Union that meets every four years. Authorized representatives of all UPU member countries participate in its work. The Congress discusses and adopts a new world postal strategy and establishes future rules for the international exchange of postal items. An Extraordinary Congress may be convened at the request of at least two thirds of member countries of the UPU. The UPU has held four Extraordinary Congresses to date: one in 1900 in Bern, one in 2018 in Addis Ababa, one in 2019 in Geneva and one in 2023 in Riyadh. The next Universal Postal Congress will be held in 2025 in Dubai.
The Council of Administration, which consists of 41 member countries, ensures the continuity of the UPU’s work between Congresses, supervises its activities and addresses regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal issues. The Council of Administration has the authority to approve new regulations and procedures until the next Congress to respond in a timely manner to the challenges of changes in the postal sector. It is responsible for coordinating technical assistance to member countries and can also take various measures to address urgent issues.
The Postal Operations Council, which consists of 48 member countries, is the technical and operational mind of the UPU. This Council addresses the operational, economic and commercial aspects of the postal business. It also makes recommendations to member countries on standards for technological, operational or other processes when necessary.
The International Bureau acts as the secretariat of the UPU and provides logistical and technical support to the bodies of the organization, employing around 250 staff members from around 50 member countries. The Bureau promotes technical cooperation between member countries and is assisted on the ground by regional coordinators, especially with regard to assisting postal operators in developing countries in planning, preparing and implementing their postal business development projects. At the last, 27th UPU Congress held in 2021 in Abidjan, Masahiko Metoki (Japan) was elected Director General of the UPU International Bureau and Marjan Osvald (Slovenia) was elected as his Deputy.
This year, the 150th anniversary of the UPU will be celebrated in the postal sector around the world. As part of this celebration, the International Bureau of the UPU has invited all postal operators to issue commemorative stamps to mark this important anniversary. In addition, a large number of philatelic editions on this topic are expected. Thus, the Croatian Post is also joining this celebration in the jubilee year of the UPU with this commemorative stamp. It will be issued on 9 October, on World Post Day and the anniversary of the establishment of the UPU.
Krešo Antonović, dipl.ing.el.
Director of the Civil Aviation, Electronic
Communications and Postal Services Directorate
Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure
