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Universal Postal Union

Coordinates: 46°56′20″N 7°28′31″E / 46.93881°N 7.475306°E / 46.93881; 7.475306
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Union postale universelle
Universal Postal Union
EstablishedOctober 9, 1874
TypeUN agency
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersSwitzerland Bern, Switzerland
Websitewww.upu.int

The Universal Postal Union (UPU, Template:Lang-fr) is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration (CA), the Postal Operations Council (POC) and the International Bureau (IB). It also oversees two cooperatives including the Telematics and EMS Cooperatives respectively. Each member agrees to the same terms for conducting international postal duties. The UPU’s headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland.[1]

Overview

Prior to the establishment of the UPU, each country had to prepare a separate postal treaty with other nations it wished to carry international mail to or from. To simplify the complexity of this system, the United States called for an International Postal Congress in 1863. This led Heinrich von Stephan, Royal Prussian and later German Minister for Posts, to found the Universal Postal Union. It’s currently the third oldest international organization after the Rhine Commission and the ITU. The UPU was created in 1874, initially under the name "General Postal Union", as a result of the Treaty of Bern signed on October 9th 1874. Four years later, the name was changed to "Universal Postal Union.”[2]

The UPU established that:

  1. There should be a uniform flat rate to mail a letter anywhere in the world
  2. Postal authorities should give equal treatment to foreign and domestic mail
  3. Each country should retain all money it has collected for international postage.

One of the most important results of the UPU Ttreaty was that it ceased to be necessary, as it often had been previously, to affix the stamps of any country through which one's letter or package would pass in transit. The UPU provides that stamps of member nations are accepted for the entire international route.

After the foundation of the United Nations in 1945, the UPU became a specialized agency of the UN. In 1969, the UPU introduced a new system of payment where fees were payable between countries according to the difference in the total weight of mail between them. These fees were called terminal dues. Ultimately, this new system was fairer when traffic was heavier in one direction than the other. As this affected the cost of the delivery of periodicals, the UPU devised a new "threshold" system, which it later implemented in 1991.[3]

The system sets separate letter and periodical rates for countries which receive at least 150 tons of mail annually. For countries with less mail, the original flat rate is still maintained. The United States has negotiated a separate terminal dues formula with thirteen European countries that includes a rate per piece plus a rate per kilogram. IT has a similar arrangement with Canada. The UPU also operates the system of International Reply Coupons and addresses concerns with ETOEs.

In the UPU Monument (Weltpostdenkmal) in Bern, bronze and granite, by René de Saint-Marceaux, the five continents join to transmit messages around the globe[4]

UPU standards

Standards are important prerequisites for effective postal operations and for interconnecting the global network. The UPU's Standards Board develops and maintains a growing number of international standards to improve the exchange of postal-related information between postal operators. It also promotes the compatibility of UPU and international postal initiatives. The organization works closely with postal handling organizations, customers, suppliers and other partners, including various international organizations. The Standards Board ensures that coherent regulations are developed in areas such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), mail encoding, postal forms and meters. UPU standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in Part V of the “General information on UPU Standards”[5] and are published by the UPU International Bureau in accordance with Part VII of that publication.

Member countries

Main article: List of members of the Universal Postal Union

The United Nations member states may all become member countries of the UPU. A non-member state of the United Nations may also become a UPU member if two-thirds of the UPU member countries approve its request.

Member states of UPU are 188 of the UN members and the Vatican City. The newest member is Montenegro, which joined on 26 July 2006.

The non-state members are Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (which are represented as a single UPU member)[6] and the British overseas territories (which are represented as a single UPU member). The UPU currently has 191 members (189 states and 2 joint memberships of dependent territories groups).

Palestine was granted special observer status to the UPU in 1999, and in 2008 Israel agreed for its mail to be routed through Jordan.[7][8] Palestine status will likely be upgraded to full membership in the near future.[citation needed]

Non-members of UPU are Andorra, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, the Micronesia, Niue, Palau and the rest of the states with limited recognition. Cook Islands and Niue are represented by New Zealand (they are in free association with it). Andorra, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau have their mail delivered trough some UPU member (the United States for the Compact of Free Association states and France and Spain for Andorra.[citation needed]).

The Republic of China joined the UPU on 1 March 1914. After the People's Republic of China was founded, the Republic of China continued to represent China in the UPU, until the UPU decided on 13 April 1972 to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative. This results in International Reply Coupons not being available for Taiwan. Mail addressed to Taiwan will still be delivered there, albeit routed through a[which?] third country.

The other states with limited recognition such as Somaliland and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also need to have their mail routed through third countries as the UPU will not allow direct international deliveries (The TRNC's mail goes via Turkey and Somaliland's mail via Ethiopia).

100 years of the UPU on a US postage stamp.

UPU Congresses

Main article: Postal Union Congress

The Universal Postal Congress is the most important body of the UPU. The main purpose of the quadrennial Congress is to examine proposals to amend the Acts of the UPU, including the UPU Constitution, General Regulations, Convention and Postal Payment Services Agreement. The Congress also serves as forum for participating member countries to discuss a broad range of issues affecting international postal services, such market trends, regulation and other strategic issues. The first UPU Congress was held in Bern, Switzerland, in 1874 in which delegates of 22 countries participated. UPU Congresses are held every four years. Delegates to Congress often receive special philatelic albums produced by member countries covering the period since the previous Congress.

Philatelic activities

The Universal Postal Union, in conjunction with the World Association for the Development of Philately (WADP), has developed the WADP Numbering System (WNS), launched on 1 January 2002. The web site[9] has entries for some 160 countries and emitting postal entities, with over 25,000 registered stamps since 2002. Many of them have images, which generally remain copyrighted by the issuing country, but which the UPU and WADP permit to be downloaded.

References and sources

Notes
  1. ^ "The UPU". Retrieved 12 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "About History". Retrieved 16 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Adams, Cecil (December 12th, 1990). "Why Does the US Deliver Foreign Mail When We Don't Get Any Money for the Stamps?". Retrieved 16 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  4. ^ A postage stamp honoring the sculptor and the monument was issued jointly by Switzerland and France.
  5. ^ "UPU Postal Standardization Activities" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  6. ^ In most treaties which are valid throughout the Kingdom of the Netherlands, its three countries (Netherlands, Aruba, Netherlands Antilles) are represented as a single entity
  7. ^ "Palestinian parcel post gets a boost". Universal Postal Union (UPU). Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  8. ^ "Israel and Palestinians to boost postal services with help from UN agency". Un.org. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  9. ^ WnsStamps Website
Sources
  • Codding, G.A. (1964). The Universal Postal Union : coordinator of the international mails. New York: New York University Press.
  • "General Postal Union; October 9, 1874". The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. The Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman. Retrieved 2008-04-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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46°56′20″N 7°28′31″E / 46.93881°N 7.475306°E / 46.93881; 7.475306

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