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Universal Postal Union

"UPU" redirects here. For other uses, see Upu (disambiguation).
Universal Postal Union
AbbreviationUPU
Formation9 October 1874 (1874-10-09)
TypeUnited Nations specialised agency
Legal statusActive
HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
Head
Director-General
Masahiko Metoki[1]
Parent organization
United Nations Economic and Social Council
Websiteupu.int
Treaty effective October 1874

The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland.[2]

Established in 1874 as the General Postal Union, the UPU is among the oldest extant intergovernmental organizations. It sought to standardize international mail delivery by establishing a uniform postal rate and equal treatment between domestic and foreign mail. The organization adopted its current name in 1878. It operated independently before being incorporated into the UN in 1948.[3]

The UPU contains four bodies: the Congress, the Council of Administration (CA), the Postal Operations Council (POC) and the International Bureau (IB). It also oversees the Telematics and Express Mail Service (EMS) cooperatives, which provide international express mail delivery. Pursuant to the UPU's mission, each member state agrees to the same terms for conducting international postal duties.

  1. ^ "Director General". UPU. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  2. ^ "The UPU". Universal Postal Union website. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Universal Postal Union". UN Chief Executives Board Secretariat. 24 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.

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