DOHA, Sept 24 (KUNA) -- The 25th Universal Postal Congress of the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU) kick-started here on Monday, attracting more than 2,000 delegates from several world countries.
This year's congress entitled "New World, New Strategy" is going to examine the challenges that have arisen for the global postal sector and how to strengthen its services worldwide.
Addressing the conference, Director General of the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU), Edouard Dayan, said: "These new realities have known no borders and have extended to all postal operators worldwide, regardless of their level of development." He said the Congress that opens today must champion the values of our organization: universality, solidarity and communication among peoples.
"This Congress embraces the values of the postal community, but also heralds the future, that of a modernized, efficient and solid organization, and of global postal services at the heart of the economy, trade and the information society," he added.
In his message to the opening session, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recognized the role of the global postal network in social and economic development.
"Postal services are universal. They connect people throughout the world," he said.
"By serving as natural gateways to the information society, the worlds postal outlets are helping to ensure universal access to communications," Ban added.
The 25th Universal Postal Congress brings together postal leaders and stakeholders from the UPU's 192 member countries to decide on the global postal sectors future.
The Congress will examine proposals to modify the rules and regulations governing the exchange of international mail, as well as major documents recommending the way forward in areas such as postal financial services, quality of service, postal security, e-commerce and trade facilitation.
The three-week meeting hopes to adopt the Doha Postal Strategy, the UPUs strategic document for the future. The strategy underlines the postal networks three dimensions: physical, electronic and financial as well as interconnection, governance and development, as key factors to strengthen postal services worldwide. (end) me.mt KUNA 242304 Sep 12NNNN