The trump administration announced wednesday that the us will withdraw from the universal postal union upu, the organization that coordinates postal policy around the world. Postal universal service obligation uso international. Union postale magazine established in 1875 reports on developments from the international postal sector and the upu primarily to stakeholders from its 192 member countries readers include governments, regulators, chief executives, operational experts, postoffice employees, strategic thinkers, industry suppliers, academics, philatelists and anyone else with a keen. Postal power and the universal postal union information about the universal postal union the upu, universal postal union, in berne, switzerland, is an extremely significant organization in todays world. Trump changes terminal dues and epacket rates the atlantic. Universal postal union upu, specialized agency of the united nations that aims to organize and improve postal service throughout the world and to ensure international collaboration in this area. The mission of the universal postal union, as stated in the upu constitution and recalled in the doha postal strategy 202016, is as follows. The universal postal union upu is an intergovernmental organisation and a global forum for cooperation between governments on topics related to the postal sector and international postal services. The international financial system application ifs is a standalone application, which takes care of the electronic transfer of international money orders. Upu member postal administrations are major players in the global paperbased communication industry, providing a vast array of services to the population. Members of the universal postal union and their join dates.
The upu contains four bodies consisting of the congress, the council of administration, the postal operations council and the international bureau. Universal postal union, universal postal convention, article 3. The universal postal union upu system of terminal dues governs payments between designated postal operators for the transport, sorting, and delivery of crossborder letter post items in the destination country. Ifs uses electronic data interchange edi to send international money order data electronically, using sophisticated data encryption techniques to ensure the integrity of the data sent. Typically, these mailpieces have a thumbprint on them and make reference to upu 141. Postal technology centre, ptc, universal postal union, upu. The postal service continued to play a leadership role in the activities of the universal postal union upu during the postal operations council poc and the council of administration ca meetings held in the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009 during the fall session, the four major poc committees, focusing on letters, parcels, financial services, and. Terminal dues impact on financial transfers final 22. In 1964, states that had become members of the upu by ratifying the treaty of bern were deemed to have ratified the constitution of the universal postal union the join dates shown are generally those of the independent. The postal sector which includes express services employs about 1. The upu universal postal union in berne, switzerland, is an extremely significant organization in todays world. Members of the universal postal union and their join dates pdf.
Universal postal union convention and final protocol signed at paris june 1, 1878 1 ratified and approved by the postmaster general of the united states august, 1878 approved by the president of the united states august, 1878 enteredinto force april 1, 1879 modified by additional act of march 21, 1885 2 terminated by convention ofjuly 4, 1891 3 20 stat. Postal universal service obligation uso international comparison international postal liberalization comparative study of us and key countries july 2008. The postal services of the upus 189 member countries form the largest physical distribution network in. The universal postal union, established by the treaty of bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the united nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. Procedure countries which do not form part of the union are. Universal postal union international bureau of the universal postal union 9 october 1874. Ratified and approved by the postmaster general of the united. Constitution and general regulations manual universal postal. The universal postal union the real the post office. Will remain in postal treaty after emergency talks. New dates will be proposed once it is felt that the event can be held safely.
The postal technology centre provides to the worldwide postal operators products and services for mail and parcels, tracking and tracing, edi messages, electronic money order, international postal money order and postal. The united states will also file a notice that it will withdraw from the universal postal union, the white house said, though if it can negotiate new agreements with other countries, it will not. Universal postal union universal postal convention with final protocol and detailed regulations. Each member agrees to the same terms for conducting international. To stimulate the lasting development of efficient and accessible universal postal services of quality in order. Registered by austria and switzerland on 1 december 1967. The upu contains four bodies consisting of the congress, the council of administration ca, the postal operations council. Concluded at hamburg on 27 july 1984 authentic text.
