Singapore reelected to the Postal Operations Council of the Universal Postal Union

1. Singapore was re-elected to the 48-member Postal Operations Council (POC) of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The election was held during the 27th Congress of the UPU held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 26 August 2021.

2. The 192-member UPU is a United Nations specialised agency that serves as the key forum for setting rules for international mail exchanges and cooperation between postal regulators around the world. The POC, one of four bodies1 under the UPU, sets the technical, operational and economic policies governing the international postal network.

3. This marks the second consecutive term that Singapore has successfully run for membership of the POC. As a POC member, Singapore plays a key role in enhancing international postal services and transforming postal operations to meet the challenges of an increasingly digital and connected world.

4. On Singapore’s successful re-election, Minister for Communications and Information Mrs Josephine Teo said, “Singapore is honoured to be re-elected to the Postal Operations Council. The last 18 months have been challenging the postal sector around the world. It has had to grapple with delivering quality and affordable postal services while keeping employees and customers safe amid the pandemic. With Singapore’s re-election into the POC, we will work with partners in the UPU to strengthen the international postal network and to keep postal supply chains open for Singapore and the rest of the world. We will continue to advance the UPU’s mission of providing efficient, accessible, and quality postal services for our people, and stimulating growth for the global postal sector.”

5. Minister Teo participated in the UPU Ministerial Conference on 10 August 2021, where she spoke about the major disruptions faced by the global postal sector and the valuable opportunities that can be harnessed through digital transformation. (See Annex A for Minister’s speech).

Singapore’s contributions to the UPU and international postal sector

6. Singapore has been a UPU member since 1966 and part of the governing board of the Asia Pacific Post cooperative since the mid 1990s, supporting regional operators in improving the quality of services and expanding business opportunities in the postal sector. Singapore was previously elected to the UPU POC in 1994, 2004, 2008 and 2016. Most recently, from 2017–2021, Singapore, through Singapore Post Limited (SingPost), our designated operator and representative on the POC,  has contributed to the UPU as co-chair of the Remuneration Integration Group, facilitating discussions on issues related to the compensation for delivery costs between global postal operators. SingPost has also been part of the UPU Express Mail Services Board, assisting member countries in developing high-quality and competitive express mail services worldwide.

7. SingPost CEO (Postal Services and Singapore) and Postmaster General Mr Vincent Phang said, “SingPost is honoured to be elected into the POC, in what has been a turbulent time for the postal world. COVID-19 has wrought havoc on aviation and logistics supply chains across the world, and our traditional mail services have been hit hard as well. Through the worst of times, the pandemic has highlighted the continued importance of postal services. SingPost, with the support of the Infocomm Media Development Authority, looks forward to working with our postal partners around the world in navigating these troubled times, to ensure that the UPU remains the delivery network of choice – with reliable and affordable services for all communities across the globe.”

Annex A - Min Josephine Teo's Statement at Universal Postal Union Ministerial Conference in Abidjan

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1  The three other bodies are the Congress, the Council of Administration, and the International Bureau.