Const or constitution constitution of the universal postal union conv or convention universal postal convention dm decimetre do designated operator doc document of congresses, ca, poc, etc. It also oversees the telematics and express mail service cooperatives. On 9 october 1874 britain and 21 other nations signed a. The aim of the postal services directive is to ensure that affordable, high quality and efficient postal services are. A universal service obligation uso refers to a set of requirements put in place to ensure that all users receive a minimum level of service, regardless of the cost to the provider. Universal postal union international bureau berne, 11 may 2009 address postal account bank accounts universal postal union weltpoststrasse 4 p. Among the principles governing its operation as set forth in the universal postal convention and the general regulations, two of the most important were the formation of a single territory by. Universal postal union, which incorporated the treaty of bern and added provisions to it. The original post was by ranier fuchs, with subsequent posts by others identifying additional documents. Const or constitution constitution of the universal postal union conv or convention universal postal convention dm decimetre do designated operator doc document of congresses, conferences, executive council, etc. Stamp history 1949 universal postal union anniversary.
The purpose of the postal union is also to assure the organization and perfection of the various interna tional postalservices. The universal postal union upu oversees the exchange of mail between foreign countries. In addition to recommendations specific to each country, you will also find below rules and more general information on international addressing that apply to all countries. Universal postal union convention reports convention year url this portal to the various universal postal union convention documents was inspired by a post on sep 19, 2018 on the philamercury board operated by richard frajola. Prepare your business for changes to the universal postal. Letter mail is generally defined by the upu as, among other things, letters and postcards, aerogrammes, printed matter newspapers, periodicals, addressed or unaddressed advertising materials, small packets, and literature for the blind.
No nation can be recognized as a nation without being in international admiralty in order to have a forum common to all nations for. The universal postal union established by the treaty of bern of 1874, is a specialized agency. Upu member postal services are obliged to exchange an irc for. International financial system, ifs, postal technology. Quantification of financial transfers caused by universal. Heres why trump threatened to pull out of a 144yearold. Universal postal union postal addressing systems in. The fourteenth congress of the universal postal union was held from august 14 to october 3, 1957, in ottawa, canada, under the chairmanship of mr.
Universal postal union 75th anniversary date of issue. Under the acts of the upu, each postal operator that receives mail has the right to collect payment from the originating post to compensate for costs incurred to deliver that mail. At roundtable on remuneration rates, upu dg summons spirit of geneva to guide organization to abidjan universal postal congress. Directory of statistical services of international. Upu rates are used by many postal operators across the world, both directly and indirectly as a fallback provision. List of members of the universal postal union wikipedia. If you are an international ecommerce seller, youll need to keep an eye on fluctuating rates in the future. Designation of member countries prepared to assume the vicechairmanships of congress and. Concluded between the union of south africa, albania, gennany, the. International bureau of the universal postal union. The new upu terms allow some flexibility in setting rates. Universal postal union 24th congress congresdoc 40.
Postal services play a key role for eu citizens and businesses in the single market. The newest member is south sudan, which joined on 4 october 2011 before 10 july 1964, states became members of the. Rarcwp15001 guiding principles for a new universal. A uso is commonly used when there is concern that absent a uso, service.
Opening the world round table on remuneration wrtr on 14 february, pascal clivaz, deputy director general of the universal postal union said, we must hold on to this spirit, the spirit of geneva, as we head for. General regulations of the universal postal union recast and adopted by the 2012 doha congress the undersigned plenipotentiaries of the governments of member countries of the union, having regard to article 22. An international reply coupon irc is a coupon that can be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for an unregistered priority airmail letter of up to twenty grams sent to another universal postal union upu member country. Today, 220 countries and territories are part of the upu. Directory of statistical services of international organisations universal postal union upu brief description of the organisation1 established in 1874, the universal postal union upu, based in the swiss capital berne, is the second oldest international organization and a specialized agency of the united nations. The postal technology centre ptc manages and coordinates the universal postal union s upu telematics and technology activities and projects. Ee15080001xch, le142565858us, cp225658529jp please note that the upu does not provide tracking information by phone.
They are numbered in the order in which they were examined in plenary or in committee. Starting in january 2021, international shipping prices from the us to other countries could rise. The trump administration had threatened to leave the body, the universal postal union, after oct. Const or constitution constitution of the universal postal union. Universal postal union international postal agency. Provisions of the universal postal convention and its regulations supple mented by. Established in 1874 and is second oldest international organization worldwide after international telecommunication union itu which was established in 1865. Universal postal union united nations treaty collection. The 192 members of the universal postal union are listed below in alphabetical order, with the date of membership. Agreement concerning postal parcels with final protocol and. The universal postal union has 191 member countries, in addition to the us. Address elements, formatting an international address and position of the address on the envelope.